“I'm afraid of missing my alarm” before going back to school, stress is rising among children

A quelques heures de la rentrée scolaire… Midi Libre – PIERRE SALIBA

Chez les jeunes écoliers, angoisse mais aussi enthousiasme se font sentir avant la reprise.

This Monday is the start of the school year… And the main people concerned, the children, especially the youngest, have been anticipating this moment for a few days already. A leap into the unknown for some, a last year before the big leagues for others, the anxieties of going back to school are working on the youngest, who sometimes imagine the worst-case scenario for their first day of school.

Little worries just a few hours before the big day

And these thoughts are running through their heads, even though they should be taking advantage of the last few days of vacation… Fortunately, these worries are often temporary.

A few days before the start of the school year, enjoying the last few days of sunshine at Beltrame Square, Tim is worried: “I'm afraid of missing my alarm, or of going to the wrong class when I arrive”, confides the six-year-old, who is about to start CP. The advantage is that all her friends will be there too.

In the same play area, Élise and her “best friend”, Louna, prefer to enjoy the last days of vacation without worrying too much about upcoming deadlines. They know school well. They have been there for two years now. This year, they will be the “big ones” of the yard, since they will be entering the senior section. “It's just that I hope we don't change teachers”, hopes Luna, fingers crossed. This worry comes up regularly, among the youngest schoolchildren.

Clarissa, five years old, is also getting ready to enter the senior section. "I had a really nice teacher this year, we played games all the time. I don't really want to have a teacher this time…"

For both, the sources of anxiety are different, and yet timeless. “Every year, it's the same thing, the same old story. They have the same fears, and finally, after a day in class, and after seeing their friends again, things are better”, smiles Salma, mother of Samia and Omar. The little girl is about to start middle school, her brother in CE1. The latter, an old hand at the playground, is much more serene. When the start of the school year is mentioned, his sister bursts into tears. “I don't want to go back to school. I'm scared. I was better off on vacation, with Mom and Dad." Omar, for his part, has no particular apprehension about this first day at school. On the contrary. “I'm going to be able to see my friends again”. He hasn't seen some of them for over two months. “I also have new T-shirts, which Mom bought us! I wasn't allowed to wear them during the holidays, so I can't wait to try them on.” So he's ready for gym class.

Others, at the age of six, are already focused on making a success of their school year. No time to waste with any apprehension.

Like Alma, who, after watching a documentary on veterinarians this summer, decided to work hard to make it her career. “Starting next week, I'm going to do nothing but work. I want to treat animals, but Dad says you have to be serious to succeed in your studies…" the little girl poses, seriously. Verdict in a few years…

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