Seven is the number of times I have switched schools, and it doesn’t get any better.
Students hanging out together
As a kid, moving around and switching schools was normal for young me, but it didn’t make it any easier.
You would think someone who moves around a lot would get used to it, but for some reason, it just kept getting harder as I grew older. It got harder in school, especially because many students knew each other from elementary school and middle school. You become the new person that no one can share past memories with, and it causes serious anxiety. Anxiety brought down my self-confidence, and I had to work really hard to build it back up again.
About 13 percent of students switch schools four or more times during high school, and 70 percent of students switch schools before high school. I have switched schools seven separate times, and I’m not in college yet, but this doesn’t only affect someone’s social life; it affects their school life and academic life too. Charissa Mhango, a student in her sophomore year of high school, has switched schools about five or six times. This is because of her dad’s job as a pastor, who gets rotated every four years to a different state. Charissa claims that this has affected her academic life. She has to retake certain classes because of different graduation requirements for different schools. I can personally relate to that because I am put in junior classes as a senior. It is not great because I don’t get to take classes that I find interesting; I have to focus on classes that will meet my graduation requirements.
My older brother went through the same experience, and because of that, he had to repeat a year in college just to catch up with different school requirements. Switching schools which mostly results from moving, can’t be avoided if it involves a change in parent’s job, divorced parents, or a change in foster homes. The kids don’t have a choice in the matter; whether they want to or not, it is what had to happen. I wouldn’t say I didn’t want to switch schools, but I also had to understand the situation my parents were in. Alicia Mhango, a senior in high school who has switched schools multiple times, says, “I don’t really mind it anymore because I have to understand that my dad’s job requires it.” Alicia was a senior when she moved to a different school, and she doesn’t get to enjoy the privileges of her seniority, like fewer classes, because she has a year to meet her graduation requirement.
There is no solution to this problem, but it got easier when I started fitting in. I wouldn’t say I don’t mind switching schools, but I try not to focus on the negative aspects and just work on fitting in. The only thing that helps is time. As time goes on, you fit in better and sometimes just accept that what has been done is done and there is nothing that can be done about it.
Sources
https://education.seattlepi.com/negative-impact-children-changing-schools-2011.html
Phoebe Koomson, Grade 12, enjoys listening to music and singing, and loves watching movies and tv shows, especially comedy. Wants to major in Psychology...
