How do you know whether your child’s school will benefit them? How do you know if the teachers would care about your child as much as you do? How do you know if your child will be safe at school? One must know how to pick best online schools by asking these questions to determine if it’s the right fit for your child!
How to Pick the Right School?
Listed below are the 8 questions to ask when choosing school:
1) What are their methods?
Every child has unique abilities, but schools have different methods and teaching styles. One must ensure the school’s plans, including its staff, the type of learning environment they create, and how much homework they assign them. It is also important to check the competitiveness of the school academically.
2) What kind of support do they offer?
Every school has its own set of strengths and challenges. You should consider many factors when choosing which school is right for your child, such as: does the school offer many different sports and extracurricular activities? What are the class sizes? Does the school host an art program? And is there a strong sense of community and belonging on the campus or not?
3) Do they keep kids safe?
The right school can be challenging to find until you, as a parent, know what questions you need to ask when choosing a school. Some of the answers you must know before admitting your child to a school include; how safe is the school? Does the school have a strict dress code? Do they do random searches or have security guards on-site? Do their doors lock after hours, or are they always open? Is their class size large or small, and does each child get one-on-one attention from teachers?
4) Do they use behaviour modification as a teaching tool?
Behaviour modification can be a good tool if used correctly. Schools should have a detailed policy on what they do and how they do it. Schools that use this approach in their teaching method need to be open about it so you can determine whether it is something you and your child will be comfortable with.
You can check whether they take the approach of making a consequence for bad behavior and giving treats for good behavior. Moreover, one should also determine if they seem even-handed when using behavior modification as an instructional tool.
5) How many kids are in each class?
The number of kids in a class can vary significantly in schools. At some schools, it’s one teacher with a class of 25 students; at others, it could be one teacher with 15 students. In both cases, the student-teacher ratio is favourable.
The other major factor determining how many kids you’ll have in your class is where you live and whether or not your school goes up to grade 12. Some only go up to Grade 7, considered junior high schools.
6) What is their communication like with their parents?
If a school doesn’t offer open lines of communication with parents, that’s probably not what you might be looking for. It is a good idea to find out if they are willing to meet you on Skype or Facetime so that you can see what their teaching style is like.
The worst feeling is being in the dark about your child’s education. If they don’t offer any sort of communication, it could be because they lack experience in teaching, which isn’t something you want either.
7) Is there any extra fees?
Ask how your tuition fee is charged and how much financial aid the school premises offer. Make sure they accept Federal Financial Aid. Ask if any hidden costs or fees could add up throughout the school year, such as field trips, uniforms, extracurricular etc.
Finally, ask if their student gets in trouble with the law or has an off-campus incident; what will be their next action? Do they have a code of conduct policy? What’s the punishment? Evidently, you want to ensure everything before enrolling your child. Isn’t it?
8) Do they have an age-appropriate curriculum?
A major question you should ask when choosing a school is if they have an age-appropriate curriculum. A good school will have engaging curriculums that teach students at their appropriate grade level, so they are challenged without being bored.
Another important aspect not to be ignored is how many hours each day will be spent on core subjects, including Math, Science, and English and what kind of resources will be provided to learn new material. For example, can students do work on computers or whiteboards? Do teachers facilitate discussions about current events?
Conclusion
Choosing a school is a big decision that affects your child’s development and academic success. To make the process as straightforward as possible, we compiled these 8 questions to ask when choosing school.
