What are the questions parents don't know to ask? Like most parents, we didn't know what to ask the private schools when we were choosing a school for our child in Boulder County, Colorado. Through dumb luck and some good advice, we ended up at a private school we've been thrilled with! However, why leave it to chance? A few years down the road, we've learned a great deal about the differences between the schools that can really make a difference in helping a child live up to his or her full potential. Now you can have the advantage we didn't have, with our list of 12 questions most parents don't ask when interviewing private schools.
1. Does your school teach only academics, or a well-rounded curriculum including the arts, physical education and foreign languages? These days, mainstream education is moving more towards teaching basic academics. Art, music, drama, physical movement, and languages are now considered "frills". However, there are some schools that integrate the arts and physical education with a full academic curriculum. There are even schools that introduce foreign languages, starting in first grade! For us, academics are very important, and so is a well-rounded education.
2. Does your educational approach have a track record of successful graduates? How well do they do after they graduate? Ideally, a school will be imparting to children the skills they need to have a successful, meaningful life. This can include a life-long love of learning, as well as achievement in college.
3. How happy are this school's graduates with their education? It can take some time for students to understand how their schooling prepared them for life. One key question is: How many of your graduates would send their own child to the same type of school?
4. What disciplinary methods are used? What behaviors and attitudes are acceptable in the school? A school's approach to discipline and student conduct will effect every single child in the school, directly or indirectly. A policy that is too lenient will permit negative behaviors that distract those students who want to learn. A policy that is too restrictive will stop children from expressing themselves in normal ways. Does the school deal with negative behaviors judgmentally, or with respect and support for the individual?
5. How do you assess how well students are learning? This is an important aspect of education. Does the school focus on testing, or on other types of observation? Does the school only evaluate academic skills such as reading and math, or does it also take into account abilities such as social and artistic skills? You may also be interested in the ways in which the school communicates these assessments with parents.
6. How do this school's teaching methods and curriculum fit with children's developmental stages? Learning to read is important--important enough to find the optimal time for it in a child's development. Although many educators are striving to teach reading skills to younger and younger children, few are asking what the long-term effect of this approach may be. Interestingly, children who learn to read a bit later end up reading just as well, and they tend to enjoy reading more! It's worth taking some time to look into the knowledge we have from the field of developmental psychology regarding children's stages of development and how that effects learning.
7. What is your school's approach to spirituality? You may prefer a school with or without a spiritual grounding. In any event, you probably want to understand how teachers will address spiritual subjects.
8. What does this school expect from parents? The parents of the other children in class will have a strong influence on your child's school experience. For your child to learn the best, it could be to your advantage if your school has some guidelines for parenting in ways that are most conducive to children's behavior and attitudes in school.
For instance, the detrimental effects of TV watching on learning is now well-documented. Even just an hour of TV or more per day is associated with a poor attitude toward school and underachievement, according to a study of 14 year olds. The more TV kids watch, the worse it gets. Children watching three hours or more have a higher rate of attention and learning difficulties. The problem is, this effects not only the child who is watching excessive TV but if it leads to behavioral issues, it also effects everyone else in the classroom. Teachers who are struggling with all kinds of behavioral issues don't have as much time and energy for teaching. For these reasons, I believe my child learns best in a class with children who have restricted TV viewing. It's to my benefit for the school to have some guidelines for this.
9. How does the school help kids develop socially and emotionally? A child who learns to cooperate and communicate well has an important skill that can lead to a happy, successful life. Children can really benefit from a school that pays attention to emotional and social development.
10. How are the young children encouraged to play at your private school? If you are looking for a preschool or kindergarten, you might want to know if they let children be children. Active play and using the imagination are crucial for a young child, yet many schools divert much of a young child's energy toward learning academics.
11. Does your school focus on rote learning, or developing cognitive abilities? Many schools these days spend more and more time memorizing facts and learning to regurgitate pre-packaged ideas. These are useful skills, but sadly, too much emphasis on rote learning can come at the expense of creativity and reasoning skills. Do you believe your child will do the best in life if he or she is taught what to think, or how to think?
12. How else is your school unique? No matter how many specific questions you ask, there may be something special about the school that you didn't know to ask about. So a open-ended question can give a private school spokesperson a chance to let you know what's special about their school.
As you consider the 12 questions I have posed, there may also be additional questions that you want to add to your list. The more complete your list of questions, the better your chances of getting the information you need to be truly happy with your choice of private schools. - 30224
1. Does your school teach only academics, or a well-rounded curriculum including the arts, physical education and foreign languages? These days, mainstream education is moving more towards teaching basic academics. Art, music, drama, physical movement, and languages are now considered "frills". However, there are some schools that integrate the arts and physical education with a full academic curriculum. There are even schools that introduce foreign languages, starting in first grade! For us, academics are very important, and so is a well-rounded education.
2. Does your educational approach have a track record of successful graduates? How well do they do after they graduate? Ideally, a school will be imparting to children the skills they need to have a successful, meaningful life. This can include a life-long love of learning, as well as achievement in college.
3. How happy are this school's graduates with their education? It can take some time for students to understand how their schooling prepared them for life. One key question is: How many of your graduates would send their own child to the same type of school?
4. What disciplinary methods are used? What behaviors and attitudes are acceptable in the school? A school's approach to discipline and student conduct will effect every single child in the school, directly or indirectly. A policy that is too lenient will permit negative behaviors that distract those students who want to learn. A policy that is too restrictive will stop children from expressing themselves in normal ways. Does the school deal with negative behaviors judgmentally, or with respect and support for the individual?
5. How do you assess how well students are learning? This is an important aspect of education. Does the school focus on testing, or on other types of observation? Does the school only evaluate academic skills such as reading and math, or does it also take into account abilities such as social and artistic skills? You may also be interested in the ways in which the school communicates these assessments with parents.
6. How do this school's teaching methods and curriculum fit with children's developmental stages? Learning to read is important--important enough to find the optimal time for it in a child's development. Although many educators are striving to teach reading skills to younger and younger children, few are asking what the long-term effect of this approach may be. Interestingly, children who learn to read a bit later end up reading just as well, and they tend to enjoy reading more! It's worth taking some time to look into the knowledge we have from the field of developmental psychology regarding children's stages of development and how that effects learning.
7. What is your school's approach to spirituality? You may prefer a school with or without a spiritual grounding. In any event, you probably want to understand how teachers will address spiritual subjects.
8. What does this school expect from parents? The parents of the other children in class will have a strong influence on your child's school experience. For your child to learn the best, it could be to your advantage if your school has some guidelines for parenting in ways that are most conducive to children's behavior and attitudes in school.
For instance, the detrimental effects of TV watching on learning is now well-documented. Even just an hour of TV or more per day is associated with a poor attitude toward school and underachievement, according to a study of 14 year olds. The more TV kids watch, the worse it gets. Children watching three hours or more have a higher rate of attention and learning difficulties. The problem is, this effects not only the child who is watching excessive TV but if it leads to behavioral issues, it also effects everyone else in the classroom. Teachers who are struggling with all kinds of behavioral issues don't have as much time and energy for teaching. For these reasons, I believe my child learns best in a class with children who have restricted TV viewing. It's to my benefit for the school to have some guidelines for this.
9. How does the school help kids develop socially and emotionally? A child who learns to cooperate and communicate well has an important skill that can lead to a happy, successful life. Children can really benefit from a school that pays attention to emotional and social development.
10. How are the young children encouraged to play at your private school? If you are looking for a preschool or kindergarten, you might want to know if they let children be children. Active play and using the imagination are crucial for a young child, yet many schools divert much of a young child's energy toward learning academics.
11. Does your school focus on rote learning, or developing cognitive abilities? Many schools these days spend more and more time memorizing facts and learning to regurgitate pre-packaged ideas. These are useful skills, but sadly, too much emphasis on rote learning can come at the expense of creativity and reasoning skills. Do you believe your child will do the best in life if he or she is taught what to think, or how to think?
12. How else is your school unique? No matter how many specific questions you ask, there may be something special about the school that you didn't know to ask about. So a open-ended question can give a private school spokesperson a chance to let you know what's special about their school.
As you consider the 12 questions I have posed, there may also be additional questions that you want to add to your list. The more complete your list of questions, the better your chances of getting the information you need to be truly happy with your choice of private schools. - 30224
About the Author:
Make sure your list of questions is complete! Click here for 10 other questions parents often ask private schools. Visit www.PrivateSchoolsBoulder.com to find out what private school the author chose in Boulder County, CO.
