Many things can take place in school to make a child unhappy. Feeling as if a teacher is picking on her, not being able to keep up with the class in her schoolwork, feelings of self-consciousness, or dealing with bullying are just a few of the culprits. Not all children will speak up and address their feelings or situations, so it’s up to the parents to look for signs that something isn’t right. You will find below 4 signs your child is unhappy at school and how to find out why.
Behavior
A child’s behavior can say a lot about their emotional well-being. If a child normally behaves well at school or at home and suddenly begins to get in trouble with teachers or her parents, it may indicate that something in her life has changed. On the other hand, if a child is normally quiet or timid and suddenly becomes hyper or nervous, it may be sign of something amiss. She may appear angry, aggressive, or moody. These also may be signs of puberty, so taking into account the child’s age is important, too. These behaviour changes shouldn’t be assumed to be puberty-related, however.
Silence
When asked how school was or how a particular subject was, a child who is unhappy at school may refuse to talk about it. He may be quiet in the classroom, as well, refusing to ask or answer questions. He may be afraid of confrontation with a teacher or a bully if he says anything. This can often point to problems he’s facing when being ridiculed for answering questions wrong, or feeling as if he’s not intelligent because he doesn’t know the answers. While it’s common for kids to pick on each other for making mistakes in the classroom, it can be extremely embarrassing for some children, forcing them to not even try.
Physical signs
When things are really bad at school, some kids begin to exhibit physical signs such as thumb sucking or bed wetting, nail biting, or stomach issues such as vomiting or diarrhea. The child may experience headaches or changes in appetite and weight. These symptoms may be present during the wee, but subside over the weekend or a long school break. It’s important that these signs are not ignored if the other, more mild symptoms were. Physical signs present themselves when a person cannot emotionally handle the problems they are facing, and may lead to serious problems such as dehydration.
Complaining
Many children will be vocal about issues at school even if they are not coming right out and saying what’s wrong. These children may continually complain about school or how the teacher hates them or how much they hate a student at school. They may groan daily about having to do math or reading. Ignoring these statements as being something all kids do could be a mistake.
Finding answers
Ask the child why they feel the teacher hates her or why she dislikes the student in question so much. Investigate, ask the teacher about the child and her school work or whether she’s seen any signs of bullying. Find out from others how the child behaves in school. If problems continue or become worse, talk to a physician about the situation. He may rule out any physical problems that could be causing the symptoms or suggest therapy for the child to determine the actual cause.
As a parent, it is a continual obligation to play detective. Children don’t always talk to their parents about their problems because they want to handle it themselves. They may feel that involving the parent may make the situation worse; however, a child should feel safe in school and not torn apart for what they cannot do. Bullying, from anyone, should not be tolerated. Read the signs your child is unhappy at school and investigate to find the reasons why they are there!
Great tips to be on the watch for, thank you.