How do I find the right K-12 school for my child?
This is probably one of the most common questions that people ask me. And I understand why: it can be very overwhelming to look at private or public school options and even know where to begin. I can tell you that it all starts with understanding your child’s needs. What works for your sister’s kids or your neighbor’s kids or even your other children is not necessarily going to work for the child you are trying to help. Some of the first things to consider might be:
Does your child need any specific assistance or supplementary learning materials? If your child has learning differences or requires special needs support, ask the school what kinds of resources they have available. Resources are important! Tutors? Specialized teacher’s aides? Learning centers? Extra remedial courses? Technology to cater to different learning styles?
Does your child enjoy any particular subject? Sometimes schools have specialized courses that are not widely available:
-Acting
-Leadership
-Guitar-making
-Yoga
-Robotics
-Songwriting
-Gardening
-Entrepreneurial field trips
-Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
-Theology studies
-The Sociological History of Rock and Roll
-Vegetarian Cooking
-Archery
-19th-Century Russian Literature
Feel free to ask a school for their course catalog/list.
Does your child show interest in particular athletic sports? One school might have every sport you could imagine, and another doesn’t even have a soccer team. Giving your child options might be great if they haven’t started playing any sports yet. Furthermore, some schools offer university-scale specialized facilities like full-size track and field stadiums, astro-turf field hockey fields, or Olympic-sized pools.
What size/kind of community is important to your child? Some children thrive in a small school where everyone knows their name, while others want just the opposite. Some students prefer to have a faith-based curriculum, while such an environment might make others uncomfortable.
Does your child enjoy academic rigor and challenging coursework? For some students, this means everything. If this is the case, you might want to look at the courses available to cater to your child’s interests, whether it’s math, foreign language, writing, fine arts, sciences, etc. Examine the sequence of the courses. For example, if your child wants to study Chinese, you might want to find a school that allows them to study Chinese before they even get to high school. Many private schools offer specialized language instruction as early as elementary school.
What are they actually teaching? Sure, it’s English class, but are they reading post-modern literature or taking a deep dive into Greek Classics? Is the English class focused primarily on reading, or it a mix of analytical reading, creative writing, and prescriptive grammar? Sure, it’s math class, but what do the homework assignments look like? Dozens of repetitive problems or highly curated concept-building stratagems? Feel free to ask a school for course guides or syllabi.
Don’t know how to interpret curriculum? Or maybe you don’t know how to identify quality curriculum vs. lesser quality curriculum? That’s okay! Just reach out to schedule a meeting and I can look at everything for you and explain what’s going on.
Of course, there are infinite things to consider when choosing the right school for your child. You want them to thrive and feel like they belong.
If you have any specific questions you would like to discuss or need help in determining your child’s needs or priorities, feel free to contact me for a consultation. Together, we can find the appropriate curriculum and learning environment for your child!
I can help take you through the entire process of:
assessing your child’s needs and desires,
building a list of prospective schools,
explaining and examining the different options, and
even accompanying you on school visits.
Just fill out the Contact Form at the link below, and we’ll set up a meeting.
