There are many families that are currently immersed in the search for a school for your children, facing the next academic year. They are weeks of uncertainty, doubts and of valuing several options to make a decision, which although it is not irreversible, all parents want it to be as successful as possible.
If a few days ago we gave you a series of tips to keep in mind when looking for school, today we want to share just the opposite: what criteria, in our opinion wrong, could interfere negatively in our search.
Look exclusively at the rankings
There are many parents who give excessive importance to the position that the school occupies in the ranking of external tests carried out by the autonomous communities, or the marks that their students obtain in the selectivity.
Without a doubt, this is a point that we can consider and consider, but It should not be an exclusive criterion, because education and teaching are not limited only to the knowledge that students demonstrate in an exam.
Relying on people's opinions?
If we asked a group of parents the opinion they deserve from the center where their children study, we would probably find as many opinions as people asked. And each one of us will have some different criteria when assessing a school and, therefore, and we will count things from a subjective point of view.
It is good to have people's opinions and gather the maximum information before opting for a school, but we must ensure that the information obtained comes from several sources: from parents of students, to members of the AMPA (to learn more about the relationship between the management of the center and the parents) and, if possible, teachers and school workers.
Do not attend informative talks
And perhaps precisely moved by the criteria of the ranking or the opinions of our relatives, we make the mistake of choosing or discarding a school without having previously attended the informative talks They are being offered these days.
In addition, it is essential not to be left alone with the pedagogical information that the school can publish on its website: attending open days, or arranging individual meetings with the center's address, will help us clarify many doubts and consider other aspects that Maybe we hadn't considered.
Not being clear about the educational project of the center
If it is the first time that we are looking for school for our son, we may find ourselves lost, disoriented and with a lot of information that is difficult to assimilate. Maybe not even let's be very clear about the educational project we are looking for, or even that what they tell us in the schools we are visiting always sounds the same to us.
That is why it is important to stop to think carefully about what kind of teaching we want for our child: Are we looking for a traditional or innovative teaching? What weight do we want the new technologies to have in education? How do students work in the classroom? What learning alternatives do they have?
Analyzing each issue separately, and deepening the educational model of each center (and the way they have to put it into practice!), We will realize the differences that exist from one school to another, and this will help us in Decision making
Focus on the "here and now"
When we first look for a school for our three-year-old son, we will not lose detail of everything related to the Infant stage, but we may make the mistake of overlook important aspects of higher stages.
And, before we want to realize our son will be studying in Primary, and with the change of cycle will come new situations, challenges or rules that at the time we might not have taken into account and that now are totally contrary to our way of understanding teaching and education.
It is not about wanting to know how our son's next 15 years will be in school, but at least to be clear about the most important and remarkable aspects of the coming stages.
Let us be captivated by what we see
When these days we go to visit the schools, what first that will enter our eyes will be the facilities. However, even if it is a criterion that we should certainly assess, it should not have a significant weight when making the final decision.
Because a school with large and bright classrooms, an imposing soccer field or a large swimming pool is of no use, if the values it transmits to its students are not what we seek for our children, or if the educational project does not match our interests.
So, let's not be influenced by appearances (and even less during the open days, since many schools show an excessively commercial aspect at this time) and, once again, let's analyze the product as a whole.
Disregard how you work with students with special needs
When our three-year-old child starts school for the first time, we probably can't think of future circumstances that may require him to be reinforced. at some point in your academic stage. From personal or social circumstances that hinder or delay their learning, to a diagnosis of ADHD, or an identification of high capacities, to give just a few examples. In these cases, how does the school proceed to treat these students and what resources do they use for them?
So, when assessing the different characteristics of a school, and although a priori we can think that this point does not touch us, we should also consider it, because the concern that the center shows for all its students, as well as the way of attending to diversity, are important aspects that also define the type of school we face.
- In Babies and More Because it is a fundamental decision in your child's life: seven keys to choosing the best school, 13 aspects that you should consider when choosing a school for your children, According to the latest PISA study, Spanish students They do not know how to work properly in a team, and it is worrisome. How do you teach in a school without textbooks? A letter from a mother to her daughter's teachers telling them that she will not do more homework at home symptoms, tests, how to proceed, how to avoid a false diagnosis
