How to Choose the Best School for Your Child?
One of the most difficult decisions a parent would ever need to make is choosing the best school for their kid. National or International? What budget suits me more? Does this school offer them the lifestyle I want it to? This is why it’s not an easy call to make. You, as a parent, will have to think wisely before taking such a step since it will literally define your children’s present and future. But, if this goes the wrong direction and you fail to make such a huge decision, this is what you will have to face:
- Low Grades: Having low grades is the number one sign of choosing the wrong school, it’s the first alarm that screams “NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUR CHILD”, which will later be translated into your child being emotionally tired.
- A difficulty in coping with the curriculum: Once you decide the wrong curriculum for your child, they will struggle to cope with their colleagues and that would make their self-esteem slide down.
- Mental & Physical Issues: Your kid will feel educationally useless, and less smart than their friends and colleagues, which somehow can get them depressed, since the euphoria of achievement is taking away from them.
- “I don’t Want to Go to School”: You will hear this a lot! Kids who do not fit in their school are always having a hard time waking up in the morning. It’s not the case of “I just need 5 more minutes”, it’s more than that. They start to hate going to school; a place where they academically do not belong.
- Failing in College too: Or even worse, deciding they don’t want to complete their higher degree, since they don’t even like what they are studying. This is their journey in school matters from day one, it’s where they either fall in love with education, or hate it for good!
In order for you to avoid all the negative points we previously mentioned, all you need is to think wisely while choosing the best school for your children, and these are some points that will definitely help you in doing so:
- The School’s Type: National, International, or special education? A hard one to answer, but setting your academic goals for your children will ease it up for you. This is why you need to visit as many schools as you can for different kids, in order to know more about each one, and live a day in your children’s show if they join these schools.
- Determining the Right Curriculum: The “Right” one is not a standard one, it’s not the one that suits every child out there, it’s not the most expensive curriculum, it’s the one that really matches your child’s mental abilities, and skills.
- A Fees that Meet Your Budget: You need to put in mind, choosing a school fee that suits your own budget as a parent. Keep in mind that overloading yourself is not the answer for a better education, it’s a financial burden that will make you struggle.
- A Good Location: Don’t waste your time and your children’s by spending much time on the road, your children will go back home tired, with no energy to start their homework for example.
- Healthy meals equal healthy children: One of the main points parents tend to ignore when finding the perfect school for their kids is the school’s meal plans. It’s important to choose a school that knows what’s healthy and what’s not. No preservations, no food colors, and more vitamins, minerals and nutritious benefits.
- Teachers Come First: Your children’s teachers are the ones you will have to sit with and hear every single detail from. They are the people who will shape your children’s mind, cultivate their morals, and guide them educationally. Make sure they are someone you would love your children to be.
- Check the School’s Clinic: Some parents also forget the importance of enrolling their children in a school that has a well-equipped clinic. The tools, nurses, doctors, and machines that will help save your children in case of an emergency is as highly important as their educational needs.
- The School’s Hygiene: Make sure the school is clean, helps your children to take good care of their personal hygiene, and takes all the measures and procedures towards a germs-free environment.
- Consult Your Child Through It All: This might seem odd to some people, since kids are not old enough to make decisions, see right from wrong, or take a decision. But, hearing them out will definitely help you bond with them, and make the right decision for both of you. Get to know which school they felt more comfortable at, and why? Visiting all the schools with them will give them a sense of involvement and responsibility which is all both of you need at the moment.
At the end of the day, remember to put your children’s mental health over their grades, and their psychological needs over their educational ones. Art, sports and other activities are as important as Science, Arabic, and Mathematics. Create the right mix and match for your child and you will be impressed with the results.
Don’t choose a lifestyle that doesn’t suit your own culture, and don’t go to an overpriced school just to feel like it’s the best for your kid. The perfect school is not necessarily the most highly-paid one, it could be the one that qualifies your child to be a better learner, and a better person.
A lot of questions to ask yourself before jumping into taking such an important decision, just keep your family involved in it, especially your child. You are deciding their fate, their future, and their quality of life. Take all the time you need, it’s worth it!