Blog #515: Looking ahead to the 2025-2026 School Year (Part 1)
- Jeffrey Snyder
- 6 minutes ago
- 4 min read
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So, as many of you are probably aware by now or have been living under a rock, the 2025-2026 school year is either underway or getting underway for some of you. For many people, the first day of school can be one of two areas: relief or anxiety.
As I have shared in past blogs related to the first day of school, it's always a good idea to prepare neurodivergent and special education students for the first day of school before the first day actually arrives. For neurodivergent and special education students, there is a sense of shift in routine and getting used to new surroundings, new peers and new teachers.
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Having endured a grueling transition from Seekonk to Attleboro earlier the year, I can oftentimes relate to students who are anxious about the upcoming school year. For some students, they probably don't want to go through the process at all. They would much rather be home rather than being educated. There's also the anticipation of how the class is going to be (is the teacher going to be friendly or mean? will the students be loud and sensory overloading? Will I be able to make it through the day, etc.?)
All this points to the true culprit which is transitional anxiety, the transition from one phase of life to another. But, I think some of the problems that students who are sensitive or shy are often forced into situations they don't want to be in.
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Take for example, Season 2, Episode 9 of the Netflix Series, "The Crown" for example. Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy) intends to send her eldest son, Charles, to Eton College. However, her husband, Prince Philip (Matt Smith) wants his son to go to Gordonstoun in Scotland so that he can not only make Charles into a man, but also because he's trying to make his own contribution to the royal family.
Looking at this scenario, we will use Charles as the neurodivergent student/special education student. Charles, as a child, is a sensitive child and probably would not survive in an environment like Gordonstoun. If Philip had any sense, he would have probably had the sense to allow his son to go to Eton College because he can learn in an environment that is to his needs. Later on as an adult, Charles sends his own sons, William and Harry to Eton College and they turned out just fine (well, except for Harry, of course)
The problem here is that there are some parents who just don't get the fact that the first day of school can be hard for their neurodivergent children. Most parents will often think of having the student experience the school before the first day of school is unnecessary and a waste of time. But, in realBlog #515: Looking ahead to the 2025-2026 School Year (Part 1)ity, who do you really have to remember what is at stake: the child's education or the child's mental health, particularly if they are neurodivergent and will often go at a slower pace than other children.
Taking the child to meet his or her teacher, principal, or other high ranking school personnel isn't a complete waste of time on the parents' part. The truth of the matter is that the First Day of the New School year should be treated like any other day of the school year. But, I also get that some families want to capture the moment, so they take pictures that may otherwise bother the student.
As someone who had his picture taken the first day of school several times, I do recommend that if you do need to take pictures, keep them to a minimum and whatever pictures you got, live with them.
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But there are aspects of the Back to School that can be troublesome, particularly when it comes to back to school shopping. Just yesterday, I was at a Target and there were a LOT of kids in the store which nearly gave me a sensory overstimulation. Being dragged to store like Target to select outfits and be made up for someone other than you really are is very bothersome, so it might be best to perhaps go right when the store opens and the child can avoid have sensory meltdowns.
The same can also be said for stores like "Staples" where most students seek school supplies, go first thing in the morning and by doing so, you are making things easier for the sensory friendly student.
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As all of this is happening, its important to acknowledge the fact the First Day of School isn't a one size fits all scenario. The student might be also be anticipating other areas: a change in routine, being huddled in a large group of students for welcome back assemblies and anticipating that first school safety drill of the year.
Yes, these are other factors that need to be taken into consideration and of which I will discuss more of in the part 2 of this blog.
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Catch you all later!