My hand hovered over the link, undecided, curious; did I really want to click, find out I’d made all the wrong decisions, doomed my child to second rate choices, quashed her opportunities before she even knew she had them?
The website promised to show me top schools, enrollment in which would measurably increase the student’s entrance to high quality educational institutions later in life. We are long past the school search. We have in fact, leaped the which-high-school hurdle. Why was I so tempted to click?
Because we all want to give our children every opportunity. We want to set them on paths that will guarantee happily ever afters. We hope fervently that we can do everything - from choosing the right stimulating mobile to hang above the crib, to hand picking peers when they are already living in their first apartment - to steer our children toward the future we want for them.
Each time we have been faced with choosing the next educational step I have felt just a little desperate for a crystal ball. When we began the last round of decision making the veteran school councilor offered me (and the stack of research and brochures I had brought along which was so large it was like having another person in the meeting) some advice: choosing schools is a collaborative endeavor. The choices are myriad but can be winnowed if you pay careful attention to the child for whom you are choosing, who, depending on age, personality, and development, should also have a voice. I left that meeting feeling like Glenda The Good Witch had given me a magic phrase to mutter as I clicked the keys together and searched school websites, public, private, academic, granola, curriculum outlines, course guidelines.
This weekend in Vancouver there is not quite a crystal ball, but an opportunity to inform your whole family about the choices available in the private, independent and special need realms, as well as Montessori and Waldorf, International Baccalaureate, and Advanced Placement programs. For grades K to 12 The Private School Expo is at the Westin Bayshore Vancouver on Sunday, November 28th. In one day, under one roof you can gather information, involve your children, formulate your own questions, and seek advice as you explore the process of choosing potential educational pathways. You can register for free here: http://www.ourkids.net/expo/register.php
It is easy to become overwhelmed when considering educational choices for our kids. Easy also to allow what we want for them to overshadow what they want or envision for themselves. We need to consider the whole person and not just the future we imagine for them to fit. To do that, we need to find the right information, and then listen to our kids.
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