Summer’s ending, school’s beginning and “early Fall” means many students fear going back to school. Avoidance, refusal, and worse case fear of school commonly dominate early fall conversations as a rule.
Most students greet summer’s end with sad resignation and back- to-school jitters. But one in ten also finds the start of school creates psychological heebee jeebee critters.
We usually associate elementary students with fear of school and anxiety, and older adult learners with school refusal and tedium, but regardless of age, school transitions mark normal levels of fear, worry, and unease that families and student experience in any medium.
Fear of school is professionally called DID ASKA LEINO PHOBIA or SCHO LIONO PHOBIA. It grips dozens of online and classroom students whose terrified nerves scream see ya. While varying ages have specific signs of fear of school separation anxiety from comforting folks, belongs, and things lead the list. We crave clinging to parents, people, pets, and places for reassurance, relief, and things that might be missed.
When students play hooky fear of school isn’t usually the reason. As with Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer they simply feel they have ‘better things to do’ like fishing, hunting, and exploring in any season.
Accurately diagnosing fear of school frequently requires some creative parental detective work, bullies, guns on campus, riding on a boisterous bus, or having an overly strict teacher are often what really makes a student shirk.
Fear of school has physical and emotional elements. The most striking sign is adamant refusal to attend class. Affected students often have uncontrolled temper and anxiety attacks that hardly ever pass. Flu like symptoms, feigned illness, heart palpitations, sleep deprivation, and chronic depression are customary signs, signs that also involve the entire family’s hearts, souls, and minds.
When it comes to fear of school it’s a funny feeling to know students are gripped by weird emotions in every way… like confronting an unpredictable angry bull every day. While matadors may wave a red cape to take a STAND, Students, before a course starts, often need a reassuring HAND.
Copyright Alan P. Xenakis, MD, Doc X MD Funny Feelings Air Date August 24, 2018