Back to the Classroom: A Game Plan for Reducing Anxiety

Going back to school felt a bit different this year for 13-year-old Josephine Lloyd as she began eighth grade in Farmington, Wisconsin.

Like many across the country, Josephine hasn’t set foot in a classroom since March 2020. The previous school year was spent in a virtual classroom interacting with other students and teachers only over a computer screen.

Though remote learning had its own challenges, going back to school in person produced other anxieties. “Peer pressure is very real and can have a negative impact on your child,” said Josephine’s father, Michael Lloyd. “So that’s something that’s on our minds.”

“As students prepare to return, they will be facing a host of intensified challenges,” said Anthious Boone, an elementary school principal in Pennsylvania. He cited mask-wearing and learning how to socialize again with peers as some of these challenges.

But parents can help prepare their children for what may be a tough transition.

“As parents endeavor to help their children cope with potential back-to-school anxiety,” Boone said, “it is absolutely imperative that they stay well-connected with both the school and their children.”

Besides day-to-day conversations, parents Michael and Jennifer Lloyd have designated a specific evening each week to sit down as a family and give priority to anything that may be on Josephine’s mind.

As Jehovah’s Witnesses, they seek practical Bible-based advice to help with issues or concerns. One of the Lloyds’ favorite resources to cope with a variety of challenges is jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses that is free to all.

Josephine said she appreciated that her father often took time to research the website for information relevant to the family’s needs. “Whatever we’re talking about, there’s always an article or a video,” she explained.

Jennifer Lloyd found that the children’s section of jw.org helped Josephine with back-to-school anxieties during her younger years.

“My mom would show me videos when I was in elementary school before the first day so I would know what to do,” Josephine recalled.

Following her parents’ example, in anticipation of the new school year, Josephine searched the website for content geared toward teens. “I spent a lot of time this summer on jw.org,” she said. “I would look at information about bullying and how to deal with that.”

Seeing examples of how teenagers successfully dealt with peer pressure by developing faith and courage really stuck with Josephine. She especially enjoyed the whiteboard animation video series which is designed for young people and addresses topics like “What’s a Real Friend?” and “Beat a Bully Without Using Your Fists.”

The Lloyd family recommends jw.org to everyone and hopes others will benefit from it as much as they have.