“Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment” – Maria Montessori
To children, attending a new school is like moving into a new house. There they search for safety and connection with people (teachers and friends) and the surroundings so that each day at school is a journey full of new and exciting experiences.
Changing schools regularly – Not just academic progress loss
Upon school changing, children tend to more or less withdraw! Are the new friends friendly? How about the teachers? Is the learning approach different? Constant changes leave the children confused, fearful of making new connections, and gradually losing their confidence.
It’s a great concern for many parents when they must change the school for their kids due to residential, financial, or family matters. Regardless of which level of education they are in, when children change schools, there are a number of challenges they must face: making new connections and adjusting to the new learning approach, method, curriculum, and school culture. If the disruption is too much, children might feel discouraged and disheartened, resulting in a loss of academic progress or even confidence and a sense of security.
Your child deserves to have a “secure home,” a consistent journey for thinking, emotional, and social skill development.
Instead of forcing your child to constantly adjust to changes upon changing schools, give them a “secure home” from the beginning, because education is a consistent journey, not a jigsaw puzzle of separate pieces. A continuous environment from preschool to high school gives children many advantages:
– Consistent learning pathway – Ensuring consistency in knowledge, learning method, and curriculum. Children follow a clear plan with predetermined outcomes, which is individualized based on their natural pace and strengths, allowing them to gradually acquire knowledge, skills, and self-learning abilities appropriate to each level of education.
– Stable connections – A stable environment helps them better connect with their teachers and friends, nurturing their confidence and positive emotions and facilitating their journey of growth.
– Psychological safety—Without disruption, children feel safe to express themselves, focus on exploring, and fulfill their potential in a familiar environment in which they feel a sense of belonging.
Throughout the whole journey from preschool to primary school, from primary school to secondary school, and from secondary to high school, children experience a consistent and stable environment in terms of learning philosophy, method, and pathway. In this way, educational transitions will no longer mean disruption but a natural step forward. At that point, “the school” will truly be a second home where children feel they belong and are safe to grow, gradually constructing a complete learning journey for self-learning, self-education, and self-construction.
Find out more about the complete learning pathway from preschool to high school HERE.
