Helping a child properly mature throughout their primary and secondary schooling careers is essential for their overall success. This includes not only their academic capability but their social development as well. While education takes priority, for someone to be truly happy, they need to be able to interact and make friends with classmates, not just flourish in their studies.
As a parent, the challenge here is the fact that you can’t force your child to socialize. While you can monitor their study habits, ensure that they do their homework every night, and maintain a level of academic expectations, you can’t go into the classroom and guide social development. One of the best steps you can take is enrolling your child into a Clearwater private school. Below, we highlight two social benefits that come with smaller classroom sizes like those found here at Lakeside Christian School.
This is arguably the biggest social benefit of smaller private schools. Students have more opportunities to socialize with the same individuals day after day, resulting in a close-knit community. Teachers have the ability to give more individualized attention, which allows them to better identify if a student is struggling. A Review of Educational Research analysis of 46 studies found that strong teacher-student relationships were associated in both the short- and long-term with improvements on practically every essential measure: higher student academic engagement, attendance, grades, fewer disruptive behaviors, and lower school dropout rates. Those effects remained even after setting controls for differences in demographic backgrounds. This goes to show that it’s truly important to foster every aspect of your child’s development for their overall success.
Related: How Does a Small School Setting Help My Child Succeed?
One of the more difficult challenges as a parent is figuring out how to get a child to come out of their shell. Not only can shyness inhibit their social life, but it can affect their academics as well, with research showing that shy students receive lower grade-point averages in college. A shy child may choose not to speak up when they have questions or avoid classroom engagement. Small school sizes allow shy children to be more comfortable with engaging in the classroom, where they are familiar with everyone in it.
Related: How Private Schools Improve College Readiness
A private school with smaller classroom sizes benefit student’s social development which will ultimately lead to improved academic performance. Not only do the small classroom sizes allow a more one-on-one style of education, but also a more engaging social atmosphere where no one feels left out. Here at Lakeside Christian Schools, we pride ourselves in helping young minds reach their full potential by utilizing an authentic individualized experience. The needs of our students are at the core of our teaching philosophy, and it may prove difficult to find a more suitable Clearwater private school for your child.
If you would like to learn more about private schools in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.