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It was 2013. Twins, a boy and girl, were 7 years old. They were curious about the world and trusting, interested in everything. Everyday games with their peers gave them a lot of joy. Unfortunately, they also taught them to give up their own ideas or, on the contrary, gave birth to trying to impose their will on others. I watched children and their reactions when they asked difficult questions and expected immediate answers. I watched their behavior in the group and the tendency to lead the boy and to look for the girl's friends. The blocks and dolls were not enough. The desire to be with your peers dominated.

And if so, before the holidays I knew what I wanted for my children. They need to get a university degree. The number of private high schools far exceeds the number of public higher education at the academic level. But only the latter guarantee such a level of education that gives a much better chance for further scientific development and / or finding a job consistent with the interests and high demands on the labor market that guarantee high social and material status. Which is not without significance in a society in which a new middle class is shaped that affects the quality of social life and the development of democracy.

This determined the choice of a primary non-public school with the prospect of children continuing to study in a private high school topped with a final exam. Of course, I also had to estimate my own financial and employment stability guaranteeing the payment of relatively high school fees and additional expenses related to school trips and holiday camps for teenagers.

Our criteria for choosing the right school

After making a decision about choosing a private school, I agreed with my husband the criteria for choosing the right educational facility for our children and for us.

We were interested in:

1. Educational and educational program implemented at school:

patriotic and prosocial education with a focus on respect for the dignity of the individual,
the scope of general and profiled education, enabling observation of predispositions in children in terms of aptitudes, interests and skills; developing them and preparing them for secondary school education and then preparing them to choose a profession at the university level,
the content of the school regulations and in it the scope and the degree of the possibility of parental interference in the content of teaching and the process of upbringing,
organization of the teaching process and number of classes,
organizacja procesu nauczania i liczebność klas,
extra-curricular activities - their number and choice.

2. Teaching staff and administrative staff:

level and place of acquired education,
age and experience in pedagogical work,
ways of continuous professional development,
creativity and implementation of copyright programs,

3. Information about the school:

school building - its technical and sanitary condition and infrastructure,
distance from home to school,
tuition fees and other costs associated with the education of children,
feeding children,
babysitting after school.

What do we expect from a non-public school

Our expectations towards a non-public school were higher than in the case of a state school. The fact that the private school mainly maintains from the tuition fees meant that parents can largely interfere with the school's work and depends on them to what extent they will influence the education process of their children. Here they are example:

After a non-public / private school, I expect our children to be guaranteed full physical and mental security. Physical - because it should provide it with school infrastructure, sanitary condition and keeping clean classes, corridors, bathrooms and taking care of students' personal hygiene. Psychic - because it should ensure a good, warm, cordial attitude of the teacher to the student.
Children spend 1/3 of the day away from home. Non-public schools are usually small-sex. Two parallel classes with a maximum of eighteen students each. They form a small local community - a school in which everyone knows each other. Students from different classes at different levels identify with the school not only because of the dress (generally school uniforms are valid) but also know each other "by sight". Teachers teaching in other classes are not anonymous. This promotes the emergence of social bonds that allow mutual control. This is particularly important in the situation of external threats, eg protection against drug traffickers, from the influence of peer criminal groups, and the risk of social pathologies. So it increases the chances of satisfying the need of belonging,
I expect the school to prepare my children for different social roles. Those present - like the role of an exemplary student, but also a devoted friend or colleague. A member of the social group that recognizes and respects not only the formal goals of the group and the student community, but also a small informal group in which mutual sympathies have a chance to develop; shape friendships that embody the value of friendship. Friendship, which not only facilitates finding oneself in a peer group, but also a good prognosis for creating correct, positive relationships with other people in adulthood. After all, democracy is also based on positive interpersonal relations being one of the conditions for its formation and development. And I'm expecting to learn such behavior from school,

A non-public school can individualise the teaching process to a greater extent than other types of schools. When choosing a school, I was guided by the conviction that only a school in which the students are treated subjectively, where there is a balance between the attitude to the intellectual and personality development of the individual and the general results of teaching all students. Therefore, I approach caution with various rankings of high-priced schools for fear that the rush to receive a high grade may be detrimental to the student's individual development. A better test is probably the percentage of children continuing their education in secondary school and then in college. The current education reform, including the elimination of lower secondary schools and the "softening" of the importance of tests as knowledge tests, slightly changes the perspective of looking at the fitness indicator.

The need to learn, acquire knowledge, develop interests, practice skills, discover talents and arouse students' passions was and is one of the most important goals of the school. Non-public and public school curricula are parallel. They must be so as not to prevent the student from converting a private school into a state school. It is obvious. Reliable education, arousing and sustaining motivation to learn, persevere and solve educational and life problems increase the chances of success in college. The more effective preparation of young people to live in all its areas is the expectation that we are directing to private schools, even for the reasons I wrote earlier.

Live beautifully. It's not just commune with art. It is to discover beauty in social life, in the surrounding nature, in other people, and ... in itself. This is the culmination of all educational and educational efforts of the school. It is a test if the graduate was prepared for the next stage of life in a satisfactory way for his parents and teachers.

This is what I expect from the school where I sent my children. So far, I am very happy with the implementation of the curriculum and the educational process. I communicate with class tutor and subject teachers on an ongoing basis. We, too, parents of "our class" pupils are in constant contact and exchange remarks, remarks, change projects and others. Such cooperation is very welcome and accepted by the school management. Currently, together we are considering how to improve board at school and to take care of the hygiene of some students.

I followed so many reasons when choosing a school. I was looking for answers to so many questions. What would be the ease of extensive information about the activities of schools issued periodically. Information on the Internet is too vague and often boils down to name and contact details. Leaflets and folders are not enough. Publishing a magazine in which non-public schools would inform about the educational program, educational program, school organization, teachers, achievements and successes. In which photographs illustrate the school life of children, their fun, participation in extracurricular activities, diplomas acquired in competitions, etc., in a word, the image of the school.

The characteristics of schools gathered in one place would make it easier to make a choice and make decisions in the case for the most important parents - the future of the child.

-- Dr Aleksandra Teresa Woźnicka, Warszawa, 17 stycznia 2019 r.

Skrócona i nieco zmodyfikowana wersja tego artykułu została opublikowana w pierwszej edycji "Przewodnika po szkołach niepublicznych w Polsce" wydanego przez Our Kids.

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Our criteria for choosing the right school

1. Educational and educational program implemented at school:

2. Teaching staff and administrative staff:

3. Information about the school:

What do we expect from a non-public school