(Continued from EdWorld At Home) Everyone is singing and dancing
in all those commercials you’ve been seeing for back-to-school
sales. But we all know that reality is different, and that going
back to school can be hard, especially when you’re starting
a new grade, in a different building, with different kids.
It can be hard getting to know new people and making new friends.
But there’s no better time to do it than right at the start
of the school year.
Here are some ideas that might help you out:
√ Get involved. Is there an activity you want to try out, or a club you
want to join? Then you should do it. It just makes sense that if
you want to meet new people, and you love to sing, then you’ll
have something in common with the kids in the school chorus, and
find some new friends there. The first couple of times you go, it
might be hard to keep up. But give it three tries, and we’ll
bet that you’ll be right in the middle of things.
√ To Make Friends, Be Friendly. You don’t have to run down the hallway like a talk-show
host, shaking hands and giving high-fives. That would be weird.
But if you want to meet new people, you need to show people that
you’re friendly. That means smiling when people say hello
– which is not always as easy as it sounds. It also means
looking at people when they talk to you, and answering questions
they ask you.
√ Being Nice Helps, Too. If you see someone playing a game you like, or listening
to music you like, go ahead and tell them that you like it, too.
Or if someone paints a nice picture in class, tell them. Everyone
likes to hear that other people like the same things they do, and
so a lot of friendships start when someone says something nice to
someone else.
√ Let Other People in. One of the best things about new friends is that they
can introduce you to their other friends. When a new friend introduces
you to his or her other friends, show that you’re happy to
meet them. Smile and say something nice. Suggest something all of
you can do together. Just like that, you know a lot of new kids.
√ Most of All, Be Yourself. You may prefer to hang back and watch what other people
are doing before you jump in. It may be hard for you to go up to
new people and just start chatting. That’s OK. Nine out of
ten people say that they feel shy when they meet new people. So
there’s nothing strange about it at all. But if you try it
just once a day, you may get more comfortable with new people. The
better you get to know your classmates, the better your school year
will be.
Give it a try!
Education World®
Copyright © 2005 Education World
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