Choosing the school can be really difficult and painful in normal circumstances, but for bilingual families it is even more so, as they often have to compare apples with oranges, plus their own personal experience (i.e. their memories about the school they went to) can be of little or no help at all. We spoke about Day Nursery, Kindergarten and language classes, now let’s address the really tough decisions: the REAL school, starting from the primary school.
What we’ll look at is:
International School
Bilingual School
The local school
How to choose a school
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
The International school, which can be American, English, French, German, ect. follows the programme and methodology of the relative country, and classes are delivered in the corresponding language, which in most cases is a minority language relative to the hosting country.
The majority language, say Italian for people living in Italy, is studied as a second language, although normally there is an understanding that this is the language of the hosting country and therefore there are few hours per week in the language. As a result, it is very common for children to have deficiencies in the majority language, particularly in writing, although this really depends also on the child himself, the support he receives at home, whether parents read to him in the majority language and encourage him to read, and finally from the overall schooling path (will he attend only the International school or will go for the International school first and then move to the local school later, or the other way round?).
The approach to the International School changes dramatically depending on whether the family is of the same nationality of the School or perceives it as foreign. I.e. whether the school is meant to maintain the original language and culture, or to introduce the child to a different language.
If the school belongs to the parents’ nationality most likely they will know exactly what to expect, the questions for them will regard more the price (more on this later) and some consideration regarding the integration of their children in the local society. It is not uncommon for such schools to be attended by a very specific group of people (international, well off, etc etc) and to be quite remote from the “real world”. Whether this is OK or not is for the parents to decide, but the recommendation is to give this some real thinking as it has bigger implication for the child’s development than one would imagine. Let me just mention to you that children who grow up in a country other than their original one have been object of extensive research and have been found to have typical behaviours, they have been labelled Third Culture Kids, we’ll come on this later on, it’s a very very interesting matter.
Different story for majority culture/language families that choose an International School because they want their children to become bilingual, or choose a school from theit own same language but differnt style 9thing British vs. American). The warning there is that School programmes and teaching styles can vary greatly, and this can cause some perplexities among parents. Accept that in some countries some subjects are treated better than others (for instance Italians are traditionally far better at humanistic subjects than scientific ones) and that methodologies can be very different from what you are used to. The language is certainly not the only thing you should consider when you take such a decision. Problem is, it’s not easy at all to gain some clarity about the different programmes and quality of the schools. Some help can come from the OECD reports, see Education at a Glance 2008. Beware though, you’ll find no magic formula but assessments on many different parameters, and making your own choice might prove difficult and time consuming.
BILINGUAL SCHOOL
Bilingual Schools follow the programme of the hosting country, but offer some hours in a second language. It’s important to know how many hours per week there are in the second language, it could be as little as 3-4 ours per week. It’s equally important to understand which classes are taught in the second language, are they only language and literature classes or also different subjects, like history, science and gym just to give an example?
Also this option presents both pro and contra, namely the child will be more immersed in the local culture, but the learning of the second language will be slower. If the second language is the family’s first language, they might not be fully satisfied with the learning of their language, particularly in writing. So again, the family might have to supplement the school’s teachings at home.
LOCAL SCHOOL
Sending the children to a local school might be a difficult decision for expatriates family. The considerations are similar to what we saw above.
The pros are normally the price, which can be become a major concern in families with few children (in most countries these schools are state owned, and in some countries- like Italy- quality is by no means inferior to private schools).
The contras are that the family will have to support the child in learning the family language, particularly for reading and writing, that the parents might not feel at ease with helping the child in a language other than their native one, that the programme and methodology might differ from what they are used to.
Whether full immersion in the local culture is a pro or a contra is for the family to decide…
HOW TO GO ABOUT CHOOSING
We hope one thing is clear at this point, that there is no right or wrong answer, but many considerations that need to be made in order to take a decision. So here is what I suggest you reflect on:
Try to understand the programme of each school and how it differS from what you are used to. It’s important for parents to trust the school and its teaching methodology
Second language learning: how many hours per week are taught in the each language? How does this split evolve year by year? Are teachers native speakers? What’s the percentage Of foreign pupils?
Distance for home. It looks triviaL but it isn’t… Choosing a school far away from home is a commitment you take for few years, make sure the logistics are manageable, for everybody
Cost, auch… It will depend of course, but make sure you know how the costs evolve over the years, it is not uncommon for costs to start off reasonable and then escalate in few years time. Also make sure you are clear on all the costs involved: fees, meals, uniform, extracurricular activities, trips, etc. Just to give a frame of reference to those living in Italy, in Rome an International School costs around 9.000 to 11.000 Euros per year for a first grader
Will it be necessary to supplement reading and writing teaching at home for the family/majority language? Does the school offer assistance? Can the family manage?
How to help children with homework in a language other than your own. In general this shouldn’t be a major issue, but again, it’s for you to know your limits (without underestimating them…)
School environment. As mentioned some schools have a very strong culture, sometimes quite elitist. Make sure you get a view on this and decide whether it would fit your family and your child or not. In some countries bullysm is also quite a serious problem, so make sure you understand whether this is the case for the school you are considering and how the school is addressing the issue.
Religion. Quite a few schools, particularly bilingual ones, have a strong religious culture, this is certainly true in Italy, but possibly in other countries too. In some cases the school might even be associated to a religious movement, think Opus Dei just to make an example. This link is not always obvious, but is important parents are aware of it early on and decide whether it fits their values and objectives, so ask the question, and ask around if you can.
I’m afraid nobody else but you can take this decision. But it’s a tough one, so start thinking about it well in time and don’t rush your decision, if you have the choice, that is.
And if you have already gone thorugh this, please share your experience with others, so that we can learn from each other.
Schooling options for Bilingual Children
Tags Bilingual schools
Choosing the school can be really difficult and painful in normal circumstances, but for bilingual families it is even more so, as they often have to compare apples with oranges, plus their own personal experience (i.e. their memories about the school they went to) can be of little or no help at all. We spoke about Day Nursery, Kindergarten and language classes, now let’s address the really tough decisions: the REAL school, starting from the primary school.
What we’ll look at is:
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
The International school, which can be American, English, French, German, ect. follows the programme and methodology of the relative country, and classes are delivered in the corresponding language, which in most cases is a minority language relative to the hosting country.
The majority language, say Italian for people living in Italy, is studied as a second language, although normally there is an understanding that this is the language of the hosting country and therefore there are few hours per week in the language. As a result, it is very common for children to have deficiencies in the majority language, particularly in writing, although this really depends also on the child himself, the support he receives at home, whether parents read to him in the majority language and encourage him to read, and finally from the overall schooling path (will he attend only the International school or will go for the International school first and then move to the local school later, or the other way round?).
The approach to the International School changes dramatically depending on whether the family is of the same nationality of the School or perceives it as foreign. I.e. whether the school is meant to maintain the original language and culture, or to introduce the child to a different language.
BILINGUAL SCHOOL
Bilingual Schools follow the programme of the hosting country, but offer some hours in a second language. It’s important to know how many hours per week there are in the second language, it could be as little as 3-4 ours per week. It’s equally important to understand which classes are taught in the second language, are they only language and literature classes or also different subjects, like history, science and gym just to give an example?
Also this option presents both pro and contra, namely the child will be more immersed in the local culture, but the learning of the second language will be slower. If the second language is the family’s first language, they might not be fully satisfied with the learning of their language, particularly in writing. So again, the family might have to supplement the school’s teachings at home.
LOCAL SCHOOL
Sending the children to a local school might be a difficult decision for expatriates family. The considerations are similar to what we saw above.
The pros are normally the price, which can be become a major concern in families with few children (in most countries these schools are state owned, and in some countries- like Italy- quality is by no means inferior to private schools).
The contras are that the family will have to support the child in learning the family language, particularly for reading and writing, that the parents might not feel at ease with helping the child in a language other than their native one, that the programme and methodology might differ from what they are used to.
Whether full immersion in the local culture is a pro or a contra is for the family to decide…
HOW TO GO ABOUT CHOOSING
We hope one thing is clear at this point, that there is no right or wrong answer, but many considerations that need to be made in order to take a decision. So here is what I suggest you reflect on:
So, what shall I do?
I’m afraid nobody else but you can take this decision. But it’s a tough one, so start thinking about it well in time and don’t rush your decision, if you have the choice, that is.
And if you have already gone thorugh this, please share your experience with others, so that we can learn from each other.
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