The Ecomony Impacts Everyone, Even Your Child

School isn’t always the only stress factor in a child’s life.  Sometimes outside influences affect students as well.  Family changes and losses, as well as national current events can have a serious negative effect on even the most focused and dilligent students. The recent, grim news regarding the ecomony is a great example of this phenomenon. Parents and teachers who are dealing with the economic shifts can sometimes unconsciously give off feelings of stress or anxiety that are internalized by even the youngest children.

I worked in a school district outside of New York City when the September 11, 2001 attackes occurred, and it was really difficult on the children in our school district.   Parents, teachers, and adminstrators were overwhelmed by the tradegies, and getting classrooms back to normal took time and patience.  While children may not be able to grasp the specifics of the problem the way the adults around them can, they are able to discern that something is worrisome and amiss in their daily life. This can negatively affect their behavior and performance in school.  Parents especially need to be mindful that when they are stressed, children pick up on the tension, and this can translate into school difficulties.  Now, more than ever, it is crucial to reassure our children, and ourselves, that things will be okay.

With the ecomony affecting almost everyone in America and around the world, let’s do our best not to burden our children with worries of the world, as their lives are already challenging enough. Of course discussing what is happening in our nation is important, but it is equally important to reassure them that they need not worry about world events or family crises. Their focus should be on creating a bright future for themselves, and that is much easier to accomplish in a secure environment where education is paramount. 

 

Scott Straub

   

 

Giving children the skills neccessary to succeed is more important than ever.  Teaching them how to cope with challenging situations and how to deal with setbacks is part of life too.

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