If you’re a parent hunting for the right school for your kid, never ever follow the masses. Not every school is for everyone.
Why not? This could mean the contrast between your child embracing a love for learning or harboring a bitter resentment towards it. Choosing the wrong school could:
- Stifle your child’s academic potential, hindering their ability to thrive and excel in their studies.
- Lead to your child feeling disconnected and disengaged, potentially resulting in a lack of motivation and enthusiasm for learning.
- Result in social and emotional challenges, impacting their overall well-being and development.
How bad can things get?
- The child shows disinterest in studies and is unwilling to go to school
- The child starts performing poorly in exams and class performance
- The child exhibits social withdrawal with classmates and a general lack of interest.
When this happened to me, I was perplexed. I did not know what went wrong.
I’ve always thought, as far as schools go, the bigger the better. Schools with large play areas, with 2000+ kids studying, and sections running up to Ps and Qs for each grade were the best for my kid, as that is where everyone sent their kids to. If so many parents were queuing up, paying extra money to get their kids in, there must be something great about it. And gosh, they were “prestigious.”. Everyone in the city knows these schools. And its a matter of pride to tell my friends that my kid goes to that large school that’s hard to get into.
But the kid was not happy. She was going through the grind. The spark in her eye was gone, she was no longer eager to go to school, was falling sick more often, and her curiosity was all but dead. She was scoring well in her exams, but the exams didn’t seem to challenge her enough. When I asked her what happened at school today, she would say, “Nothing”. It used to drive me nuts. How can “nothing” happen at school? I asked her. She said “Nothing interesting”. She was in a class of 40 other students, in a school with 2500+ children, all vying for attention from a system that was robotic: teach a lesson, give homework, conduct tests, repeat.
As far as schools go, bigger is NOT better.
When I look back, it is as clear as daylight. The smaller the school, the better for the child.
Why?
The child gets individual attention from the teachers, the staff and everyone else in school. Everybody knows everybody else by name. The child is no longer only a “roll number,” but a human being.
And what does this mean to the child?
Individualized Attention: In smaller classes, teachers can provide more personalized attention to each student. They have the opportunity to better understand the child’s strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles, allowing them to tailor their teaching methods accordingly.
Stronger Sense of Community: Smaller schools often foster a close-knit community where students, teachers, and parents can develop stronger relationships. This sense of community can create a supportive environment where students feel valued, respected, and more connected to their peers and teachers.
Increased Participation: With fewer students in each class, there are more opportunities for students to actively participate in discussions, ask questions, and engage with the material. This can help shy or introverted students feel more comfortable speaking up and contributing to class activities.
Reduced Distractions: Smaller schools typically have fewer distractions compared to larger institutions. This can create a more focused learning environment where students can concentrate better on their studies and academic goals.
Enhanced Opportunities for Involvement: In smaller schools, students may have increased opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities, sports, clubs, and leadership roles. With fewer students vying for these opportunities, your child may have a better chance of getting involved in activities that interest them.
Today, discrerning parents are moving away from big, so-called prestigious schools. They are looking for schools that can offer their children individual attention, identify each child’s strengths and carve individual learning journeys for each child.
It is imperative that we no longer follow the herd when it comes to choosing the right school for our kids. It is one of the most important decisions you will make for your child.