What makes a school good?

The last decade and a half has witnessed tremendous changes in schooling. We have seen lots of new schools including group schools, international schools, schools with their own curriculum, concept schools etc., mushrooming in the city trying to keep pace with the growing population.

We not only have people from within our country but have also welcomed an international crowd. This is reason enough for the city to see the emergence of schools of different kinds to cater to the different needs and expectations of people.

As a parent you have a list of schools in front of you. Every school looks good, has good infrastructure, sports area, co-curricular activities and everything a school needs to have. However, as parents we are still struggling to identify the right school for our children.
We have great expectations in terms of how our children would perform in academics and at the same time be a part of a whole lot of activities, events, sports and so on.

We are at a stage where it is difficult to understand from outside what happens inside a school. Whatever infrastructure a school has, what is of utmost importance is the emphasis the school gives in identifying the abilities of a child, his learning style and preparing him to be the child of tomorrow. Hence, preparing the child for a tomorrow which is full of surprises, challenges, most importantly unknown and with basic human values is the true essence of good education.

I think that a school is a societal centre for holistic organisation of learning. Yesterday’s frame of reference was a brick-by-brick, teacher-centric learning school. But the schooling in reality today is built click-by-click and hence the decision making needs to be in the light of right schooling. As a holistic learning centre for children, the challenge for a school is to truly focus on the overall development by bringing in innovation. The new generation classrooms have to be a true blend of innovative teaching practices which are contrary to the current chalk and talk method. The teacher has to take on a new role of becoming a facilitator, creating an environment where children can explore and learn.

Curriculum and classroom practices

Irrespective of the syllabus that a school follows, classroom practices play a very significant role in a child’s understanding of concepts which is reflected in his academic performance.

We are living in a world that demands continuous learning. We have understood that just educating a child with academic knowhow is no longer sufficient for a child to emerge as a leader in the current scenario. People are now choosing multiple roles and careers which demand high reasoning skills, openness to learning, good communication as well as a strong personality.

A good school is one which puts in place a tripolar process involving, teacher, learner (child) and the parent, where the learner is at the centre. Children are what they are and a school has to understand and nurture their natural spontaneous learning, growing and blossoming. The right school is one that recognises and creates an atmosphere to accelerate the process of learning and promotes the spontaneity of a child.

There are very interesting findings from researchers across the world about the various kinds of children and their learning abilities. A school which adopts some of the best practices like activity-based learning, experiential learning and outdoor experiences giving opportunity for a child to explore on his own, analysing, discussing and putting on paper his observations helps complete his learning process.

Parental role

Your job does not end after finding the right school in terms of the offerings of the school. Though it is natural for us as parents to expect a school to do everything, it becomes extremely important to encourage and nourish their skills back home.

The child has the right to get the best of parenting and schooling. For the manifestation of the perfection of the child besieging education, right schooling assumes tremendous significance. If parents as well as the school can see the invisible potential in every child they can achieve wonders. In a true sense, right schooling can be viewed as a harmonious blend of sincere teachers, earnest students and supportive parenting all in the pursuit of knowledge.

A parent, who surrounds her children with intelligent conversations, a tastefully designed home with a good library, nurturing the inner potential of a child, is the contributor of a rich social heritage.