Curious Parents Education Resources

Avoid Top Ten Envy
Publisher's Note

The best cars, the best doctors, the best neighborhoods, the best cell phones, the best schools … Top ten lists and “Best of” lists have become powerful revenue sources for media companies and sell lots of magazines, but do they really mean anything important or help us at all?  What makes these lists so popular?  Why do we all attach these lists with such credibility?  Should we be making decisions and choices based upon these lists?  Using a list to choose a cell phone is one thing, but should we be using them to pick something as important as the school that our children attend?

It gives us great comfort and bragging rights to be able to say “my child’s school was ranked as one of the top ten schools in the area.”  We seize on the ranking to help justify our decisions or avoid the anxiety and effort of making a decision by just deferring to the editors and picking what they recommend.  We take great comfort in knowing that our choice is also the most popular choice in the community.

Are popularity or editorial criteria the best reasons to pick a school for our kids?  Does the list mean that in a region with hundreds of great schools, none of the other schools that didn’t make the list are no good?  Did all of those parents at the other schools make bad choices and are all of those other kids doomed to unsuccessful futures because their school wasn’t on “the list”?

Just remember one thing when choosing a school for your children – IGNORE THE LISTS.  Pick a school for your child based upon your knowledge of your child, their strengths and weaknesses and their individual abilities and desires.  Do your research, visit some schools and pick the one that’s the best match for your child.  Remember that your child will make the school; the school won’t make your child.  Your child’s love for education will develop based upon the example you set, encounters with inspirational teachers, and friends who support and encourage their interests.  This chemistry is a delicate balance that won’t be found from a list, but from a considered choice by you and your child.

Don’t get caught up in Top Ten Envy thinking that your child will only succeed if they’re enrolled in someone else’s idea of what the best school is.  Don’t let anxiety over your child’s future success drive your decisions.  Understand your child, be confident in your instincts as a parent and find a school that will maximize their potential for learning.   The rest will take care of itself.

John Piccone, publisher of Curious Parents