I have so many mixed emotions about returning to the school district next week. On the one hand, I will have to give up my “Lady of Leisure who Lunches” status, which is sad, because I’m SO good at it. No more “to do” lists that include “Wait for Mail Delivery” and “Obtain Cappuccino.” No more 4 hour hikes with dogs in the middle of the day. No more time to plan important wedding details: Pool Blue? Bluebird Blue? Tiffany Blue?
And yet, I always feel a fluttering excitement about going back to school, that usually begins the first time I see Target put out that delicious display of sharp pencils, perfect untouched rainbow crayons (with glitter), plasticy-smelling lunchboxes, and the holy grail of B2S shopping, a sea of new outfits! Excuse me, I just need a moment. Ahhhh.
As my tagline suggests, I have always LOVED school, so the B2S shopping experience always reminds me of those glory days of returning to school to see my friends, fresh calendar/organizer in hand, perfectly pointy pencils with untainted eraser, multi-colored pens and highlighters, ready to learn. But learning and making friends always came easy to me*, so of course I loved school. Many of the students I work with dread the return of school, and in some cases take drastic measures to avoid returning at all.
So, what can parents do to help their kids with a smooth back to school transition?
Here are some tips from the National Association of School Psychologists. They are aimed mostly at younger students, but some can be adapted to upper grades.
Before School Starts
1) Mark your calendar with important dates. Make copies of all your child’s health and emergency information for reference. Discuss any concerns you have over your child’s emotional, physical, or psychological development with your pediatrician. Your child will benefit if you can identify and begin addressing a potential issue before school starts. Schools appreciate the efforts of parents to remedy problems as soon as they are recognized.
2) Buy school supplies early. Try to fill the backpacks a week or two before school starts.
3) Reestablish the bedtime and mealtime routines at least one week before school starts. Prepare your child for this change by talking with your child about the benefits of school routines in terms of not becoming overtired or overwhelmed by school work and activities. Include pre-bedtime reading and household chores if these were suspended during the summer.
4) Turn off the TV. Encourage your child to play quiet games, do puzzles, color, or read as early morning activities instead of tv. This will help ease your child into the learning process and school routine. If possible, maintain this practice throughout the school year.
5) Visit school with your child in advance if your child is young or in a new school.
6) Designate a clear place to do homework.
Overcoming School Anxiety
1) Let your child know you care. If your child is anxious about school, send personal notes in the lunch box or book bag. Reinforce the ability to cope. Children absorb their parent’s anxiety, so model optimism and confidence for your child. Let your child know that it is natural to be a little nervous any time you start something new but that your child will be just fine once he or she becomes familiar with classmates, the teacher, and school routine.
2) Do not over react. If the first few days are a little rough, try not to over react. Young children in particular may experience separation anxiety or shyness initially, but teachers are trained to help them adjust. If you drop them off, try not to linger. Reassure them. Remain calm and positive.
3) Acknowledge anxiety over a bad experience the previous year (e.g. bullying, difficulty with academics or making friends). Contact the school to confirm that the problem has been or will be addressed. Reassure your child that you and the school are working together to prevent further issues. Reinforce your child’s ability to cope. Give your child a few strategies to manage a difficult situation on his own. Maintain open lines of communication with the school.
4) Arrange play dates or get-togethers with some of your child’s classmates before school starts and during the first weeks of school to help your child reestablish positive social relationships with peers.
5) If problems arise, you may want to contact the school to set up an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher and school psychologist. They may be able to offer support or suggest other resources. While children can display a variety of behaviors, it is generally wise not to over-interpret those behaviors. More often than not, time and a few intervention strategies will remedy the problem.
*Notable exception: Chemistry. Bleech. I hated it because I wasn’t good at it. I didn’t understand why anyone would care if an equation was balanced. I also didn’t like my teacher, for reasons beyond the obvious lack of deodorant situation. Shouldn't he be concerned about his pH balance if he was soooo smart? Fortunately, Mr. Sweaty also believed in group test grades (what?) so I compensated by weaseling myself into a group with the future valedictorian.
This technique was also key to getting through the Tennis portion of PE. I started dating the state tennis champ and opted for being on a doubles team. Here was every game: Him: I got this ball! (whack) Me: ok! Him: I got this one too! (whack) Me: (filing nails) You got that one too? Great.
Showing posts with label Anxiety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anxiety. Show all posts
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Friday, 9 May 2008
Free the Kids!
I wrote a while ago about the overprotection of children. Turns out, this is a hot topic. You simply must read this article called Why I Let My 9-year old Ride the Subway Alone.
My reaction is mixed. I try not to subscribe to the culture of fear, but it is all around and so difficult to combat. When I arrived at my new district, I got a list of the 10,000 things that can go wrong and the correct emergency procedures. As I thumbed through the list, alphabetically ordered, (not by severity of disaster) I actually laughed out loud. When will I ever need to know the procedure for an emergency aircraft landing on school property?* Then, my amygdala, center of fear, and my frontal lobe o’ reason had a debate.
Amygdala: Wait. What if there WAS an aircraft that had to land in an emergency? Our school yard is kind of spacious...
Frontal Lobe: When was the last time an aircraft had to land at a school? It would only be newsworthy because it would be extraordinarily rare.
Amygdala: AAAAAAHHHH! Can’t you just see the 747 screaming toward the innocent little kindergartners? And there you are, personally responsible for not ushering them to safety.
Frontal Lobe: Would I even have time to react if a 747 was screaming towards us?
Amygdala: Better safe then sorry. I’ll be ready for the burning inferno of terror.
The real questions I have are: What impact does paranoid adult culture have on our children? Are we teaching them that the world is a scary and unpredictable place? How can educators take appropriate precautions to keep our kids safe without going overboard?
*Some other delightful scenarios included Antrax, Bioterrorism, Hazardous Material Spill Near Campus, and Snipers (Must. refrain. from. Hilliary. Clinton. joke.)
My reaction is mixed. I try not to subscribe to the culture of fear, but it is all around and so difficult to combat. When I arrived at my new district, I got a list of the 10,000 things that can go wrong and the correct emergency procedures. As I thumbed through the list, alphabetically ordered, (not by severity of disaster) I actually laughed out loud. When will I ever need to know the procedure for an emergency aircraft landing on school property?* Then, my amygdala, center of fear, and my frontal lobe o’ reason had a debate.
Amygdala: Wait. What if there WAS an aircraft that had to land in an emergency? Our school yard is kind of spacious...
Frontal Lobe: When was the last time an aircraft had to land at a school? It would only be newsworthy because it would be extraordinarily rare.
Amygdala: AAAAAAHHHH! Can’t you just see the 747 screaming toward the innocent little kindergartners? And there you are, personally responsible for not ushering them to safety.
Frontal Lobe: Would I even have time to react if a 747 was screaming towards us?
Amygdala: Better safe then sorry. I’ll be ready for the burning inferno of terror.
The real questions I have are: What impact does paranoid adult culture have on our children? Are we teaching them that the world is a scary and unpredictable place? How can educators take appropriate precautions to keep our kids safe without going overboard?
*Some other delightful scenarios included Antrax, Bioterrorism, Hazardous Material Spill Near Campus, and Snipers (Must. refrain. from. Hilliary. Clinton. joke.)
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
Text Anxiety
I had a dream the other night that I was back in high school. It's the day of a big math test. And in my dream, I am not prepared. In fact, I didn't even know there was a test! Worse yet, I can't find the classroom because I've forgotten to go to the math class all year long. Somewhere in my subconscious, lies residual high school math performance anxiety.
What is Performance Anxiety?
Even though high school is long gone, I'm sure many of us can recall that pit-of-the-stomach feeling that we are unprepared for a big test. Test Anxiety, which is sometimes referred to in the literature as "Performance Anxiety," usually arises when we are called upon to demonstrate what we know and be evaluated by others. For students, this usually takes the form of pencil-paper tests, oral presentations, projects, and sometimes even classroom participation. Performance anxiety in the workplace may arise arise before a big presentation at work, a report, or certification tests. Symptoms can include rapid heart rate, sweating palms, stomach pains, and intrusive thoughts (e.g. I'm going to bomb this! I didn't study enough. My teacher will think I'm dumb, I'm going to forget my speech).
So, how do you help students deal with it?
BEFORE THE TEST
1. Let the student know that having some anxiety before a test is normal, and in some cases can be beneficial.
Low levels of anxiety can motivate you to study, to work harder, and to seek out help. It is when the anxiety reaches a critical mass that it becomes debilitating. Think for example of drinking coffee. A little bit can perk you up and enhance focus, but a lot can make you jittery, scattered, and full of intrusive thoughts.
2. Help the student assess his/her knowledge or skills. Is the student anxious because s/he hasn't studied well? In this case, the intervention is to stop reading the blog and get to work. Start with 10-minute intervals and allow a break. Make a study schedule and stick to it. Be sure to include a small reward here and there, even if it is just verbal. Once beginning the study session, you may find the student reporting that s/he isn't sure how to study or what to study. This can lead to avoiding studying altogether. In this case, the intervention is to seek more information about the test from notes, a classmate, or the teacher. When this is not possible, the next best thing is to study anyway. Some information is better than none at all.
3. Avoid cramming. I know, we've all done it, but at the last minute, it can fuel your anxiety as you become aware of how much information you don't know yet. The research is clear: distributed practice (a little at a time) is better than massed practice (all at once).
4. Avoid excessive reassurance that the test will be “fine” or is “not a big deal” . For a child who worries, it is a big deal and they don’t feel fine. Acknowledge and normalize the worry, discourage avoidance, and encourage the student to access his/her coping skills. For example, ask the student how they have handled tests in the past and what worked well.
5. Use metaphors to explain the process of habituation . We have all heard the "face your fear!" advice. There is some truth to this, when it comes to test taking. Habituation is the process by which we "get used to" anxiety. Each time we are exposed to the anxiety provoking situation and we live through it, the next time is a little bit easier. With children and adolescents, I sometimes use a mountain climbing metaphor. Maybe it's because I grew up at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. If you are from California, you might want to use a surfing metaphor, like “ride it out”! Use a metaphor that the student can relate too.
Here’s my mountain metaphor: At first, when you are at the base of the mountain, you look up and it is very tall and scary. You wonder if you can get up the mountain and how you are going to do it. You may say to yourself "I'm not in good enough shape to climb that!" or "what if I fall down?" But then you climb. It can be difficult, but you get through it. And the next time you climb, you're in a little better shape, and you know a little bit more what to expect, and have a little more confidence. Each time, it gets easier. And you may have a new mountain to climb that looks a little different, but you have some experience already you can use. It's the same with test-taking. It gets less scary each time because you know what to do.
DURING THE TEST
1. Encourage calming self-talk. I tell my students “Your brain believes what you tell it.” If the student is telling his or herself that they can’t remember anything, the intrusive thought can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Worry shuts down problem-solving in several ways. Worrying strengthens the perception that one is incompetent (e.g. “I am going to draw a blank and forget everything I studied”) and can fuel catastrophic thinking (“If I don’t pass this test, I’m going to fail all of 8th grade and never get into a good high school”). Encourage the student to use some of the following self-talk statements:
-I’m nervous, but I can handle it.
-I’m having some trouble with some questions but I’m doing well on others
-It’s okay to make a mistake because that’s how you learn
-This feeling will pass if I allow it to
-I have taken tests before, I can do it now
2. Encourage the student to use deep breathing when the worry thoughts become intrusive. Try out the “candle exercise.” Picture a cake with 10 candles on it. Imagine yourself blowing out each candle one by one using your breathing. This quick exercise can stop the worry thoughts. When I first tried this one out in a therapy session with an anxious teen, I thought it was kind of hokey. But she loved it. Each student will have his or her own relaxation technique that works. Try a few different ones and see which ones help.
AFTER THE TEST
1. Receiving the test results back can also be an anxiety provoking experience. If the student gets a grade back that he or she is dissatisfied with, it is important to reframe the test as information about what they know and need to learn. Learning is a process, not an outcome. Let the student know that a mixture of success and failure allows for learning.
2. Encourage reflection about the test-taking process. What worked? What didn’t work? What can be learned about test-taking skills for the next test? Praise the student for any coping strategies s/he used in the process.
3. Understand that reducing performance anxiety is a process. Be patient with the student as s/he tries things in a new way. Progress in anxiety reduction is rarely linear—there will inevitably be some good test days and bad test days. Just think of a habit you have tried to change—stopping smoking, going to the gym more—and recall the ebb and flow of your own motivation to change. Praise small steps in the right direction. You would want people to recognize that you went to the gym 3 times this week, not that you didn’t go 4 times this week!
The interesting thing about my math dream is that I was quite good at math in high school, though it wasn't my favorite subject. Now I enjoy math, thanks to graduate school training in research methodology and statistics (math for a reason!). I use it every day in my work. I guess I need to let my subconscious know that I have already climbed that math anxiety mountain and am happily coasting down the other side.
***
Portions of the information in this article were obtained from research by Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., of the University of Rochester and Robert D. Freidberg., Ph.D., Wright State University.
What is Performance Anxiety?
Even though high school is long gone, I'm sure many of us can recall that pit-of-the-stomach feeling that we are unprepared for a big test. Test Anxiety, which is sometimes referred to in the literature as "Performance Anxiety," usually arises when we are called upon to demonstrate what we know and be evaluated by others. For students, this usually takes the form of pencil-paper tests, oral presentations, projects, and sometimes even classroom participation. Performance anxiety in the workplace may arise arise before a big presentation at work, a report, or certification tests. Symptoms can include rapid heart rate, sweating palms, stomach pains, and intrusive thoughts (e.g. I'm going to bomb this! I didn't study enough. My teacher will think I'm dumb, I'm going to forget my speech).
So, how do you help students deal with it?
BEFORE THE TEST
1. Let the student know that having some anxiety before a test is normal, and in some cases can be beneficial.
Low levels of anxiety can motivate you to study, to work harder, and to seek out help. It is when the anxiety reaches a critical mass that it becomes debilitating. Think for example of drinking coffee. A little bit can perk you up and enhance focus, but a lot can make you jittery, scattered, and full of intrusive thoughts.
2. Help the student assess his/her knowledge or skills. Is the student anxious because s/he hasn't studied well? In this case, the intervention is to stop reading the blog and get to work. Start with 10-minute intervals and allow a break. Make a study schedule and stick to it. Be sure to include a small reward here and there, even if it is just verbal. Once beginning the study session, you may find the student reporting that s/he isn't sure how to study or what to study. This can lead to avoiding studying altogether. In this case, the intervention is to seek more information about the test from notes, a classmate, or the teacher. When this is not possible, the next best thing is to study anyway. Some information is better than none at all.
3. Avoid cramming. I know, we've all done it, but at the last minute, it can fuel your anxiety as you become aware of how much information you don't know yet. The research is clear: distributed practice (a little at a time) is better than massed practice (all at once).
4. Avoid excessive reassurance that the test will be “fine” or is “not a big deal” . For a child who worries, it is a big deal and they don’t feel fine. Acknowledge and normalize the worry, discourage avoidance, and encourage the student to access his/her coping skills. For example, ask the student how they have handled tests in the past and what worked well.
5. Use metaphors to explain the process of habituation . We have all heard the "face your fear!" advice. There is some truth to this, when it comes to test taking. Habituation is the process by which we "get used to" anxiety. Each time we are exposed to the anxiety provoking situation and we live through it, the next time is a little bit easier. With children and adolescents, I sometimes use a mountain climbing metaphor. Maybe it's because I grew up at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. If you are from California, you might want to use a surfing metaphor, like “ride it out”! Use a metaphor that the student can relate too.
Here’s my mountain metaphor: At first, when you are at the base of the mountain, you look up and it is very tall and scary. You wonder if you can get up the mountain and how you are going to do it. You may say to yourself "I'm not in good enough shape to climb that!" or "what if I fall down?" But then you climb. It can be difficult, but you get through it. And the next time you climb, you're in a little better shape, and you know a little bit more what to expect, and have a little more confidence. Each time, it gets easier. And you may have a new mountain to climb that looks a little different, but you have some experience already you can use. It's the same with test-taking. It gets less scary each time because you know what to do.
DURING THE TEST
1. Encourage calming self-talk. I tell my students “Your brain believes what you tell it.” If the student is telling his or herself that they can’t remember anything, the intrusive thought can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Worry shuts down problem-solving in several ways. Worrying strengthens the perception that one is incompetent (e.g. “I am going to draw a blank and forget everything I studied”) and can fuel catastrophic thinking (“If I don’t pass this test, I’m going to fail all of 8th grade and never get into a good high school”). Encourage the student to use some of the following self-talk statements:
-I’m nervous, but I can handle it.
-I’m having some trouble with some questions but I’m doing well on others
-It’s okay to make a mistake because that’s how you learn
-This feeling will pass if I allow it to
-I have taken tests before, I can do it now
2. Encourage the student to use deep breathing when the worry thoughts become intrusive. Try out the “candle exercise.” Picture a cake with 10 candles on it. Imagine yourself blowing out each candle one by one using your breathing. This quick exercise can stop the worry thoughts. When I first tried this one out in a therapy session with an anxious teen, I thought it was kind of hokey. But she loved it. Each student will have his or her own relaxation technique that works. Try a few different ones and see which ones help.
AFTER THE TEST
1. Receiving the test results back can also be an anxiety provoking experience. If the student gets a grade back that he or she is dissatisfied with, it is important to reframe the test as information about what they know and need to learn. Learning is a process, not an outcome. Let the student know that a mixture of success and failure allows for learning.
2. Encourage reflection about the test-taking process. What worked? What didn’t work? What can be learned about test-taking skills for the next test? Praise the student for any coping strategies s/he used in the process.
3. Understand that reducing performance anxiety is a process. Be patient with the student as s/he tries things in a new way. Progress in anxiety reduction is rarely linear—there will inevitably be some good test days and bad test days. Just think of a habit you have tried to change—stopping smoking, going to the gym more—and recall the ebb and flow of your own motivation to change. Praise small steps in the right direction. You would want people to recognize that you went to the gym 3 times this week, not that you didn’t go 4 times this week!
The interesting thing about my math dream is that I was quite good at math in high school, though it wasn't my favorite subject. Now I enjoy math, thanks to graduate school training in research methodology and statistics (math for a reason!). I use it every day in my work. I guess I need to let my subconscious know that I have already climbed that math anxiety mountain and am happily coasting down the other side.
***
Portions of the information in this article were obtained from research by Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., of the University of Rochester and Robert D. Freidberg., Ph.D., Wright State University.
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