Alone in the School Canteen

I think the student sitting alone is feeling left out and quite lonely. In the picture, he is at the end of a long canteen table by himself, while the other students are sitting together in a group and talking. He is looking down at his food rather than around the canteen, which suggests he does not want anyone to notice that he is alone. What I also noticed is that his food looks barely touched, so he may not really feel like eating.

This reminds me of my first week in a new school after we moved house. I did not know anybody, and during recess I sat at the corner of the canteen pretending to be busy with my water bottle. On the third day, a boy from my class came over and asked if I wanted to join his group at the football court, and I still remember how relieved I felt. We are still friends now, and I always try to look out for anyone sitting alone because I know exactly how it feels.

I feel schools can do a few things. Teachers could pair up new students with a buddy for the first few weeks, because the hardest part is simply not knowing who to sit with. Schools could also organise activities during recess, such as board games or a football rotation, since it is much easier to join an activity than to join a conversation. Most importantly, I think we should talk about it in class, because many students walk past someone sitting alone without realising it, not because they are unkind.