I’ve only recently become aware of the phenomenon known as the “Sunday Scaries.” Psychologists have described it as a feeling of dread that comes over people on Sunday afternoons or evenings, the result of worrying about the upcoming work week. There should also be a name – maybe the “September Scaries” – for the lifelong anxiety that happens every Labour Day. While the calendar tells us there are still a few weeks of summer left, everyone’s world changes during the first week of September. Kids are back to school. Summer vacations are in the rear-view mirror. The warm sun of August is replaced by a chill in the morning and the smell of autumn in the
air.
Our Education Editor Susannah Schmidt has spent a lot of time over the last few weeks preparing stories about the start of the new school year. Regardless of whether it’s someone’s first day of kindergarten or a return to university, “back to school” season is an anxious time – even more so because the pandemic is still a serious issue in classrooms.
For your long weekend reading, I’ve assembled a collection of our education stories that offer excellent advice on how kids and parents can avoid “back to school” anxiety. And I've also thrown in a great piece on "Sunday Scaries" that can help you get through the weekend.
Have a great – and anxiety-free – long weekend. We’ll be back in your Inbox on Tuesday.
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Long weekend reads: Back to school
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Nicole Racine, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; Dillon Thomas Browne, University of Waterloo; Stephanie G. Craig, University of Guelph
Family routines can provide stability during times of stress. Here are four strategies for building resilience against stress and family challenges to put into place as children head back to school.
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Kimberly Hillier, University of Windsor
Parents and caregivers are vital partners in education, and together, educators and families can ease back-to-school jitters and help make this an exciting and positive transition for children.
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Kerry McCuaig, University of Toronto
Canada has much to learn from other countries about better ways of providing learning and care for children.
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Tanitiã Munroe, University of Toronto
As a researcher focussed on African, Afro-Caribbean and Black families’ schooling experiences, I appeal to school staff to understand the importance of the school-family-community partnership.
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Jenney Zhu, University of Calgary; Elisabeth Bailin Xie, University of Calgary; Sheri Madigan, University of Calgary
The transition to a new school year will be an important time for students to focus on strategies for fostering positive mental health and well-being, and recognizing signs that help may be needed.
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Jasmine Mah, Dalhousie University; Kaitlin Sibbald, Dalhousie University
Managing a chronic health condition can make the transition to post-secondary education more complex.
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Ann-Louise Davidson, Concordia University
Recognizing and accrediting students’ prior learning and competencies is one way universities can tweak business-as-usual approaches.
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Juana Du, Royal Roads University
Year-round academic and extracurricular opportunities that encourage cultural exchange between international students, their peers and the wider society are important.
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Blake Lee-Whiting, University of Toronto; Thomas Bergeron, University of Toronto
Students in an international survey said they really missed chances to be together in person for campus-related activities, not only due to academic concerns.
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Jolanta Burke, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
Research shows Sunday is our unhappiest day of the week – so it’s no wonder so many of us feel anxious on a Sunday evening.
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