Front page story

November 5, 2007 | Print

Looking at Schools

Fall is the time for open houses and school tours for preschool and kindergarten.

Looking at schools gives us the opportunity to think about the kind of education we want for our child. All that great honoring the individual and whole child stuff.

Yet, because we want to find the best match, the process can feel overwhelming.

A thoughtful admissions director breaks down looking at schools into three areas for parents: curriculum, culture and logistics.

Curriculum. For us, curriculum means what the students do during school, what and how they are taught, how the teachers speak to them.

Learning takes many forms–for preschoolers, socialization with peers, space for creative play and feeling comfortable away from home without mom and dad can be a curriculum.

Culture. The school’s culture is informed by the curriculum, the physical classrooms and outdoor areas, the teachers and the families.

Feeling comfortable, supported and inspired by the school community makes our parenting more creative, we also find ourselves calmer.

Logistics. Logistics are the getting to and from school details; whether the cost, commute, etc. works for our family.

And then the admissions director adds, there’s the fourth area of consideration which is usually the most important:

Spark. Spark is the excitement we feel as we’re walking around the school, watching the children and teachers.

We just have the feeling that this is the place.

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