How to Handle Being The New Kid at School

Being the new kid at school can be a disaster or a fresh start, depending on perspective. Getting acquainted with the new environment and the people that inhabit it as soon as possible can make this social transition just a little easier.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

1. Be honest with your new friends or potential new friends. The new kid is always the target of rumors and miscommunication. Never give a school gossip the ammunition they need to ruin your reputation.

2. Avoid letting other students place you in a group or clique. Once in a clique or school category, it can be difficult to get out of it. Keep an open mind and refuse to commit to any one group of peers until you are sure you have analyzed all your options.

3. Avoid the school bully for as long as possible. Take time to learn about the bully, their history and perhaps even their home life. With patience, a bully can become a friend so take your time and avoid conflict.

4. Find a teacher you like and get his advice on other teachers and classes. Good teachers help new students get acclimated and it is always helpful to have a teacher in your corner in a new environment.

5. Make a good friend and pump them for information about classmates, teachers and classes. Information is power when you are the new kid so get as much as you can as quick as you can.

6. Learn the unspoken rules of your class and school as soon as possible. Unwritten rule violations can ruin a reputation before it begins. Avoid stepping on toes until you know the territory well.

7. Be aware of the hierarchy and aim to be on the top of it by the end of the school year. Start slow as the new kid, but once you have built up a solid reputation, then you can begin dropping the perception of new kid and turn it into cool kid.