Educating your child

Education is the process of equipping an individual with a unique set of skills that can be applied to solve problems in future. By this definition I don’t mean classroom education but education that affects every aspect of the child life and inculcate the virtue of lifelong learning in them because no school can teach our children all the important lessons needed to succeed in life.

Bringing up a child has changed tremendously from the way it was done in the 20^th century where children were only to be seen and not heard. The internet age child is well informed and as such can engage parents on all topics worthy of discussions even in areas where parents may be deficient.

Being someone who interacts with young people on daily basis, I have come to appreciate the fact that the way and manner we thought and behaved as children is completely different from the way kids of today behave. Today’s kids are bold and assertive as such requiring a lot of tactics in dealing with them.

In my days at primary and secondary school we went to class and sat for teachers to impact knowledge on us after which we asked questions cautiously. However, in this day and age the kids ask very intelligent questions sometimes to the extent of being more knowledgeable on a particular subject matter than their teachers.

The teacher’s function has therefore changed from being repository of knowledge to someone who can bring out the best in children by guiding their thoughts and way of thinking.

So how do you nurture a child to become useful individual who can affect their generation in an era where video games, social media, iPod, iPad and 3D televisions are the order of the day? Whether we like it or not these gadgets take a huge chunk of our kid’s time and are likely to affect how they turn out tomorrow.

The choice of school for our kids will obviously make an impact on their life even though I will be the first to admit that good parenting is equally important. Education should therefore not be left solely in the hands of teachers and educational administrators but parents should be equal partners in this regard. Below are a few tips to consider when selecting a school for your way.

Public or Private: The first point to consider is whether your children will attend private or public school. Well, that will depend on the stage of the child’s education; in basic level, private schools are the best but when it comes to secondary and tertiary most parents prefers public schools.

Performance: You must check the performance of the school over the past three years. If they are doing well and some of their students are getting into top school, then they are worth considering otherwise look for other options.

Distance: You may also want to consider the distance from the school to your house. Ideally, a school that is closer to home or a walking distance is preferable. Your children should not travel the entire city every day to get to school. This may leave them stressed out.

Kitchen: Food is another very important area parents should consider since kids at that stage need nutrients to grow. Visit the school preferably at the time they are having lunch and observe the quality of the food the kids are being served.  

Facilities: You might also want to know whether the school has good facilities such a spacious playing ground, a well-stocked library, an ICT centre, music centre, arts studios and others that will facilitate the holistic development of the child. The number of students per class is also important since that will determine how much time teachers will spend on your child. If the classes are over-crowded, the teacher will not spend quality time to explain the concepts to children who are struggling. A maximum of 30 students per class is ideal.

Teachers: Does the school have qualified teachers or just make shift ones. Qualified and committed teachers can make a lot of difference to your child perception and way of thinking.

Budget: Of course you wouldn’t want to choose a school whose fees you will struggle to pay. So if you are yet to start a family the better it is for you because you can start saving towards that now. The school fees of your children should not put too much strain on your family financial resources and cause you to borrow money from other people.

Owners: Also find out about the founders of the school. Do they have previous experience in education or have they hired the right administrators to do carry out that task. Some proprietors see their school as a business and are in it with the main aim of making money.

Feel free to send your comments and thoughts on this article to ericampah2003@gmail.com