Last week Sasha Obama, seven and Malia Obama, ten started at Sidwell Friends School. Although
children do not usually switch schools mid -year because their father
was elected President, many parents do find themselves in a similar
situation by having to disrupt their child's schooling because of
changes in the family.
It is best,whenever possible, to allow children to finish the school year because the social and academic challenges can verify greatly between schools and some children adapt better if the transfer happens at the beginning of the school year. However, for many parents this is not an option. They may need to switch schools because of changes in the family structure ( divorce,death, guardian changes), or socioeconomic factors.
Some guidelines for parents:
- Acknowledge that the move is a loss. We can be more resilient when we are allowed to grieve first.
- Have a going-away party that honors past relationships. You can also make arrangements for how your child can stay in touch with their old friends .
- As is the case with Malia Obama, if your child won't be graduating with their current class , you might want to plan for them to still attend the graduation of their old class. Your child may not want to when the time comes, but it might be helpful for them to know if that is possibility.
- Allow the child to tour the new school and talk with the new teacher before the actual start date. It helps titrate the change in more manageable steps.
- Find out what extracurricular activities are available at the new school and in the community, and make contact with the coordinators so that your child knows what will be available to them to participate in and what might be the same ,or different from their past involvements.
