What are the considerations for choosing a child’s school? Every parent wants the best education for his child. Education is a long-term investment for future child success. Therefore, parents will not be recklessly in choosing the school for his child. Expensive costs do not necessarily determine the quality of the school. Nowadays, choosing a school is not merely a school facility for children. The right school will have a great impact on child growth and intelligence.
10 Considerations When Choosing a School for Your Child
Parents are willing to pay a fortune to achieve a quality education. However, what exactly should be considered in choosing the right school for your child?
Pay attention to the following when preparing a child’s education fund.
1. Types of School Craving
There are several types of schools offered by various educational institutions, such as religious-based schools, public schools, natural schools, homeschooling, private schools, international schools or national plus schools. Understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses and adapt to the needs of children.
2. Consider school spacing
For KINDERGARTEN and ELEMENTARY age children, school distances are so things to consider. The school that is not too much more suitable for KINDERGARTEN and ELEMENTARY school children. Far distances will affect the physical condition of the child, so that the child is tired on the road and not the spirit of learning. School distance away from home will also make children have fewer chances of playing because of limited time. Also, the shuttle costs will also increase with the farther school from home.
3. Children’s characters
You can choose the school that suits your child’s character. So that your child can be more fun in school. For example, a child who likes to move matches is schooled in a natural school. The introduction of character and needs also helps to recognize the duration of schooling and the composition of teaching duration at school. For example, determine the school with more duration of play or learning time.
4. Professional Teaching Staff
Teachers are the spearhead that determines the child will learn and play with fun or not. To know this you can come to school directly and ask them to the school. A good teacher, professional, and has the knowledge competence in the field of teaching, can develop a fun learning environment in the classroom and can communicate with children. If the school you are interested in offers a class trial, do not waste this opportunity to meet prospective teachers and see the learning activities in the school.
In addition, you also need to assess whether the teacher is cooperative enough and can be invited to work with the parents. Because, the school is a place where your children will spend most of their daily time. And teachers are “parents” to the child while they are in school. For that, a good teacher will be well versed in the development and what the child needs in case the child has problems in teaching learning activities at school. A good teacher will communicate to parents about the developments and constraints that children may face at school.
5. School conditions and surrounding environment
You can assess the condition and environment by looking at the Open house held by each school to attract the interests of parents and children. You can pay attention to the facilities and infrastructure in the school, as well as the interaction with teachers to the atmosphere of learning activities.
The facility is not only a laboratory supporting learning activities, but cleanliness of the toilet, the atmosphere of eating students, and the conditions of buildings and classes. Is it sufficient to support the child’s joyful learning and teaching process?
6. Learning concepts or curriculum systems applied
In general, private schools in Indonesia apply the education curriculum that has been established by the Government. However, there are also some schools that apply the curriculum adopted outside the education curriculum proclaimed by the Government. Information about the curriculum applied is important that you should know as a consideration material to enroll a child to the school.
7. Track Record School
You can see what achievements the school has ever achieved, both in the academic and non-academic side. You can also assess the quality of the graduates. Usually this is an important consideration for those who sit up ELEMENTARY school to junior high school.
8. Comparative number of teachers and students in class
The quality of your child’s education will be better when you are training a child in a school that limits the number of students in each class. If there are too many students in the classroom and there is only one teacher, this can result in students not being able to concentrate well in following the teaching and learning process.
Teachers can also have problems controlling students when lessons are taking place in a class that results in teaching learning activities so ineffective.
9. Language of Instruction
With the many programs offered by the school, you also need to be more selective in terms of language. You need to know your child’s character and ability to absorb foreign languages. If the child is less sensitive, choosing a foreign language school can be a “boomerang” for the child.
Parents also need to be consistent, if you want to use a foreign language invite the child to communicate with a foreign language. For pre-school children, you should use a mother tongue firmly in advance until it is fluent in expressing yourself. Afterwards it is possible to be stimulated with a foreign language.
10. Choice of children
Come straight to your prospective school of choice. See the school directly as to what buildings, school education programs, to the teacher’s approach to pupils. The child will go through 3-6 years to study in one school, then invite the children to discuss and choose a school that is according to the child’s comfort for him.
