School banquet

For most Filipino parents, education is considered to be one of the most important gifts that they can give to their children. Stories abound on how so many fathers and mothers have made a lot of sacrifices just so they can send their children to the best schools. But how do we really choose the best school? Is there really even such a thing as the “best” school for all children?

Apart from the big traditional schools, there were very few choices in the past. But today, it’s a “school banquet” — there are a whole lot more options available out there. I do believe that education, like culture, should rightfully be like a banquet. The more dishes there are, the merrier we all shall be. One kind of school or educational approach is not necessarily better than another, just like steak is not necessarily more delicious than dinuguan. It’s all a matter of taste.

David Harris of the Cambridge Montessori School in Cambridge, Massachusetts says, “No one school is right for every child. When searching for a school for your child, the question is not whether a particular school is good or bad, but whether it’s the right school for your child.” I would add to Harris’ advice the need to consider whether the school also meets the needs and expectations of the parents. No matter how good a school really is, the child’s education would likely not prosper unless it is consistently supported and reinforced in the home. Of course, there are also practical things to consider, like the affordability of the tuition fees, limitations in terms of schedule, location, and so on.

I’m sure that you’ve already seen or read a million checklists and dos and don’ts on how to select the right school for your kids. I won’t pretend to be an authority either. Instead, I’ll simply share with you the questions that I and my wife asked and why we selected the Manila Waldorf School for our kids. At least I can claim that it worked for one family. Hopefully, it can also help you find a school that is as wonderful as your children!

1) What are the teachers like?

It is significant to note that in a number of recent studies in the US, the teacher-student relationship was identified as the most critical factor in determining a child’s successful learning. It was even rated higher than the curriculum.

First of all, I do think that most, if not all, teachers are passionate about their profession. It would be unfair and baseless to make comparative generalizations about the sincerity of teachers from different schools. Perhaps one more objective way of judging this is to look at how the school structures the relationship of the teacher and the student. One thing that attracted me to Waldorf was how, in its grade school, for instance, teachers ideally stay with their students from grade 1 all the way to grade 8. As a result, they get to know each child very deeply and are able to consider the strengths and challenges of each child in the presentation of the curriculum.

2) What is the school’s educational philosophy and learning environment?

While the curriculum for basic education (kindergarten to high school) in the Philippines is prescriptive, which means that it has to conform to a basic standard set by the government, the approach of schools to learning may vary greatly.

For example, traditional schools typically employ teacher-centered methods. Academics is emphasized and introduced as early as possible. The student’s learning is evaluated primarily through testing, which is also normally done in a competitive environment. Traditional schools are usually also “big” schools. For example, the traditional school that I went to in high school had up to 750 students per year level. On the other hand, there are now a significant number of non-traditional or alternative schools who adopt so-called “progressive” education practices. These are normally small schools that stress a more holistic approach that focuses on individual students’ needs and self-expression. Teaching methods are more student-centered and task-based.

Waldorf education, for instance, emphasizes the role of the imagination in learning, developing thinking that includes a creative as well as an analytic component. Its teaching methods are highly experiential, relying heavily on discovery learning. Students essentially make their own textbooks. Appreciation and reverence for the natural world and the cultural heritage of humanity form the core of the curriculum. The content is coordinated with the three phases of growth and development through which children pass as they mature: from the imitative nature of the young kindergartner, to the imaginative grade schooler, and to the thoughtful adolescent in high school. The academic atmosphere is non-competitive and class sizes are kept small.

3) What are the students like?

When you visit the schools, I recommend that you take some time to quietly observe the students. How do they behave? Do they look happy? Bored? Tense? Some schools allow parents to observe inside the classroom and I suggest that you take advantage of this. In addition, I suggest that you also ask about the school’s graduates. To what other schools have the graduates gone? How are they doing?

When we visited the Manila Waldorf School, it looked like learning was fun rather than a chore. Students also did not seem to be stressed out. At the time our kids entered Waldorf in 2003, the pioneer high school class had not yet graduated. So, we checked instead how students in other countries have fared. We found that Waldorf students all over the world have been accepted in and graduated from a broad spectrum of colleges and universities. Waldorf graduates also reflect a wide diversity of professions and occupations, including medicine, law, science, engineering, computer technology, the arts, social science, government, and teaching at all levels.

4) How is the school run?

Do you prefer schools of the fast-food and drive-thru variety? You pay your tuition in window number 1 and then pick up your kid at the end of the school year in window number 2? These types of schools can be very good especially if they’ve been at it for sometime already: They’re predictable and proven. On the downside, you have less say in how your child is educated and the school may have a “take it or leave it” attitude. On the other hand, perhaps you prefer the “seafood market” type of school. You get to have a say on the ingredients and on how the food gets cooked. It’s not as quick and you also have to do some work, but you get your food just the way you like it.

We prefer the latter type, which is another reason why we chose Waldorf. The school is managed by the community itself. All teachers and parents become legal members of the non-stock/non-profit corporation. The school’s board of trustees is primarily composed of current parents and teachers. Most importantly, the faculty essentially runs the entire show. In fact, Waldorf schools are commonly referred to as “faculty-run” schools.

It’s good that there are now so many other educational approaches. Like I said in the beginning, we can only become richer with diversity. But while we may now have a banquet of schools to choose from, as parents we need to always remember that we bring the most important ingredient into the party — our children. Above all, find a school that will treasure your children. Find a school that will, as Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, once said, “Receive the child with reverence, educate them with love, and let them go forth in freedom.”

* * *

E-mail your reactions to kindergartendad@yahoo.com.