Your child spends about 5000 days of their life in school, so it is important to choose the right one
The second most important decision you will make as a parent apart from deciding to have the kid in the first place-is deciding which school for them to enroll in. Make the right decision and you could put them on a path toward lifelong learning, a prestigious college education and a successful career. Choose wrong, and well, you know.
It is that time of the year when parents are busy picking the school they would like to have their child admitted to. The next academic year is just a month away. We tell you about how to evaluate a school–whether your child is starting with Nursery or switching schools in the middle of fourth grade–and what to look for in a school to select the best for you child along with considering your child’s needs primarily.
FINDING A GREAT FIT
Children vary in many ways. Your child is like no other, yet possesses so many qualities in common with others. Like a star that twinkles a little differently with each view, your child may seem to be many different people combined into one. Through the still unknown recipe of genes and upbringing, your child is a unique concoction of capabilities, wants, needs and motives. So choose a school that rightly fits your child and his her potential.
IT’S NOT ALL IN THE NAME
There is no colloquial designation that guarantees quality. Just the word international or private does not mean the school is a success. There is no easy name that you can gravitate toward that will allow you to suspend judgment. So do your homework, take feedbacks. The public school down the road could be just as good as the private school. Take your call!
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT APPROACH
The best schools can be classified as the schools that have a student-centered approach, not a parent centered approach or a school centered approach. It’s the student’s experience that matters. Parents and prospective students need to look beyond a school’s “impressive achievements“ and look at its emotional tone. Parents and kids need to know that they are not special; they are just as important–and just as unimportant–as one another. No matter which school, education is about relationships; not about marks.
FINANCIAL COMMITMENT
As parents, ask the school to give an indicative fee structure for next few years. That ballpark figure will help you save accordingly for the future years. Ideally, a parent should start investing for the child’s education as early as the child’s conception. If a parent starts investing for the child’s education, he she should continue till the age of 24 or so till the child becomes financially independent.
Given the current uncertain times, parents should always have 2-3 years’ school fees in a balanced fund at any point.
IN A NUTSHELL
Taking the time to choose the right school will benefit your child or teen in the long-term both for their education and general wellbeing. Make an informed decision and be financially prepared to help your child enjoy his her growing years.
Source – Ahmedabad Mirror – 30th December 2016
