Working as a counselor handling grade school children, I have come across many cases that made me write my thoughts about this. Now as a mom, and my son entering preschool, of course, I am one of those who feel that I have to give my son the best education. Of course we want what's best for our kids, but the B-E-S-T is subjective. I believe it depends on what we value as the best! Let me share with you some things I consider myself about the best school for our children.
1. Is the mission- vision of the school aligned with your family values? This for me is as important as the school itself. The school's mission and vision is supposed to be their anchor on their programs, activities, formation/development track for the students. There are school with load of activities, because they value extra-curricular equally with academics. Some are into quiz bees, because they gear their students into academic excellence. Other schools require parents to attend parenting programs cause for them, partnership is important. Others complain with the school rules, programs and activities, and then they have to ask themselves if what the school holds important is the same for them!
2. Budget. Whether we want it or not, education comes with a price! But I believe that it is not just with the name of the school, it is also PARENTAL involvement that make the child achieve or happy in school. Many people comment to me if I'm putting my son in the other big boy school near the school where I work. Yes, many people would do everything to get in there. I usually reply, "I would not want to work my butt out just to have him study there. We may afford the fees, but can we afford the lifestyle, the pressure and the add ons? No thanks!" Personally, I have other standards of a good school that our means can afford!
3. Accessibility to both to private and public transport. There may be school buses around if we don't have transport, but what if there's an emergency and the child needs to be fetched in school or something needs to be bought to him right away, how long can I commute there, to and from the house/workplace?
4. LEARNING STYLE & CAPACITY of the CHILD. I consider this very well. The known schools are traditional schools, I work in one. They carry their name and the tradition, there's a system in place and the quality speaks for itself. The thing is, would our child's' learning capacity and learning style would blend in their system? I have to ask myself if my child's ability would be maximized in that school. There are kids made for traditional system, but there are some who may be impeded by the structure. There are other small schools that are non-traditional but some kids bloom there well. As a parent, I am starting to be keen in observing what would work well for my child.
5. School's Curriculum, Values, Standard of Teaching, Faculty. This one is the meat of the school, yet schools approach this differently. The big schools have unquestionable curriculum. But do they offer holistic development - like non-academic programs that is needed by kids nowadays. Do they have a good support system for parents and students in case your child encounters different problems? How hands on, competent or caring are the teachers?
6. Who's behind the school? Consider also of the people who owns/ run the school. If non-sectarian (meaning privately owned), ask for feedback about the qualifications of the owner. Are they educators by profession or business persons? Those different areas, has a great impact on the school. You'll understand why some school charge for even the littlest thing cause if the private people see it s business, all the expenses are padded, excuse me for that, but that's often the mind set. Some, though not all, make the school as their business without the proper background on education. Sad to say, you'll feel the quality of their service. In my observation, if the owner is an educator by profession, mostly, they have a heart for teaching/education and they have the competency for it. Then quality is tested, service is with a heart, and they were able to justify the fees. If the school is sectarian, meaning owned by the diocese, priests, nuns, lay people, organizations - chances are their mission/vocation is educating children in their philosophy. You pay them and the money goes to their apostolate, congregation or other missions. Their name is usually their seal of good standards.
To end, I did my homework in looking for my son's school for June. I checked it based on our family values. We also took into account my child's learning style and his need for structure. Facilities are bonus for us, yet we want our child to learn and enjoy at the same time and have fond memories of preschool. For us, the school would be the instrument in our child's development, the rest is up to us. Like in my formula:
The CHILD + PARENT's support & guidance = Child's success in school
What about you, what do you consider as the BEST choosing your child's school?
