WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A SCHOOL (II)

Yesterday we started a series of tips for parents who are immersed in the selection of a school for their children.

Having a few factors to consider when choosing, I bring you all that, by extension, I did not publish yesterday.

Public, concerted or private

This is a bit linked to the methodology (which I explained in the previous post). Audiences tend to be more flexible with children, more innovative and have greater social and cultural diversity and concerted (and especially private) seek demonstrable results, have more disciplinary methods and groups tend to be more homogeneous.

With or without a uniform

Normally it is the concerted and the private ones that may have this possibility. In my opinion it is an equalizing method that has some benefits (there are no differences between children) but at the same time I don't like it because of that, because they are all the same. In a society where we all go to one as (excuse the expression) sheep, children should grow up knowing different, unique and unrepeatable and respect yourself in the differenceAfter all, what sets us apart is what enriches us.

The adaptation period

A three-year-old child is still a flower to bloom that needs some care and special care. Whether they have never been to daycare as if they have, the entrance to the school is an important change. There must be a flexible adaptation period of several days that allows children to acclimatize to the new environment with the least possible tensions. In some schools they allow parents to enter the class both when entering and leaving, this is ideal since they can say goodbye to them (and pick them up) while doing some activity.

The percentage of children of other ethnicities

I know that I enter a slippery terrain, but it seems to me a point to consider. Unfortunately, some systems of unequal and unfortunate selection have been carried out for some years, which has made some schools authentic ghettos. These schools usually have very good resources and educational systems, however they are mainly focused on helping these children. A very high percentage of children of other ethnicities may not be beneficial for the “natives” or for the foreigners, since neither will grow in a representative environment of the population. Similarly, a school in which there is no child of another ethnicity does not represent society and loses all the wealth of multiculturalism.

Extracurricular

Some parents have complicated schedules that do not match those of the school. This does not allow children to pick up at the end of classes and who need to have a resource such as extracurricular activities to extend the day. Other parents leave them because they consider it beneficial to do other activities. As with the theme of the dining room, the first years is more important emotional contact of the family that extend children's schedules in this way.

AMPA

The Association of Mothers and Parents of Students is an entity with a lot of power within the school. It is important to confirm that it exists and ask for its operation. In some schools there are various organizing committees that ensure the proper functioning of the school and help to make it happen. The involvement of parents is such in some AMPAs that the school ends up improving thanks to their participation. In other schools, unfortunately, AMPA is very disorganized, practically non-existent or there are too many internal conflicts.

Infrastructure

You have to assess the state of the facilities, classes, the patio, the gym, toys, walls, doors, windows and assess the safety of all this for children of 3 years. There are schools that look more like the house of terror than a center where young children will learn.

Number of lines per course

More lines more children and therefore greater number of places available and more likely to enter. On the other hand, schools with one or two lines at most tend to be more familiar schools and with a warmer climate on a human level.

Number of children per class

The less the better, because they can receive more attention.

Exits abroad

Assess what type of trips or excursions they carry out, at what age the first colonies do (before the age of 5 I find it not recommended), etc.

I touch you

This is the most important point. You can assess a thousand factors and find the perfect school (or the least bad) and that does not touch you by area, or that is in your area and eventually end up not admitting your son or daughter. This is the way things are. The offer is diverse but mostly leaves much to be desired. This makes the few decent cabbages the most demanded. Happy search, happy selection and that we all have a lot of luck (that we will need it ...). Images | Albert Anker In Babies and more | What to consider when choosing a school (I), What to consider when choosing a nursery school, Changing education to change the world, What is Waldorf pedagogy: Christopher Clouder interview