Three factors you must consider before signing your kids up for a program

Here in Colorado, we have many choices for kids' activities,

From dance to soccer, music to baseball, ice-skating to hockey.

As a parent of grown kids and now an owner of a martial arts school in Loveland, I have experiences that come from being on both sides. Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that the following questions MUST be asked when checking out a program. 

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Culture

Of all the different factors, this is THE most important. It has a big impact on your children’s understanding of themselves and the world, how they think of community and individual responsibility, success and failure, and what principles they value.

Asking a direct question, “What is the culture of your school?” may not give you meaningful answers. Ask to observe a class in addition to asking these specific questions: 

Questions to ask

1. Do you encourage the parents to stay during classes or do you prefer if they leave? 
2. The students who like it here, tell me about them.
3. How do you keep students engaged? 
4. When students get bored or get distracted, how would you get them back on track?
5. Do your students typically stay in the program for years or months?
6. Do you have programs for students who want to do more? What are the criteria? How do you help parents of the more competitive students stay supportive instead of pushing their kids to value winning over other skills?

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Factors to notice in class:

1. Is there good rapport between instructors and students?
2. How many of the parents stay during class?
3. How do the instructors handle the different learning pace of a class?
4. On a spectrum of classroom management, from complete chaos to military-level severity: where do classes fall?
5. How often are instructions given that are competitive: “Who is the fastest?” verses collaborative: “Work together in groups of 3 to master learn this skill together.”
6. When students err, how are their mistakes treated? Watch for signs of shame being used in its subtler forms–”You are nine, too old to cry” or “What kind of Black Belt are you?” or “Why haven’t you learned it yet?”

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Student-to-Teacher Ratio

Every parent who has ever checked out schools for their kids start with this metric. It makes total sense why this would be such an important issue. 

When a teacher is able to offer attention to a small group of students, instead of having it divided among too many, they are able to

• present material and offer feedback tailored to each student;
• recognize signs that need to be shared with parents, signs that are kept hidden from their school teachers
• establish a trusting relationship

When students are in smaller groups, they

• interact more with the teacher and their peers, giving theme more opportunities to learn how to be in a group
• have more opportunities to ask questions, offer ideas, and take g a more active part in their own learning.

The instructors

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Even the most ideal student-to-teacher ration wouldn’t mean much if the teacher doesn’t have the relevant experience and training or worse, uninvited in teaching. 

Ask these questions: : 

• How many instructors are there?
• Are they assigned to different classes or do they teach different classes depending on their schedules?
• What are their qualifications in the subject they teach?
• What is their “why”? This offers a glimpse into how invested these instructors are
• How long do these instructors stay?

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Before you commit the time and cost to a program, make sure that you are convinced that it is the best place for your children.

While it may tempting to choose a program base on convenience or cost, remember, they will be spending time regularly the environment and whether passively or actively, they will pick up the its culture.

Make sure that what they learn, not just about dance or baseball, but about life in general, aligns with what your family believes. .

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