By Jake Anthony
Your child’s twelve years of formal education will very much determine the type of career path they choose, and finding the right school can be a challenge at the best of times. After a few successful years at a kindergarten, the search for a good school must begin all over again, and when your child reaches year 6, they then have to enrol in a senior, or high school. That’s at least two school changes and for those who travel because of their career, a child might have to change schools quite a few times.
Kindergarten Through Year 12 Schools
Called K-12, this form of school caters for children of all ages, and allowing a child to progress through a single school that has set the bar high will stand them in good stead when they start looking for a career. It can be very traumatic for a child to leave behind their friends and the familiarity of a school they have grown to love, and when you choose a K-12 school, your child will reap the rewards. There is, for example, an international school in Bangkok that accepts students from the first year of kindergarten through to year twelve, which allows the child to develop long-standing relations with others in the school, which does not hinder their learning.
Choosing the Right K-12 School
Just because a school is geared up to take kids of all ages, that doesn’t mean their education system is effective, indeed, a parent should carefully scrutinise every potential school before making a decision. The best way to discover a school’s values is to login to their website, then read their values, mission and vision statements, which clearly outline and define the way the school delivers its curriculum.
Avoid Heartbreak
When a child leaves their school, they are saying goodbye to many friends and they would have developed positive relationships with all of their teachers, which can take a few years to develop. The thought of having to enter a completely new environment and make new friends can seem like a daunting proposition to a 12-year old, and while they will make the transition, it is often at the expense of their education. If you find the best K-12 school in your area, you are ensuring that your child can finish their formal academic education uninterrupted, and this is something they will thank you for, especially when they see most of their friends having to go through the ordeal of starting at a new school.
Instilling the Right Values
Once you are sure that the K-12 school has sound moral values, supports equality and understands how children best learn, your child will benefit from day one, and there is nothing more confusing to a child than moving to another school where they don’t have the same level of respect or they do not focus on poor achievers.
If your child learns at the same institution from kindergarten to year 12, they will develop into fine, young upstanding citizens, which is one of the primary goals in formal education.
