What’s the Best School Choice?
As an educational consultant and tutor, I assist parents in deciding how to provide their children’s education. I ask questions that help the parents define their goals, the children’s goals, the specific needs of their children, and numerous other concerns. Then I help them review the options that are open to them to find the best fit. So, which school choice is best? It depends on the student and the family.
Children are Not Identical!
The most important thing I’ve learned about school choice is that we need a wide variety of options available to all parents! I’m in favor of public school. I’m also in favor of unschooling. And I’m in favor of everything in between. That includes charter schools, private schools, home schools, micro-schools, e-school, etc. What’s perfect for one child may be dismal for another.
Families are Not Identical!
A happy school choice takes into account the particular gifts and personality of the child, as well as the family dynamics and resources. If the community doesn’t provide the kind of school the child needs, it’s often possible to create a brand-new option with some creativity. I aim to guide parents toward a school choice that is peaceful and satisfying for both the student and the parents.
School Choice Changes Over Time
As children grow up and families evolve, school choice decisions need revisiting. What’s right for a child at age six may not be the best choice at age eight. A great choice for a child with dyslexia just learning to read may be quite different once the child is a confident reader. A student struggling with health issues may need home-based education for a time, then desire a more social setting later.
Learning and Schooling are Not the Same
Assumptions about what school looks like can get in the way of joyful learning. So the first order of business in school choice is erasing the assumption that the choice has to look like a school. My goal is a peaceful family, and a happy child deeply engaged in learning. Learning is what children do naturally, so sometimes we just have to provide the tools and get out of their way!
School Choice Questions
Here are some of the questions and prompts I use with parents and students seeking to make a healthy happy decision about school choice.
What do you like and dislike about your current situation?
Explore this student’s passions, strengths, gifts, desires, interests!
What does this student find difficult, demoralizing, or unhappy?
How can we focus on the student’s gifts?
What do you worry about?
Brainstorm different ways those worries could be addressed.
What kinds of education have you considered?
Can we think of other possibilities?
What resources in time and money are available without producing hardship?
Would this student prefer a quiet day with plenty of time alone or with one or two people or a busy, noisy environment with lots of people?
Does this student like to work on a computer or is that tiring?
How much physical exercise does this student need to be at his/her best?
When and how can this student spend time in nature?
What’s the best way for this student to spend time with friends?
If the Current School Choice isn’t Working Well, Change it!
Part of my job involves helping parents feel permission to change a situation that isn’t working well. Forcing a child or a parent to continue in an environment that produces stress, resentment, anger, or hopelessness serves exactly no one! Trying different options takes energy, but doesn’t sap the soul like endless days of unhappiness. So, never be afraid to try something different. It won’t hurt your child, as long as the option is always there to change.
By Yvonna Graham, M.Ed.
www.dyslexiakit.net
@GrahamYvonna