Why Should Children be Encouraged to Join Famous Schools?

The new admission season usually tends to leave parents and children stressed, worried and anxious. The parents want the best schools for their children and the kids want to live up to their parents’ expectations. The key question is - should parents and caregivers be encouraging kids to join the top schools or shall we just let them be?

To be able to address that question, let’s look at some of the primary reasons that parents usually want their children to join top schools

• Academic success - The majority of parents wish their children are positioned for success in their education by attending reputable schools that are set apart by their academic or cultural standards.
• Peace of mind – Most people have had their share of insecurities, struggle and monetary worries and they don’t want to pass it on to their children. Top institutes pave way for Ivy-league or A-grade colleges and job opportunities. So, this is their way of ensuring that the child has enough economic security in the future.
• Pride – For most of the parents, it is a matter of great pride to know that their children have made it to the most reputed schools. Some also believe that it is a sign of “good parenting” if the child gets accepted by a top school.

Coming back to the question of whether there is a case to be made to have kids join these top schools. Is it worth the trouble? It is natural to wonder how do these reputed or famous schools actually deliver on the promise of academic success and overall personality development of the children. Let’s dive in to see what sets them apart:

• Smaller groups of students – Famous schools are more likely to have smaller number of students per class and a fitting teacher-to-student ratio. This allows the kids to have access to personalized mentoring and get a better grasp of the subject being taught.
• Tailored learning programs – The reputed schools usually offer a more tailored learning programme and this allows the children to hone their strengths and work on their development areas with the help of targeted interventions by the teachers.
• First-rate facilities – As famous schools usually have access to more funding, they are able to provide excellent facilities such as well stocked libraries, gym, art, music, dance, theatre teachers and venues at all grade levels. 
• Wide range of in-school activities – Such schools also offer a variety of pre- or post-school activities for students, such as martial arts, morning Yoga workouts, guest lecturers or art exhibitions. Being exposed to different cultural activities, witnessing friends participate in different things helps kids develop their overall personalities and allows them to build healthy competitive spirit.
• Availability of counsellors– While some schools might not even have an external counsellor, famous schools usually employ full-time counsellor/counsellors to enable children deal with their problems in a safe and secure way. Instead of trying to find answers to let’s say their interpersonal issues or physiological problems from the internet or by talking to a small circle of friends, if the kids talk to a professional, he/she can guide them on the right path and prevent them from walking down arbitrary/ill-advised routes.
• Robust alumni networks – Famous schools usually have strong school alumni, and as a graduate, your child can have access to thousands of successful professionals across the globe.
• Tighter student-teacher-parent relationships – Reputed schools thrive on open lines of communication between students, parents and teachers. The parents’ opinions and viewpoints are well-respected and integrated in the school’s operations with the objective of continuous improvement and catering to students’ needs.

Now that we have established quite a few reasons why it is indeed a wise idea to encourage kids to strive for being accepted to top schools, let us consider some common pitfalls parents can steer clear of while preparing their children to strive for the best schools:

• Don’t pass on your anxiety to kids – It is important for parents to keep their feelings in check. If the parents are always stressed out, the kid will crumble under the weight of parents’ expectations and fail to perform no matter how bright he/she usually is at school.
• Don’t put all eggs in one basket – While it’s key to have your child focus his/her energies on getting into a particular school, it is even more crucial to set realistic targets, i.e. have 2-3 schools as back-up to avoid disappointment.
• Don’t use negative reinforcement – Telling your child, “if you don’t study 10 hours a day, there is no way you will crack your exam” or “there is no way the school will even consider a child like you”, will only make them doubt themselves and not achieve their potential 
• Don’t forget to work in tandem with your child – It is imperative to have your child onboard with the objective of getting into a famous school. Take a tour of the targeted school/schools with your child so he/she aspires to be there, work together to come up with a schedule to focus on the development areas, celebrate small victories, and praise the effort that your child is putting in.

To conclude, there is a definite upside to encourage children to strive for top/famous schools. Parents should try to instil a ‘can do’ and ‘just give it a go’ attitude, while taking into account the strengths of each child. The child may or may not succeed in getting a spot at the school of their choice - If they do, celebrate appropriately and if they fail, allow them to embrace it as a learning opportunity and build resilience.