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editor: chen tianmu

in the new semester, students and parents face a series of challenges, from adapting to the new environment to managing study pressure, from social difficulties to the role positioning of family education. these problems are common at all stages of education.

this issue of tencent news "required courses for the new school year" special program invitationchen zhiwen, editor-in-chief of china education online, guo feng, principal of the national branch of chen jinglun middle school, and yu xiaobing, a chinese teacher at the experimental middle school affiliated to beijing normal university, we explore these phenomena in depth, provide professional guidance and practical strategies to help students smoothly transition to the new semester, and at the same time provide parents with advice on mindset adjustment and educational methods.

chen zhiwen: is back-to-school syndrome or anxiety common?

yu xiaobing: from the perspective of a teacher, i still have some anxiety about the start of school. after a relaxing summer vacation, i have to immediately enter the work scene, plan various arrangements for the new semester, and think about facing many new challenges. overall, i still have some anxiety, but compared with parents and students, the anxiety of parents and students may be a little stronger.

from the student's perspective, the first thing they face is the problem of homework at the beginning of the school year. the amount of homework assigned varies from grade to grade and from school to school, but there is always some. how well students complete their homework during the holidays affects their anxiety about the start of school to a considerable extent. before school starts, children desperately make up their homework, but after they have finished, they worry about the quality of their homework not being good enough, about being criticized by the teacher, etc., so they are bound to be anxious. the holiday time is relatively long, and when they return to the classroom, whether they can adapt to the work and rest schedule, etc., may bring pressure to children.

chen zhiwen: but there are still some students who are eager to go to school and see their classmates and friends, right?

guo feng: indeed, a considerable number of children do not have this kind of anxiety. the reason for anxiety is nothing more than the transition from a relatively relaxed and relaxed state, a life without strict rules and clear goals, to a life with clear goals and strict rhythms, which will cause people to feel uncomfortable.

there are also some people among teachers and children who have developed very good daily routines for themselves even during holidays. after school starts, they simply integrate their holiday life and study methods back into the regular work and study state on campus, so their transition back to school is very smooth.

chen zhiwen: in the face of this kind of anxiety among students, what should parents and schools do to alleviate this anxiety?

yu xiaobing：the first thing parents should do is to let their children adjust their biological clocks a little earlier and get back to the rhythm of school. don’t rush to adjust before school starts. children will inevitably get up later and go to bed later during holidays, so they should make some adjustments before school starts. if you take your children on a holiday, such as going abroad, and come back just before school starts, it will be very difficult for the children to adjust to the time difference. these factors should be taken into consideration. this is an adjustment of work and rest time.

the second is the learning task. the arrangement of learning tasks is not to do a lot of things at once and let the children enter the state immediately, but a process of slowly entering the state. for example, it is a bit like driving a car. i need to step on the brake first on the slope, then slowly shift the gear, start accelerating, release the brake, and then start. don't be too anxious.

as for schools, generally schools will arrange various activities at the beginning of the semester, such as collective team building, so that students can integrate into and adapt to the new semester more quickly. these are all better ways.of course, some schools will hold exams at the beginning of the semester, hoping to get children to concentrate through exams. this situation is becoming more and more common. from my personal understanding and feelings, i don’t agree with this practice. the only effect that the exam can achieve is to prove the teacher’s prediction - see that you didn’t study hard during the holidays! this is not of much value and meaning.

an experienced teacher or school should have a good design to allow students to slowly and naturally enter the learning state. don't expect them to immediately enter the learning situation at full speed, which is impossible.

guo feng: i also use driving as an analogy, nine words - start slowly, accelerate slowly, and gas frequently.

first, start slowly. the standard operation of our driving is to start slowly. second, accelerate slowly. as teacher yu said, don’t use the examination method. it will seriously discourage the children and it is unnecessary. third, give gas frequently. parents and teachers should encourage the child based on the gradual progress and development after returning to school, and help him gradually enter a state of high-efficiency learning.

now every parent educates their children in a different way, and we also come into contact withsome children, under the guidance of their parents, do not return from the tourist destination until the last day of the holiday. when their bodies are still in nature, they have to switch quickly when studying, and they will feel particularly uncomfortable and anxious.in short, we need to prepare for the new semester, and both teachers and parents should pay special attention to this.

chen zhiwen: what specific measures does principal guo’s school take to help students adapt to the new semester?

guo feng: on august 21, our new first-year junior high school students and first-year primary school students have already started their entrance education. the first thing is to let the children who have just entered the school get familiar with the environment, and let them pay attention to and understand the school's campus culture and some interesting activities.

from kindergarten to primary school, children start to transition from informal learning to formal learning. listening to lectures is a science and a basic skill.we focus on guiding parents from this aspect; for the new first-year junior high school students, their learning focuses more on how to form a new class more quickly, find a better living and learning order, and find a relaxed, safe and positive space for growth.

every year, there are first-grade children who are particularly reluctant to go to school. it is not because the class atmosphere is bad, the teachers are not friendly enough, or the classmates are not enthusiastic and harmonious enough. the main reason is that they are attached to their family life, just like they have not been weaned. in the first and second weeks of school, there are probably children crying when they go to school every year. at this time, our teachers will very kindly take him to school, take him to find his friends, and help him gradually establish new living habits. in the transition stage between kindergarten and primary school, the school mainly uses various game-based teaching and interaction between teachers, students and classmates to let children express themselves, so that they can be fully recognized and adapt to the new learning stage.

from the perspective of learning, learning in kindergarten is called informal learning, and there is no particularly clear assessment target. although there is no compulsory examination after entering elementary school, there will be comparisons between classmates, which is neither a competition nor an assessment. every parent hopes that their children can have an advantage in the comparison and further motivate themselves, but parents should not be anxious at this time, let alone show anxiety.

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