Dear parents,
Choosing the right school for your child can be a herculean task. With so many schools popping up in Metro Manila and a huge shift in the educational and occupational spaces, it’s a confusing time to be school hunting.
Luckily, we always remind parents to take their time when making the decision, and we already have a list of questions that you can use to point you into the right direction!
1. Are the teachers both competent and passionate?
Do you remember your favourite teacher? The one that really stuck with you, whose class you enjoyed because he or she was such a great educator?
Teachers play a massive role during our children’s formative years. Your child will take with him or her at least one lesson or memory from the classroom that will stay with him for the rest of his life. Take some time to visit the campus and have conversations with the staff.
2. Is it easy to communicate with the school?
At the same time, you should easily be able to get in touch with the school so that you can play an active role in your child’s education AND upbringing.
Remember parents, our kids spend so much time in school that what we see at home may not be the big picture. Now than ever, our support and encouragement matters the most to our children.
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3. Are there any value-adding qualities and programs embedded in the curriculum?
Aside from the standard requirements (K12) for schools, you should look into possible enrichment programs that can supplement your child’s learning.
Do they teach about financial literacy? Do they employ innovative teaching strategies to encourage your children to take an active part in learning about the world by asking questions themselves (i.e. inquiry method) as opposed to the conventional idle listening and passive learning?
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Do they organize activities that let your children experience and explore possible future careers that will help them realize and develop a genuine interest to pursue a certain dream? Do they have any projects that instil love for the environment? Are there programs that encourage talents and affinities? What we discover and develop during the early years of our life opens so many more opportunities in the future. It’s worth taking a look at.
4. Do they foster a welcoming environment?
School is supposed to be a safe space to ask questions, learn new things, and practice our social abilities.
We at Child’s SPACE honor the trust given to us by students and their parents. We will not limit our students’ potential by failing to provide an environment conducive to learning and building meaningful relationships.
And it’s not only about technology; there are new teaching methods and techniques that are being discovered, that could be so much more effective than the old way of doing things.
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7. Are they able to practice holistic teaching by recognizing and cultivating multiple types of abilities and learning styles?
As the famous allegory says, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
Intelligences, or in this case, more appropriately termed as “abilities” or “aptitudes”, come in different forms. It may logical-mathematical, naturalist, linguistic, musical, and interpersonal intelligences or aptitudes, among many others. The point is every student has his/her own innate abilities and interests.
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In order to nurture a student’s true potential, a great school shouldn’t only look at their academic standing, but also their other abilities. It is also necessary that a school recognizes its students different learning styles to be able to use an appropriate teaching technique to maximize the children’s learning experience.
In the world today, there’s an abundance of opportunities for individuals with all kinds of talents, and focusing solely on academic standing, specifically mathematics and science scores, won’t only hamper a student’s potential, but it can also have an impact on their self-esteem.
8. Is there a balanced assessment?
Educators play such an important role in a child’s development, so it makes sense that they should be more involved in not only the assessment part, but also when communicating this information to the students and parents. There should be other tools like reports, portfolios, and feedback.
9. Are there programs that cultivate a sense of community and instill a pay-it-forward thinking?
Just like some companies commit to social responsibility, students should also learn from an early age to give back to the community and be part of something bigger than themselves. They aren’t only going to learn a lot of practical skills, but they can experience how doing simple acts of kindness can make a difference in the lives of others and theirs as well.
Dear parents, choosing a school isn’t an easy decision. But this is such a great time to be a kid! There are so many more possibilities now compared to when you and I were young.
Just put on your detective hats and you’ll find that your efforts will be more than worth it.
If you enjoyed this article and want to read more about parenting advice, news about our school, and takeaways that can help you play an active role in your children’s education, tune in to our blog!
Until the next post!