I still remember those days when life was without any tension, without any worries, and without any responsibilities. But things have changed so much from what it was 20 years back and what it is now. Now a days competition is so bad, that from first grade parents teaches his kids how to compete, force them to get bookish knowledge and to get good grades, don’t allow them to go out and play saying it waste of time.
People have forgotten the actual meaning of education and teaching. I just don’t blame parents for this, but the society in general is responsible for that. Education is not just getting good grades but how much knowledge one can acquire in various fields. This can come not only by reading books but with interacting with people of different age group, culture, religion and society. School are just a medium to impart knowledge. I don’t know how many of you have heard about the following quotes but they are among my favorites.
”We are shut up in schools and college recitation rooms for ten or fifteen years, and come out at last with a belly full of words and do not know a thing. The things taught in schools and colleges are not an education, but the means of education”.-Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Education would be much more effective if its purpose was to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they do not know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it.”-Sir William Haley
I totally agree with both of them and totally believe that school is just a medium to impart knowledge. But one should not forget to teach our kids that what they know or we know about that subject is just LITTLE. There are thousands of people out there who knows more than us and are very much ahead of us. So if I have to choose a school for my kids I will based my opinion depending on following criteria.
1) Age of School
I would prefer to send my kids to the school who is imparting education from quite some years. In this way I ensure that teachers employed by the school are experience enough to understand the students, their needs and understand their psychology Understanding student is very important factor when one has to convince the young brains.
2) Student/Teacher Ratio
This is also very important factor when it comes to teaching. I would prefer to have this ratio as minimum as possible so that teacher can spend more time with each student and try to explain them in a better way. Not only that, student will feel more secure and safe if they receive that attention at that age.
3) Method of Imparting Knowledge
What I mean to say here is the way knowledge is transferred from teacher to student. I would prefer more interactive type of method where student has all the rights to question teachers motives and reasoning rather than just one way communication from teacher to student. This can be found out when talking with parents of other students who are going in the same school and their good and bad experiences. Also, I would like to send my kids to school where they give equal importance to games and other social activities.
4) Cultural Interaction
In today’s world, half of the problems have arise due to lack of understanding between different cultures and religion. So I would choose to send my kids where he/she can have best interaction between different cultures and religion. I know it might dilute the cultural values you have and hard for you to adjust to some of the things they follow but at least tomorrow they wont have any problems facing the world. So for their future, I would prefer to give him/her that knowledge and education.
5) Medium of Education
English Medium has become so universal that if you don’t know that language, you face tons of problems. Any graduation degree in India and many other countries has teaching in English medium. Most of the books written on any subject are English. So I would prefer to send my kids to that school that can teach kids English along with local cultural language.
These are some of the thing I would look at when I have to choose for a school for my kids. Just sending kids to school is not going to help. One has to take extra responsibility to teach them what is right and wrong and why you think he should accept your view point. Basic education starts at home, which I think is most important for the overall development of kids.
-Rahul