Is It Worth Using a Consultant?

Is your grandchild going away to private school? Perhaps you are wondering how you can fit into his new life away from home. You have always enjoyed watching him grow up. You've gone on trips and vacations together. Just because he's away at school doesn't mean that you can't be close. After all this is the 21st century when it's easy to stay connected.

Let's look at some of the special things a grandparent can do to stay connected with a beloved grandchild who's off at school.

Email

It's kind of old fashioned these days but email is still a pleasant way of keeping in touch. If you are in the least bit literary, it will be good for him to receive nicely crafted emails with news and gossip from back home. It is important for him to hear and be able to reflect on your opinions about issues and events. Email handles that kind of communication extremely well.

by Sean MacEntee

Just be careful to read your missives carefully before you hit the send button. Remember: you are not there to explain what you mean. So don't be cryptic. He's got plenty to do without wondering what's going on back home. It's also simply bad form to give him bad news

Are you thinking about something other than the usual public school experience for your toddler or primary school age child? If you are, then the next question you are most likely asking is exactly what kind of alternatives are out there anyway? How expensive are they? Are there schools in my area? How will the foundation these schools provide serve my child's future learning in grade school, high school and beyond? Let's take a look at each of these questions and offer some answers.

Early Education Options

Traditional teacher-led education? A follow the child approach as championed by Maria Montessori? The Steiner approach? Reggio Emilia inspired? Those are your broad choices.

Traditional teacher-led education remains popular. Most of us are familiar with this approach to teaching primary age school children because we ourselves are products of those classes. The public school system which I attended in Westmount, Montreal back in the '50s used that traditional approach. Indeed we all had desks lined up in rows. Looking back it seems rather quaint and not a little bit militaristic. But that's the way we were taught back then. We had homework. We were given grades. We are rapped on the knuckles if we misbehaved.

In the 21st century traditional teacher-led education is the norm in many schools both public and private. There are an infinite number of variations on this approach. Some retain the regimentation and strictness which we and our parents remember. Most, however, tend to have been softened

How can extracurricular activities possibly be important? After all, aren't they extras? Unfortunately, in these tough economic times, that is very often the case in public schools where all too often local education leaders view extracurricular activities as extras. As they have faced declining tax revenues, public schools have had to make some drastic cuts in their budgets. School boards have a hard time justifying cutting the number of teachers. They run up against the same problem with course offerings. So, school boards and administrators look for programs which they can eliminate or, at least, reduce expenditures. Accordingly, they decide to cut the extras. In the public school world, those extras include extracurricular activities such as a band or orchestra, as well as clubs and other activities.

On the other hand, for private schools, extracurricular activities are an integral part of the school's offerings. Solid academics, a variety of athletic programs and an assortment of extracurricular activities are essentials in private schools. Most private schools believe that you cannot educate a child solely by teaching her academic subjects. While math, science and all the other subjects are an important part of her schooling, there is much more to education than just academics. That's where sports and extracurricular activities come in. They allow your child to grow. They stimulate her with new ideas and new ways of thinking. They give her a sense of accomplishment and build her confidence. They teach tolerance and encourage teamwork. These

The right school

So, with dozens of private schools to choose from, choosing the right one is probably the most crucial item on this list of factors for a successful private school education. Which is the right school? You'll know it when you visit it and speak with the admissions staff. It will be the school which best meets both your requirements as a parent, and the requirements of that precious cargo which you are about to entrust to the school. You can review the statistics and data about the school. You can determine that its philosophy and educational mission align with your goals and objectives. But the real question for which you need to find the answer is how will your child fit in. If you feel comfortable about your answer to that question, you are all set. You will have chosen the right school.