Prepping Students For Change: The Benefits Of Open Communication
If you’re an educator, parent or an employer then open communication with young students and interns is essential in order to help them understand and prepare for the big changes that lie ahead as they move through the education and workplace system
Young people go through a lot in a relatively short space of time. Ironically, change is a constant and students are required to adapt and adjust continually. As an educator, you have a role to inform and teach, but it’s also important to communicate and ensure that students are prepared for change and everything that it brings.
Moving School
Many students change school either as a result of moving house or neighborhood, bullying or choosing to specialize in specific subjects. Even if you’ve had a torrid time at one school, the prospect of starting anew can be daunting. There’s no assurance that a new school will be any better and children may worry that the change will be a negative experience.
As a parent, a friend or an educator, it’s important to try and understand what that child is going through. Even if they’re supremely confident and they interact comfortably with others, there’s no getting away from the fact that it’s daunting to be surrounded by new faces and places that are unfamiliar.
Encouraging socialization is a good place to start, and it’s also beneficial to keep channels of communication open. You don’t have to bombard students with questions and ask if they’re OK every hour of the day, but knowing that you’re there will help to reassure them and put them at ease.
Leaving For College
Moving away from home is one of the major landmarks of life. Many students can’t wait to embrace their new-found freedom and get out into the world, but there’s always an element of apprehension and uncertainty. The process can be scary and distressing for both students and their parents.
Before you start looking at student moving services like mybekins.com, take some time to have a chat, see where your child’s head is at and talk about the experiences that await at college. Most people approach college with a mixture of emotions. It’s exciting to take on a new challenge, but it can also be a terrifying prospect, especially for those who haven’t spent time away from home before. On the other side of the coin, teachers have a role to play when welcoming new students and helping them to settle into their new environment.
Taking A Step Into The Big Wide World
Completing college is a major achievement, but it can also represent a difficult time. There’s uncertainty about the future, pressure to secure a job and start earning and important decisions to make. At every stage of the process, mentors and teachers should be there to offer advice and provide practical information and encouragement. Open communication gives students and graduates the opportunity to interact when they need or want to, and it’s always reassuring to have somebody there to bounce ideas off or ask for advice. Being aware of issues graduates face and concerns they have is also incredibly beneficial, and you may find this article from CNBC interesting – “More than half of prospective college students worry they’ll never graduate”.
There are few things more important in education than open communication. If you’re a parent, a teacher or mentor, having the ability to communicate with children and students can make all the difference to their experience and equip them for any form of change that comes their way.
