Ends in a school year begins another few months and some parents began to settle an issue to resolve: choose schools for children.

There are many arguments that can be considered in making the decision to choose a school, from the proximity to the house where the child lives as a matter of convenience, to go or return alone, or because his brothers are better then everyone will the same school, or because they were the parents or parent and was in each of them a loving bond that makes the decision, because the school is full and that benefits working parents when much of the day, or teaching a foreign language, or artistic orientation, or because many fellow pass such primary school and then the child wants to continue social ties, and we can continue stating more reasons.

But so far we do not consider the most important issue. What is the strongest argument that should be taken into account when choosing a school?

The match-school child. The family-school meeting. The match-school child, we can imagine it as an encounter between two people, meeting in which there should be more agreements than disagreements, affinities, common interests, feel that this is the place where you want to study and that there will to be well received.

Matias has six years attends first grade in a school doubleheader, with English language, a very traditional teaching style that tries to “put in the mold” for all children as if they were all equal, then all children should learn reading at the same time, a school with little tolerance for individual times. Parents ask me because the child has trouble learning to read and write.

It should be added that Matthias sleeps in class in the afternoon, bored, do not understand most of the slogans, ultimately, the child is not interested in the sacrifices of that style, prefers to play in the evenings at home and go to school morning only. The recommendation is to change the child from school, but here the problem arose with parents whose ideal school for that child was represented by demanding and elitist institution of their choice.

And the hire of this situation is that of Patrick who attends a school every morning. The child does not want to go because he’s bored, very good student, complete the activities first and the rest of the time wandering around the room, sometimes playing with peers. Lucas’s mother decided to enroll in a new school and when he goes to the director recommends proceeding seeking a school with few students so they can devote more personalized to the problems of children. The mother did not hear that recommendation.

Subtly but clearly was telling the director that the child would not be welcome there. Within two years the child is changed schools about the difficulties some teachers. There are many more situations, so as children, some more fortunate and pleasant, others less so. The school choice should be made in relation to the child’s needs. You have to think that every day of his life and for many years attend school, so the school place should satisfy.

Not only consider the child’s needs, also the peculiarities of the institution and for this we must look at the way the school organized discipline, how to resolve conflicts of coexistence, the mode of teaching, affective and ideological quality staff teaching, conducting policy, relations with the community school and community projects, social values working in daily living, educational guidance, if the school teaches thinking to work in groups to discuss.

Must be a real encounter between the child, family and school, and every encounter is not going to be perfect, you will find obstacles, failures, reasons for the complaint, reasons for joy, to share. Something like a metaphor for life itself. Finally and perhaps consider essential argument is to think the purpose of the school in society, as the place where intelligence, thought, language, research, science learning, in a frame building social ties should be the support and the sense of the existence of the school.

And once school was chosen must be alert and hear how life goes on that child’s chosen school. Sometimes people make mistakes when choosing and you can always make a new choice.