International Schools – a good solution for your child?
A good education is more than just a good education. To expand on that rather unusual statement, when someone says, 'They had the benefit of a good education', they are as likely to be referring to the experiences that came with their academic development as to the standard of the learning itself. Our formative years are our school years. They are the years when lifelong friendships are seeded, where perceptions, attitudes and opinions are founded and evolve, where the lens that we view the world through is calibrated and where we learn how to socialize, empathize and communicate with our contemporaries, both individually and collectively. While all this is going on, students have to somehow be academically engaged enough to produce good grades. It takes a special sort of school to bring all these elements together, and for a variety of reasons International schools are better placed than many to achieve this.
A Global Perspective
An International School offers students a truly international outlook, as their classmates will be a mix of local and overseas residents – likely from all corners of the planet. In addition to this, international schools teach international curriculums, often based on English or American syllabuses. International schools also tend to feature overseas teachers who bring their own experiences and styles to the classroom, and students tend to be taught in two languages – typically the native country of the school as well as English.
Good Teachers = Good Grades
International Schools have good educational outcomes for students, in great part because they attract good teachers who in turn receive good salaries. Quality teachers are attracted to International schools because they know they will be working in a well-funded and equipped environment with small class sizes allowing them the time to focus on students individually. Teachers also appreciate that International schools tend to be open to innovative and immersive teaching methods.
Moral and Personal Development
A students' emotional and spiritual growth is an important complement to their academic progress. International schools place value in shaping an individual's character and instil values such as compassion, discipline, diligence and curiosity into their students, helping to turn them into fully rounded global citizens ready to shape the future.
The schools below are exemplars of the qualities discussed above.
