A First Look at Private Schools
The right school for your child might be a private school. An ideal time to start researching the idea is a year ahead – during the fall the year before you want your child to be enrolled. Here are step-by-step guidelines to begin.
by Shannon Philpott
As parents, our concerns for our child’s development never end. From emotional and physical growth to intellectual and spiritual development, we continually research best practices, strategies, and methods to ensure that our children grow up in a healthy, nurturing environment.
And then we ship them off to school.
This academic journey is one of the most influential components of a child’s development. All parents want something unique and specialized for their child, which is why private schools have continued to thrive throughout the U.S.
According to recent statistics gathered by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), a member organization for independent schools that offers resources for both administrators and parents, students attending private schools receive more one-on-one attention, with a median class size of 16.
“Statistically, private schools tend to do a good job educating academically while preparing students to be strong citizens,” said Myra McGovern, NAIS public information officer.
When it comes to private schooling, there are many benefits for the entire family. According to McGovern, one of the most obvious benefits is that families have the opportunity to choose a school that best fits their parenting style and their child.
Whether your child excels at art, sports, language arts, or math, each private school offers something different. “Different children will thrive in different environments,” McGovern said. “Private schools tend to be smaller and teachers can get to know what motivates students more, all while developing individualized programs that cater to strengths and address challenges a child may face.”
Ronald E. Koetzsch, Ph.D., author of The Parents’ Guide to Alternatives in Education, suggested to Parent USA City that when deciding upon a private school, parents should take a step-by-step approach considering the needs of each child.
● Find out about the whole range of alternatives in education. From charter, independent, and Montessori schools to religious, Foxfire, and Progressive Schools, the options for private education are many.
● Get more information. Research the educational approaches and types of schools that appeal to you.
● Construct a portrait of the ideal school for your child. Take into consideration the child’s personality and learning style, as well as the ideal curriculum, pedagogy, and class size.
● Visit as many schools as possible and keep an open mind. “Each school is a type of school, but it is also an individual and unique institution,” says Koetzsch. “There is tremendous variety even among schools that share a common educational philosophy and practice.”
● Interview teachers and other parents. Don’t be concerned that you sound as if you are interviewing the teacher for a job or violating privacy. According to Koetzsch, the answers “will give you a sense of the philosophy—the view of the world and human nature and education—behind the school and how that philosophy manifests in the life of the school.”
● Narrow down your choices. Make a list of four or five schools that appeal strongly and, in terms of cost and commuting distance, are viable alternatives for your family.
In the end, Koetzsch recommends that parents “take your own intellectual preferences, your visceral feelings and intuition, and your child’s preferences and make a decision.”
Shannon Philpott is a writer/reporter with 10-plus years of experience, and a college journalism instructor. She maintains a blog about writing, reflecting, and teaching at shannonphilpott.com.
© Photo by Sonya Etchison | Dreamstime.com
Your kids—boys and girls alike—express a desire to cook from a very early age, likely without your even realizing it. They make mud pies in the sandbox, play with child-sized cooking sets, and organize kitchens in doll houses or play areas, and they probably inquire about what you’re cooking from the time they begin to communicate.
Kids Cooking Activities offers up reasons why you should encourage cooking activities with your kids. (Set up link at underlining to http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com)
* Cooking with your children helps them to learn about nutrition and healthy eating.
* Cooking in the kitchen will give children a boost of self confidence. They are accomplishing a task, learning something important, and contributing to the family.
* Taking time to cook with your kids will give them lasting memories. They will pass the traditions on when they are grown and have their own families.
* In the enthusiasm of creating something themselves, your children will be more likely to eat what they had a hand in making.
* Kids learn real lessons in science, language, math, and creativity in the kitchen. Cooking will help reinforce all these subjects.
* Cooking is a great way to learn life skills. This is especially helpful when children are older and more independent. They won't have to rely on fast food and junk food to sustain them.
* Working together in the kitchen teaches your child teamwork.
* Cooking teaches children planning and making choices skills.
* Kids practice creativity and imagination in the kitchen. Cooking activities are a great way for kids to express themselves and enjoy their creations.
It may take longer to get the meal or snack done, but the moments with your children will be priceless. Remember to have patience. Don't worry about flour on the floor or spilled milk.
A role model for cooking with kids
Cooking With Kids, a series of 90-second videos, is hosted by James Beard Award-winning chef John Sarich. Development of the program was inspired by the reality of childhood obesity, anorexia and other eating disorders, Type II Diabetes, and low bone density, which have all become national issues. Cooking With Kids encourages parents and children to spend time in the kitchen together preparing healthy meals in ways that improve communication and help children develop healthy nutritional habits. (Set up link at underlining to http://www.cookingwithkids.org/fact.html)
The program shows how easy it is for kids to prepare snacks and meals that taste good and that are good for them. It uses the five food groups as a platform for nutrition messages. You can watch the videos with your children through the website, then print out the recipe and go try it yourselves.
The recipes that Sarich prepares with kids on the segments teach them which categories on the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid are included in the recipe. He explains how vegetable burritos, for example, include foods that have protein, fiber and dairy, and that the burritos are low in fat.
Good cooking habits
Spatulatta provides 350 step-by-step videos that teach kids good cooking habits, and offers advice for moms, dads and kids on numerous issues related to cooking with kids. It emphasizes topics like teaching kids to wash their hands properly before handling food. (Set up link at underlining to http://www.spatulatta.com)
When it comes to working in the kitchen, you know your children. You know what abilities they have and how fine their motor skills are. Some children are ready to handle a certain kitchen utensil or work at the stove earlier than others. It’s up to you to make that determination.
You set the rules in your kitchen, such as you will always light the burners and oven for your children.
Go over the workings of every electrical appliance with your child. Explain that the beaters, for example, should be inserted into a hand mixer before the mixer is plugged in.
Safety and courtesy are behaviors that need to be re-enforced and modeled.
Once you've explained how to handle an item safely, try asking your child to tell you how to do it the next time the task is required when making a recipe. We all learn best when we try to teach.
CREDIT:
Christina DiMartino has been a freelance and assignment writer since 1985. She is a researcher, interviewer, writer, editor, and manuscript collaborator with a repertoire of clients from around the world.
PHOTO / ILLUSTRATION RECOMMENDATIONS:
Go to http://www.cookingwithkids.org
TEASER:
Cooking with your kids does much more than produce tasty treats! It teaches teamwork, safety, courtesy, math, science, and more, and encourages creativity and imagination. And there are some terrific online videos that will help you get started.
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email this
Comments (0)
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Write comment
