School

School is an integral part of everyone's life. In addition to spending twelve years in intensive learning and mastering new skills, it is also where we meet lifelong friends, encounter the first thrills and disappointments of love, face the challenges and changes of growing up, learn to cope with conflict and discover the world around us. This is where the magic of school lies!

In first grade, we are still timid of the unknown, the big building and the long hallways.

Second - third grade, we are already bolder. We know most of the kids and teachers, and we're not the youngest anymore.

Fourth, fifth, sixth grade. We already know how things are here. We know which auntie in the cafeteria gives extra dessert and which teacher you shouldn't copy from. We've gained years of experience, but there are so many new and unknown things to discover. It happens that we get into a fight with a classmate or mess up someone else's mess.

Seventh - eighth grade. It's like we're in first grade again, but more independent this time. In the new school, things and people are different but somehow familiar. And here there are long corridors, flowers in the teacher's room, strict and cheerful teachers, many children - both older and younger, both braver and more timid. Sometimes it's hard to find your new place.

Ninth - tenth grade. Learning itself is no longer so interesting. There are other, more important things, like falling in love for the first time or getting into a fight with your best friend. How do you prepare for finals when your thoughts are occupied by excitement and worries you haven't faced before?

Eleven - twelve.. We look around and the long corridor is not as long as it seemed to us in first class. The numbers have shrunk by half. We say goodbye, but we're happy. We're sad, but also eager to get on the road we've chosen.

It went by so fast, and so much happened to us at this school! There are incidents that we will always remember and tell at every opportunity. And there are also things that we will wish we could forget, that never happened, that we never saw...

If you have not yet made your way through school and things are happening that make you feel worried, confused, misunderstood, offended, hurt, rejected, it is important to know that you can always turn to the school psychologist.

You can also contact the NATIONAL TELEPHONE LINE FOR CHILDREN by dialling 116 111. We will listen to all your concerns and work with you to find a solution. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Your backpack is full of heavy textbooks. You don't know who their author is, but just by reading the first lesson it becomes clear that you will have to work hard during the year to understand and remember all those complicated words, strung in long as loops sentences and incomprehensible formulas that you believe you will never need in life. Even when the teacher explains them, you have to be very careful to grasp anything.

Here you and your first-grade classmate are exchanging notes in class, and I don't think you heard half the lesson. Yesterday, though, you preferred playing games to writing homework and now you've got a note. You're not prepared for today either - nothing. To avoid getting a D, you'll skip class, then catch up...

And so, imperceptibly, your notebook fills up with low grades, and new lessons become completely incomprehensible. Day by day, you find it more and more impossible to catch up with your classmates. You're afraid of what your parents will say when they find out, or they already know and you're punished by not going out for the rest of the week.

Learning is a systematic process that requires persistence and regular effort. Like electronic games, learning material is presented sequentially, in increasing levels of complexity. Each lesson reinforces the knowledge from the previous one and gives you new information to absorb in order to understand the next one. There is no way to get to the next level if you haven't played the previous ones, and even if you had the opportunity the probability of passing is almost none.

In order to be successful in school, it is important to attend regularly, stay focused during class, and take the necessary time to prepare at home. Yes, some subjects are more interesting and you succeed with less effort, and others you don't like at all. But each of them brings you knowledge that even if you don't realise it now, makes you an erudite person who expresses yourself well and can converse on different topics. In time, these will be qualities for which you will be valued, and you yourself will seek competent people for your entourage.

Don't avoid subjects that are difficult for you, but seek support for them. No matter how much material you've missed or misunderstood, it's not irreparable - just don't procrastinate! Ask a classmate to help you, talk to the teacher about the subject you're struggling with, explore other options available at your school or an education centre in the area, ask your parents for help and, if the family budget allows, take extra lessons.

If none of the above helps, contact the NATIONAL TELEPHONE LINE FOR CHILDREN by dialling 116 111 and together we will look for other solutions. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Our relationships with teachers often influence the attitude and expectations we have when we attend their classes and how we perceive the material they teach us. Some teachers manage to grab us from the first meeting - they are cheerful, patient, tell the lesson in an interesting way, hardly give any homework and let us in 10 minutes before the end of the lesson. Others are stricter and more demanding and there are no six-fives with them - they test without warning, ask questions from the material we took in the first term, scold us when we've forgotten our textbook and write notes when we speak in class. Regardless of what teaching approach your teachers have, each of them aims to impart knowledge that is useful for your development as a person and for your future career as a professional. That's why it's important to respect them and respect the demands they make. Coming to school on time, maintaining discipline during class and handing in homework on time are the surest ways to show that you value their work and help the class run smoothly and fruitfully. In some situations, you may feel that a teacher has been unfair to you - writing you an undeservedly low grade or kicking you out of class for something you didn't do. You may think that he or she has told you off and is only doing this because he or she doesn't like you. You're angry because he's bad-mouthed you in front of the whole class, or because your classmates are now going to pick on you - because of him! Before you start making plans to get back at him, calm down and think about the reasons that led to the situation. Be honest with yourself - if you provoked this attitude with something, if you were really well prepared for the test and if it was appropriate to laugh during class. In any case, do not act rashly and aggressively. Look for an opportunity to talk to your teacher calmly, tell him how you feel and listen to his position. You can also seek help from your parents or the school psychologist.

We at the NATIONAL TELEPHONE LINE FOR CHILDREN are also here to support you. Contact us by dialling 116 111 - anonymously and for free! YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

The school is full of many children. Often it seems to us that they are the same because they are in the same class, the same age, from the same residential area, but in fact each one is different and unique. Sometimes when many different personalities spend a long time together in one place, conflicts happen.

Conflict in itself is not a problem because it gives us the opportunity to learn to stand up for our understandings of the world, our values and generally the things we find important and meaningful. Through a conflict situation we can learn a lot about ourselves, about others, about how to communicate with understanding of our differences.

Sometimes what is different and unfamiliar seems incomprehensible to us and this can trigger conflicting emotions within us. At other times we may find ourselves in the position of the other who is misunderstood.

It is important to know that whatever happens there is always a way to improve the situation. Sometimes it seems that there is no solution to the conflict, but this is not because we cannot cope, but because we have not yet found the right formula. At times like these, we can always turn to a significant adult (parent, teacher, school psychologist, or other adult important to us) for advice on how to improve our relationships with others.

Of course, in case you want to talk to someone about it - anonymously - feel free to contact the NATIONAL TELEPHONE LINE FOR CHILDREN by dialing 116 111. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Choosing a profession is one of the things that engage our thoughts since kindergarten. It is an important decision that is often linked to additional life choices that determine our long-term life development. Sometimes these choices are easy because we have chosen to continue the family tradition in a particular career field. Other times, we wander among our many interests and it feels like we will never be able to choose just one.

School years are the time to experiment and search for our strong areas of self-expression and hidden talents. Use these years to attend various clubs, trainings, seminars, workshops, volunteer actions, extra lessons, or invest in developing a specific skill. In this way, following your own needs, interests and opportunities, you will gradually build your long-term goal, the place you want to get to.

Remember, it's okay to be wrong. It's possible that something you believed was your calling early on in your studies may seem ridiculous and unnecessary years later. This is a natural moment in growing up, because over the years we gain experience, discover new things, rediscover well forgotten ones, get to know ourselves, change, evolve and it is normal to have different priorities at different stages in our lives.

Know that you can always ask your parents and teachers for advice, and you can seek guidance from the school psychologist.

You can also consult the NATIONAL TELEPHONE LINE FOR CHILDREN by dialling 116 111. We are waiting for you! YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

The school psychologist has the task of supporting students during their time in the school environment. He/she has his/her own office and is available to listen privately to any child who needs support regardless of his/her age, gender, and the problem he/she wants to share. And he doesn't just listen - he looks for ways, together with the child, to overcome the difficulties they are having. If the problem requires the involvement of other teachers, parents, professionals, or children, the psychologist makes sure this happens in the best way for the child so that his or her safety, peace of mind, and self-esteem are not harmed. The school psychologist can also help in cases where the problem does not come from the school. All you have to do is trust him or her.

However, if any reason stops you from contacting him, you can always contact the NATIONAL TELEPHONE LINE FOR CHILDREN on 116 111 - anonymously. We will listen and support you - YOU ARE NOT ALONE!