RUNNING THE CLASSROOM
Four Critical Things to Avoid When Choosing a School
Previouslywepresentedthemostimportantfactorsyoushouldconsider in choosing a school. The message in that piece remains this: choose the school that best fits your child’s unique features and your family values. This edition, we state what NOT to do when choosing a school. • Deciding by the school property alone: Many schools have beautiful structures and serene compounds which form a great learning environment that is very commendable. However, in selecting a school, don’t consider only the building. Intangible factors such as vision values, stagg-student relations, etc must also be considered. • Not speaking with school management: You must visit the school and meet with an authority figure before you decide. He/she can clearly and accurately explain what the school is about so that there are no surprises down the line. The visit will also reveal a lot about the school’s culture and strength /direction of leadership. • Not checking past academic records: It is important to check the school’s performances in past external examinations and co-curricular competitions. They may not show you details in order to protect the privacy of each student but a good school will give you sufficient and accurate information about how their students perform. • Ignoring your instincts or your child’s: There are many amazing international standard schools here in Nigeria, you hardly need to look abroad, but eventually you can only pick one. Not every school is for you, so if you visit one and something is just off, pay attention. It doesn’t mean that anything is wrong with the school; it may just be that the school isn’t the best fit for your child. Above all every good school must give your academic substance that is beyond academic grades. According to Hodding Carter, “there are two lasting bequests we can give our children: one is roots and the other is wings” a good school should give your child both. .