Looking cool: Mikhael Armand gets help from Tutishahida. Looking on is his father Mohd Hazaruddin Awang and sisters Malieka and Mikayla (standing).
After the long year-end break, children are all refreshed and energised to start lessons and meet old and new friends.
IT’S time for school again!
School will start tomorrow, leaving some children feeling happy and excited while others may feel anxious or nervous, perhaps even scared, on the first day of school.
It is indeed a fresh beginning for some – new school, new friends and teachers.
Being in a different place and school is never easy at first, especially for those who are going from kindergarten to primary school and from primary to secondary school, as they are separated from their friends.
Many children have been thinking, even agonising, over their new school set-up and who their new classmates would be.
Seven-year-old Mikhael Armand bin Mohd Hazaruddin will be in Year One and was already nervous about how school was going to be for him.
“My son is afraid of starting school in SK Sri Petaling in Petaling Jaya, because it is a totally new environment with new people for him,” said Mikhael’s mother, Tutishahida Ismail who was in the midst of getting him his school uniform at an outlet in Petaling Jaya.
However, Tuttishahida shared that despite his apprehensions, the boy was still looking forward to going to school. In fact, he had been pestering his parents for uniforms and shoes.
Mikhael, she said, was happy with his new school bag which had characters from an award winning animated movie on it, and “he cannot wait to take it to school”. Meanwhile, Sonia Kirby who turns 13 this year, will be going to secondary school.
“The upside of starting secondary school is that the turquoise pinafore is better and brighter than the primary school uniform,” she said adding that she also gets to grow her hair instead of keeping it above shoulder length.
However, Sonia who will be starting secondary school in SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4, said the downside of starting secondary school was that she would no longer be with her close friends from primary school.
“I know that I am going to miss my old school and friends,” she said adding that the syllabus would be harder and more complicated.
Yet, Sonia is optimistic that she’d be able to cope with secondary school and she has already started going through her text books.
It is the same for 10-year-old Ramdhuttapany Radhakrishnapany.
Knowledge is important and one of the reasons why the 10-year-old student from SK Bandar Utama Damansara 4 is eager to return to school.
“Good grades are a must if I want to be successful later in life,” he said adding that he was also keen to get back to school to meet his friends.
Ramdhuttapany has already bought new uniforms and some reference books with the RM100 cash aid for schoolchildren.
“Though it’s not much, it does help a little,” he said.
Meanwhile, Yasmin Alia Mat Nazri shared Ramdhuttapany’s sentiments.
The eight-year-old is excited to start school giving an enthusiastic nod when asked if she liked homework.
“I have already started to revise what I learnt in Year One and Year Two, so that I will be able to understand and cope with the Year Three syllabus,” she said.
Yasmin said that she was selected as a school prefect before the year-end holidays but would officially be “on duty” from tomorrow.
The only downside is that she has to keep her hair neat and tidy at all times – a must for prefects in the school.
Taking on the prefect’s post would mean that she must also keep up her good grades.
She recently used the RM100 cash aid to buy reference and workbooks.
Her parents and generous siblings chipped in to purchase her uniform and other school supplies to get her ready for the new school term.
Her older sister Noraini said about RM500 had been spent so far for the new school year.
Jolene Tiong Yin can’t wait for school to reopen as she wants “to be over and done” with studying for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) trial exam.
“The exam is in about a week and I’ve been poring over my notes and books the past few days. Once that ends, I will not be stressed as I am now,” said the 17-year-old.
Friends play a big part in school, says the REAL International School student.
Apart from interacting with one another, friendships help build character, provide companionship and support.
So, it comes as no surprise that most students are looking forward to starting school because of friends.
“I’m really eager to see my friends again. All of us have been busy with our books and doing other things that we haven’t had the chance to meet up,” said Jolene.
Austin Tay from Catholic High School, Petaling Jaya, is also “keyed up” to see his friends again.
“I want to go back to school to see my buddies! I miss hanging out with them during recess and after-school activities,” said the 14-year-old .
Wong Zhi Yi who turns 10 this year, said she can’t wait to get back because she missed her friends.
“It’s been hard for me to make friends at school because of the language barrier.
“I’m used to speaking English at home and everybody speaks in Mandarin at my school. So, the friends I have are really special as I can ‘connect’ with them,” said Zhi Yi.
“Chilling” with friends is why 15-year-old Shaanat Kumaran Bhuvaneswaran wants to be at school.
“School is the place where I get to meet my friends and play some sports with them.
“We usually play badminton together,” said the Beaconhouse Sri Inai International School student.
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