1. Children's happiness
No sensible parent will compromise the happiness of his/her children for anything. children learn better when they are happy with their place of learning. We were determined that our children would love learning and would want to learn. For parents, schools are merely the foundation for a life of learning. Learning do not stop after graduation. . Your child's happiness trumps every other consideration on why parent choose a particular school for his children.
The quality of the teaching
Wonderful teachers are the glory of the school. Parents visit schools to ascertain or assess teachers while schools are unconsciously aware. They come in during school time to observe teaching situations while they pass quietly to administrative offices.
A wonderful teacher knows her subject. More importantly, she knows how to teach it. Teaching a subject which you love involves communicating that love and passion for your subject in everything you do and so. Children listen to what you say but they are truly impressed by your actions.
The curriculum
What our children study or learn mattered greatly to parents. We value education which would challenge our children and make them really work hard. We value learning activities which can task the learners to be problem solvers in the society.
The cost
The cost is another consideration. Its, however, not the most important consideration on the list. Once again, times have changed. Parents look for schools that are affordable with quality.
The sports program
Sports never matter much to either of us. Sports is something you did for exercise. So as long as the schools which parents are looking at have a wide range of activities with plenty of choices, parents are satisfactorily happy. Now, if you have an athletically gifted child, this is an item which you should consider moving up the list a notch or two. Several private schools offer a level of varsity competition which is very impressive. They have the experienced, skilled coaching staff to make this possible.
The extracurricular activities
For me, extracurricular activities are always about learning which takes place outside of the classroom. Private schools pride themselves on offering a wide range of extracurricular activities because they know how important these activities are for building team spirit as well as uncovering talents and abilities which students never realized they had.
Again, if you have an artistically or musically gifted child on your hands, you might want to move this item up the list. It will deserve closer scrutiny. You want to confirm that your child will receive the kind of professional training which will develop her talents.
The facilities
Parents are always impressed with their children's school facilities. The pre-schools are compact affairs housed in an education wing of the churches in which they were housed. They are spotless and filled with artwork. The classrooms look just the right size for little people.
The high schools, on the other hand, are completely different matters. The facilities are actually on a par with those at many colleges and in many cases much better. Playing fields of every kind, hockey rinks, equestrian rings - the list is endless.
The library
Libraries are places where learners/readers go to find books and do research. They are morphed into state of the art digital learning centers. Having the right tools is important. Knowing how to use them is even more important. Learning centres help make that possible.
The parents' role
Parents always feel that taking an active role in our children's education is vitally important. As a result parents are not afarid to pitch in and do whatever they can to help the school. Pitching in financially is an important part of what the school expects parents to do. But the things like chaperoning a class trip or helping with a class meak are important too. Being involved also allows parents to peek behind the curtain and see what really goes on.
The reputation of the school
The reputation of the school is important to parents for a couple of reasons. Knowing that the school offers academic activities that have been operated successfully for years give them peace of mind. While the work would be demanding, parents know that children would be in good hands.
So parents check or collect information on the lists of schools to which previous learners have been excelling. They are concerned about the overall well-being of their children. So the quality of supervision and rules of the school are significantly important.
