I think one of the most trying but
more important decisions we have to make very early on as parents is the right
school for our precious Junior. Being in Sri Lanka makes it more contentious as
we find ourselves being pulled in different directions; do we go with
tradition? Do we run around in circles to get Junior into what is supposedly
the best local school in the country? Or do we break all these qualms and pay
through our noses and get them into an “International school”? Whichever option
we choose will we be satisfied? Or does every school come with its own inherent
good and bad?
Getting Started
Coming from a good old-fashioned
local school, when it was time to select a school for my son, I was running
around in circles in my mind for months: What do I do? Which is the best
option? I got in all these
applications from various local schools, waited out my turn in the hot sun in endless
queues like cattle being taken to slaughter and went through the painful
process of filling out and collating the reams of information they required from
water bills to letters from the church to even digging out the character
certificates and what not – to say the least I was exhausted.
Armed with this fat bundle of
documents confirming my suitability as a “human being with good values and the
right address “(i.e. within the circumference), I went off happily to the post
office and then waited breathless for days, weeks to hear the good news only to
be met with a curt one-liner sent a
month after it was originally dated. “ We are sorry to inform you but you don’t
meet the criteria for enrolment”.
I was furious! I was upset. I was
distraught. I wanted to storm in
and tell them exactly what I thought of them and their establishment, but then
I composed myself. I called up a few parents and vented my dissatisfaction only
to be told that this was the normal procedure and that usually when you get a
letter like this you can take it to them and offer them an absurd donation and
you would have automatically fit their esteemed criteria.
Now I was even more upset: I
didn’t have a fat donation tucked away so I called up an aunt to have a chat
and share my stress as it were. She happened to be a teacher in an
International School and told me to calm down it wasn’t the end of the world,
and asked me if I had thought of the International school option – NO! that won’t
do, I mean it’s expensive, the kids from these schools have major attitudes and
don’t have respect for anyone; besides how can I send him to such a school, he’s
a boy and he needs to be like his fore fathers and excel in sport and carry on
the traditions… yes, all this ran through my head but I just nodded and turned
up for a chat at one of the leading International schools the next day.
I must say it was a pleasant
change to what I had gone through in the past few months, the welcome I got
made me feel very special. I was very impressed by what I was shown on the
academic side and yes, they have a wide array of sports and other interesting
opportunities for the kids to dabble in. After a few days of weighing the pros
and cons I decided to enroll my son in the international school. The choice for
me was more out of necessity than out-right choice.
The Experience
I meet an equal amount of parents
with kids across different age in both local and international schools and each
of them have their own quota of grievances mixed with good points. The kids of
today have a lot more on their plate than we did back then starting with school
pressure. No matter which type of school they belong to they have a lot more to
do, tons of homework, tons of work requirements and pressure to perform. They hardly have time to be children, as
parents we must allow them to blossom naturally too much pressure can break
them and end up with them foregoing their childhood. We need to teach our
children how to balance the different aspects of life in order to reach greater
heights.
Teaching Technique
One of the biggest grievances
stemming from the local schools is the fact that the teaching methods adopted
are out dated and boring: local
schools need to revamp their teaching techniques to keep abreast with the rest
of the world.
On the other hand we find that in
some of the international schools the standards are high, the techniques are
modern and inspire the kids, but the teachers don’t spend enough to nurture the
kids as its always a race to the finish line – either you pick up or you fall
by the way-side. Some International school staff from overseas is temporary
which is a cause for concern amongst parents and kids.
Teaching should be a passion not
a job, there is a fundamental difference between the two. There will always be
a visible difference between teachers who fall into these two categories as
much as there is a clear difference with children who are exposed to the two
types of teachers. What teachers
must realize is that they have a big part to play in shaping the minds of our children
- if a child is not motivated to perform it is your responsibility whilst
he/she is under your care. It is by no means the responsibility of a parent to
take on the short-comings of the teacher and make sure the kids stay tuned in.
This is a phenomenon of modern day teaching, which is becoming ridiculously the
norm, irrespective of the institution they belong too.
Values
The big question still remains -
what values do the two types of schools project? A question that turns parents off
from putting their children into an International school no doubt and one that,
I like most parents are very concerned about. In a local school we know that the kids will get a solid
grounding of values and we will with pride take these values to our grave. I
just don’t see that in the international school system, the culture is vastly different in some instances
it is positive but the negatives tend to out weigh these positives – it is
indeed an area that needs to be looked into and dealt with by the school
authorities.
Attitudes & Discipline
We all know that in local schools
the discipline is much stricter than in an International school where the
atmosphere is more relaxed. A relaxed atmosphere encourages the kids to blossom
no doubt- but they can also get out of hand when they realize that they can get
away with things. Discipline within reason is a must not only for the kids but
also amidst the teachers.
On the other hand, I strongly
believe that the foundation of every attitude is your upbringing. No matter
what you are exposed to amongst your peers if you have a solid base at home
then nothing can shake you - Attitude is not taught it is engraved in our DNA.
Breaking The Geeky Boundaries
When we were growing up we took
to sport and extra curricular activities with so much passion, most local
schools still instill that passion in their students which is extremely
positive for the all round growth of a child – the geeks as we used to call
them would be the exception. However in an international school setting the all
rounder, sport- passionate students seem to be the exception. Competition is
high and fuelled by the parents themselves who go to unnecessary lengths to
make sure their kids are top of their class. Kids need to be active; they need
to be encouraged to be sport savvy, to join in on society work, etc.
Religion, What Is
Your Take On That?
Your faith is very important and inculcating religious
beliefs in children from an early age is paramount to how they act and react in
later life. I remember as a kid I found the religion classes so boring but on
the contrary my son loves his Sunday school classes and enjoys what he is being
taught. Whilst most parents do feel that religion is as important as any
subject in the school curriculum, I beg to differ. I went to an Anglican school;
I am a born roman catholic - the end result – a tad bit of confusion. Religion is inculcated in us from an
early age and it starts with what you practice at home, religion cannot be
taught, it is a way of life and I think parents have a far more important role
to play in this area than an institution – don’t get me wrong, schools should
encourage kids in following their faith but it should not be a show stopper
when deciding on a school.
In conclusion
Both parents and teachers need to realize the importance of
correctly molding the minds of the children we have been blessed with. A parent
cannot under any circumstances think that once a child has been packed off to
school their duty is done and its now up to someone else to do the rest. On the
other hand teachers themselves need to understand that every child is unique
and motivating them in the right spirit to get the best out of them is a test
of your character and ability as well. At the end of the day we are all trying
to do one thing, making sure that our children grow up to be worth citizens of
society with a common respect for their fellow beings.
'Schools must inquire deeper
into their own practices, explore new ways to motivate their learners, make use
of learning styles, introduce multiple intelligences, integrate learning, and
teach thinking, and in the process discover the passion and moral purpose that
makes teaching exciting and effective’ - Fullan
and Hargreaves
