School Choice Is So Much About the Vibe: Why Attend JISE Oct 24-25

Cindy Marie Jenkins | Oct 15, 2020 8:30 am | Add a comment | 177 reads

School Choice in many parts of the world has more to do with your location and which schools you are allowed to attend, or otherwise which schools you can afford, both financially and in the time it takes to chauffeur your kids back and forth. It’s a little different in Beijing, especially if you choose your school and living space at the same time. Beijingkids managing editor Mina Yan outlined the key points for parents to consider when choosing a school in Beijing, but to me, it ultimately came down to the vibe.

As my family got settled into the city last year, we met so many new families with kids of varying ages, and I started to see patterns: older kids tended towards one school, most people liked one or two schools but ultimately the choice was made based on location, and others weren’t so sure about their decision so just made the best possible guess and hoped for the best. Nearly everyone felt sure that their school choice was the best one, and in most cases, they did make the choice that made the most sense for their family. As people unpacked why they chose their schools, I could see others questioning their decision, and that’s when I realized just how much of our own school choice came down to a vibe.

Now, we’re lucky in that our kids are young, so to us, the most important part of their education is that they continue to love to learn. My husband had visited a few schools while business tripping before we moved, so he held every school up to the standard of the one he liked the best. When we saw one together that he hadn’t visited and liked very much, still one intangible thing stuck out to him on our top choice: “I don’t know what it is, but when you get there, you’ll either get the vibe or you won’t. If you don’t, let’s talk about it. If you do, secure their spots that day.”

Happily, I got the vibe and we’ve never looked back. But what is that? By definition, a vibe is intangible and cannot be explained. The vibe is what I felt the minute I walked onto the campus of the school we chose and have felt ever since. We felt comfortable, we felt the school was both playful and serious about academics and the love of learning. For others, it’s academics first and extracurriculars second. Some families want an international experience and others are happy being one of a handful of Westerners in the classroom. Some want language immersion and some want Chinese to simply be another subject taught. Within those options are nuances and feelings that can’t be quantified, but you just know it upon seeing the campus or meeting the educators.

Imagine the possibilities if we had been able to attend Jingkids International School Expo (JISE) and meet all of our prospective schools in person, as well as see the ones who didn’t get onto our radar for some reason. My family is one of the lucky ones who were relocated by a company, which obviously has a lot of perks, but there were scores of schools we didn’t see because of time limitations. I would have loved to explore more ECE options, and although we’re very happy where both our kids are now, it’s possible that meeting more ECE school representatives face-to-face would have made a difference. If we’d been able to attend JISE, we may have gotten that right vibe to choose another school for our youngest.

If you are here and haven’t chosen a school yet, or if you just want to see more of what’s out there, join us! With over 80 international schools in attendance, educational forums given by both parents and experts, activities for bourgeoning student entrepreneurs, and much much more, the Jingkids International School Expo (JISE) 2020 is something you can’t miss this coming Oct 24-25 at Beijing Renaissance Capital Hotel.

Attendance is free for all prospective parents, family members, and students. It’s the perfect opportunity to really get to know schools on a one-on-one basis before making decisions on not only your child’s education but their future. Click here to register in advance to attend this year’s JISE.