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Questions To Ask Principals And Teachers

The principal sets the tone for the school. Set up an interview with the principal to get a feel for the school's philosophy. These are some questions you might want to ask:

• Do you follow a standard curriculum?
  
• Are subjects integrated, or is the day broken up into separate subjects?
  
• How are teachers chosen?
  
• When do children start getting homework? How much?
  
• How are children tested, graded, or assessed? How does the school compare to other schools in the state in terms of student test scores?
  
• How and when are reading and writing taught?
  
• How much time is spent on art? music? physical education?
  
• What method of discipline is used?
  
• How much interaction is there between the school and the community?
  
• How are parents involved in the school?

Arrange a time to talk to your child's prospective teachers. A confident, knowledgeable teacher should welcome questions from parents. Remember, you are actually interviewing teachers for a job--that of teaching your child. Here are some ideas of questions to start with:

• What do you like about teaching at this school?
  
• What don't you like?
  
• How do you believe children learn best?
  
• How do you handle discipline problems?
  
• What reading, math, language, science, etc., program do you use?
  
• How do you deal with children who fall behind? Children who are ahead of their classmates?
  
• Do you keep in touch with any former students?
  
• What are your outside interests? A challenging, stimulating teacher will probably have a variety of interests.