This July my husband and I decided to move both our kids, aged 14 and 10, from their previous schools to a new international school that's located in our neighborhood. It wasn't an easy decision. We knew switching schools would be a challenge for our kids.
Put two kids in the same situation and they react and feel differently. Nina, outgoing and talkative, has no problem making new friends and adjusting to(适应) the new school. It took her less than a week to say, "This school is great. I like it. "Everywhere she goes, she's surrounded by friends. It took Michael months to say, "I guess this is fine. "Before that, he complained about everything. He's sensitive and quite hard on himself. Words of encouragement need to be told on a daily basis.
To make our children comfortable before, during, and after the move, we included them in our plan from the beginning. They're big enough to take part in decisionmaking activities. We researched, compared, and asked questions. We listed everything about their old schools and the new one, and we discussed every item. We were open with them from the start. Our kids knew what was going on and what was about to happen. They had time to prepare themselves. They trusted us.
Communicating with their new teachers was also important. For the first three months, we kept an eye on our children's academic(学业的) performance and their social life. If we discovered a drop in their grades or any unusual behavior, we were quick to arrange appointments with their teachers. We don't aim to be helicopter parents, but it doesn't mean we let them go completely. Balancing this role is hard—the older the kid, the harder it gets—but it's not impossible. The key is to listen first, and act second.
