First Day Worries

©Charles Schultz 1991

Just like kindergartners may have concerns about the first day of school - and first graders, and second graders, and so on - middle school students may have concerns about starting ATYP. What if I don't know anyone in my class? What if I feel stupid? What if the work is too hard? The list can be endless, and very real for your child. So what should you do?

First, validate your student's feelings. Let them know that they are perfectly normal, and that most of the other kids in their class will have similar worries. Not only is it normal to feel uncomfortable in a new situation, but we find that gifted students have higher levels of anxiety in general. Your child is not alone! 

Second, remind them that ATYP is about finding the right level of intellectual challenge, and not about being the smartest, or getting the best grades, or getting into an Ivy League university. Some of the pressure to not only attempt ATYP but to be super successful here may be coming from you - the parent. So you will have to remember to not freak out when they don't get 100% on their math homework, or occasionally get less than stellar remarks on an English paper. Don't let your stress spill over onto them, especially not right at the beginning when they are still finding their way.

Third, while early worries about grades are not necessary, you should be monitoring whether or not they have completed their homework. The most important thing students can do to get the most out of their ATYP experience is to complete their assignments on time. Getting behind is a slippery slope that leads to even greater anxiety problems. Help your student to organize their time (see the planner), and then help them to protect that time. An impromptu trip to the beach may sound like fun, but what if they still have two journals to write? Offer up the trip once they have completed at least one of those journals - give small rewards for finishing work that has to be done. And set up that planner so that if something does come up assignments are still completed before class. Then make sure that everything is printed out AND makes it into the backpack to get to ATYP on the correct day. Knowing that you are fully prepared for class is a big stress reliever for students.

Your student may have never been challenged before - this will be new and different. Yes, there may be some stress, but we will do everything we can to help them to acclimate. Don't let those initial worries dissuade your student from giving this opportunity their best shot - there are rewards on the other side of the anxiety tunnel!