AS


Friday, April 20, 2012

Going International



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

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