Choosing the best private elementary school for your child can be a very difficult decision and is not something to take lightly. There are many great reasons to send your child to a private elementary school including a higher quality education and a brighter future. Every school is unique and offers students various educational environments. There are big private elementary schools, small private elementary schools, religious institutions, single gender schools and more. For this reason, it is vital that you and your child thoroughly understand exactly what you want on a private elementary school. This means that you will have to do some thorough research on the various institutions that you are interested in sending your child to. Below are some factors to consider when choosing a school for your child.
Choosing a Private elementary School | What is The Culture Of The School?
What is the reputation of the school in question? Although there is not a simple way to answer this question, after looking into several schools, you will begin to get a clear picture of academic quality of the school in question. Even if your child isn’t among the top academic percentile, you always want to send them to a school with a superior teaching method. To begin, look at the performance of students over the past several years. If you notice a very high level of performance, you can be confident that the school has a great academic program.
Find out what the school’s culture is like. As you various potential schools, ask them to describe the current culture of the learning environment. Find out what the institution values and they the students and staff prioritize as important. You can ask teachers, principals and parents of current students. As you ask these questions, look for similar answers among the different groups of people. In some schools, it isn’t cool to be smart. This creates a negative educational culture that is detrimental to students. You want to make sure that high achievers are respected by their peers. Find out how the school celebrates academic achievement and how the culture reflects the desire to aim high.
What are the teachers like and how do they handle their classes? Teachers are among the most important factors to consider when looking for a private elementary school. The unfortunate reality is that many schools claim to have outstanding teachers but don’t. To begin assessing the teacher situation, find out some basic information. What is the student to teacher ratio of an average class? How big is the average class? Do teachers make themselves readily available for students before and after regular schooling hours? If teachers are unavailable outside regular class times, it can make student-teacher interactions very difficult if not impossible.
Great teachers are passionate about teaching and provide coaching and mentoring to create a dynamic learning environment. If you can, ask the students about their relationship with the teachers at the school. Ask if there are tutoring programs available. Additionally, find out if there informal interactions between students and teachers on a regular basis (such as student vs teacher sport events) to build relationships. A sign of a great school is an effort to build student-teacher relationships. This creates an environment of trust among students and allows them to grow by pushing their academic limits to the absolute limits.
Is the school open to implementing cutting edge teaching methods? Although tried and true methods are an important part of a sustainable and effective curriculum, as our world progresses new approaches to teaching become an essential part of providing the best possible education. As you interview different schools, make sure that new technology is being utilized in a creative and interactive way instead of just being in the classroom. Be sure to ask teachers how technology impacts the educational experience for both students and teachers. Additionally, make sure that there is sufficient tech support in the even that something goes wrong.
Make sure that the school has strong leadership. If the school in question isn’t being run by a strong leader, look elsewhere. Make sure to speak with the principle of the school and ask them about their priorities and their vision for the direction of the school. If you get the opportunity, talk to parents of students and ask their opinion of the way the school is run. Ask them if they feel there is a strong leader who directs the team of teachers and students in the right academic direction. You need to have a principal who can create a vision and execute it in an effective and efficient way the vision they so eloquently discuss. If there is no clear vision, you should look for another school.
Make sure other students are motivated and excited about learning. If students are not motivated to learn, then your child will probably lose motivation. You want to ensure that students are excited to learn and are having fun learning? Motivated, happy students typically work hardest and perform best. As you visit different schools, ask students what they enjoy about the learning experience. Be sure to notice of how they answer you. The energy in their answer will be very telling.
Looking for a Great Private elementary School Near You?
Cedar Hill Preparatory School is a Somerset County private school that can bring out the innate genius in all of our students. We also understand that the makeup of a student’s education environment is vital to harnessing each child’s special gift. We know that children learn best in a safe, encouraging and nurturing environment that strengthens relationships between the family and the school. We have a variety of students from the Central NJ area from towns including: Somerset, Hillsborough, Warren, North Brunswick, Piscataway, Edison, Princeton, Highland Park, and many more. For more information on this Somerset County private day school, you can call at (732)356-5400 or visit the website.
