Starting secondary school is an exciting time but can also feel quite daunting. It’s natural to feel nervous on your first day and you can guarantee that everyone else will be feeling just the same. So here are five top tips to help you prepare for and remain calm during your first day at secondary school.
Practise your new route to school
Your route to secondary school will be brand new. In the week leading up to the start of term, plan your route and do a practice run with a friend or family member. Time how long the route takes, whether you’re getting the train, bus or cycling. This will give you peace of mind on your first day that you’re not going to get lost on the way and that you will arrive on time!
Open up to a new classmate
If you are feeling anxious or worried about a particular part of your first day, share how you’re feeling with one of your new classmates. You’ll find that confiding in them and being open is the best approach to forming new friendships. Your new classmate may be able to offer you some advice or even share their own concerns with you. A problem shared is sometimes a problem solved.
Trust your instinct
The trick is to not overthink everything. If you’re in one of your new classes and your teacher asks a question out loud that you know the answer to, then answer it! You’ll find that once you’ve put up your hand and answered a question once, it becomes easier and easier each time after. Your classmates won’t judge you, even if the answer is wrong, but they will remember you for being brave. And as the great poet and playwright, Oscar Wilde said: “There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about”.
Embrace your independence
With all these changes comes a greater independence, so embrace it! You can arrange a time to meet your new school friends each morning and walk to school together. Sign up to take part in an after school club or activity which you’re passionate about and you’ll make friends with people that love the same things as you. If you are ever in doubt, just think to yourself…what is the worst that could happen? You’ll find that those first day nerves will become a distant memory, quicker than you could ever have imagined.