Hi Parentree members,
Hoping you and all your family members are fine and safe
during this pandemic.
We have a two and a half year old son and we are in school
hunting mode now. We are looking to gather as much information as possible about
schools in Hyderabad that are close to our requirements. If you or someone from your
circles has children studying in schools which satisfy the following criteria
(in order of importance), we would be very grateful if you could share your
inputs about the school / connect us with the concerned person. We do understand
that expecting all of the factors mentioned below together is a bit ideal, so
the more the merrier:
(a) methods of teaching which focus more on conceptual and
holistic understanding of matters, and which specifically focus on methods
involved in developing a sense of curiosity to learn, along with independent
and rational thinking, good moral values with a modern outlook, ability to face
adversities or challenges in life, etc.
(b) mixed crowd (in terms of both socio, economic and
religious background) - not just / not mostly children from elite background.
(c) balanced language policy which lays equal importance to
Indian languages also, without rules about children speaking (with other
children or with teachers) only in English; and without looking down or in any
other way discouraging children from speaking in a language other than English,
etc.
(d) a healthy evaluation system (both for academics and
co-curriculars) that focuses on the functional aspects, like testing conceptual
understanding /basic skills and where effort is made to find
what obstacles (if any) that a child is facing in learning; allowing healthy
competition without being focused on ranking, etc.
(e) where a culture of conformity (to authority, existing
practices, etc.,) is not promoted either directly / indirectly; where there is
a culture of allowing thoughtful questioning, including questions from students like - Why should I
study a particular subject or topic and how will it be useful to me?; at the
same time, where non-confirmity is not promoted just for the sake of being
different / cool, etc.,; where respect for authority, existing practices, etc.,
is the norm and non-confirmity has to have a meaningful basis; where there is a
distinction drawn between conformity and respect, giving space for respectful
questioning; enabling the child to think independently without becoming
over-confident.
(f) at the appropriate ages, there is focus on bringing about
awareness about socio, economic, political and other issues, including those
which are more directly relevant to our daily lives and which are least talked
about, like damaging health aspects with most packaged food products,
etc.; focusing less on the drama (like some activists) and more on the
intricacies and solutions;
(g) equal importance to sports, arts, music, etc., including
the less fancy forms like stitching, folk music, etc.
(h) involvement of children on some regular basis in tasks
like cleaning, washing, garnering, cooking, etc., (either in school or as
assignment at home or in any other way), to help them appreciate dignity of
labour.
(i) transparency and fairness regarding fees and financial matters;
where yearly fee hikes are reasonable, where there are no much restrictions on
where textbooks, uniforms, etc., are to be purchased from;
(j) active involvement of parents and their suggestions in
decisions relating to academic matters, co-curriculars, other activities
relating to children;
(k) good balance between being firm (or strict) and being empathetic
to any difficulties that a child may going through; where children are treated
like adults, where there is more emphasis on explaining the consequences of
their actions (in contrast with just telling them what is allowed and not
allowed, etc.); at the same time, where too much leeway is also not given letting a child to not be
engaged in something (academics / co-curriculars / otherwise) till they show
interest / willingness €" most children need some degree of push to make them work
hard and excel.
(l) children are not shy to ponder over, analyse and discuss
certain areas / topics, which are taboo, controversial, etc.; and at the same
time not excited to do so just because it is considered cool / glamorous or the
like;
(m) preferably in and around central Hyderabad (within around
10 kms radius) - like Marredpally, Begumpet, Ameerpet type area.
Yes, a lot of the criteria above are quite subjective and it may be difficult to say whether a school satisfies it or not in an objective manner. But, from experience of interacting with children studying in a specific school, some trends can be noticed over time.
All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2008-2022 Parentree