After many trials and tribulations, the boys finally, FINALLY started school on Sunday. They will be attending an American school that is quite new, only open for this year and last, but attached to another, long-standing school with a great reputation, so we have big hopes for the school. Right now, to be honest, it's a little rough around the edges. They have a new building for the middle school but it hasn't been approved by Civil Defense yet, so all the students, preschool through 8th grade, are in one building and they are taking up all available space. The principal apparently left abruptly for a mysterious medical reason, and they have a new director that begins in August, but I am still optimistic. They are beginning the candidate process to become an IB school, and you know I love a good IB school (all hail Fernway Elementary!). So we shall see. If things don't pan out, we can always switch the boys, though I will have to be really unhappy for that to happen.
Because the school application process is a BEAST here! First we submitted sheafs of paperwork for each child including voluminous records, teacher recommendations, medical forms and the like, then we communicated via email for months with the administrations of various schools, then we had campus visits and then campus assessments for the children, preschooler E included, then we waited...and waited...and submitted more documents...and waited some more. In fact, our other school hasn't even had the assessment yet, but we just decided to forego any more waiting and stick with this admission to spare the boys any more time out of school.
Schools here, even a quote unquote American school, are run quite differently from schools in the States, in some good ways and in some not so good ways. On the good side: the classes in this particular school are small. J has 16 kids in his class, one lead teacher and one teacher's aide who is also a fully certified teacher. E has fewer, with the same amount of teachers. In addition, there are all sorts of aides/housekeepers, one for each classroom, who take the kids to the bathroom, pick them up from their parents in the morning if necessary, and take them to the cars in the afternoons. And there are several full time security guards who wouldn't let me into the school to pick E up early without holding my ID and logging my attempt. So that's more secure than we're used to, for sure! J's class has dedicated art, music, computer, and PE teachers, and he visits them more than once a week, which is great. On the less good side: kids E's age are expected to stay in school for five hours a day, five days a week. He is NOT ready for that, so right now I am picking him up at three hours, and we will see when or if we move him up to the full day. J's reading curriculum is NOT phonics-based, as it was in Ohio, so he feels behind in his reading and is starting at the lowest level in their new system. They are ahead in math as well, and they don't have regularly scheduled recess. And, most distressingly for J, students cannot bring lunches or snacks from home, and the Kindergarteners are given a packed lunch with no choices given. So far, those lunches have not contained the foods J likes, so he is a bit put out about that!
But in general, the school feels like a familiar place, so the boys are settling in. And they get to wear uniforms!
They either look like little business men in their everyday uniforms or little sportsmen in their PE uniforms. J was reluctant to wear them at first, but then he realized he was wearing the colors of the Qatari flag and he got right on board! E doesn't really care what he wears, ever, as long as he gets to wear a superman shirt once in a while, so he was fine. They both like the PE outfits best, and E can actually wear those every day if we want, and J has to wear them the three days a week he has PE scheduled, so they are both pretty happy with their new wardrobes. And I like not ever having to think about clothes as long as I keep up with the laundry. These outfits cost us a pretty penny (there is one supplier and they can charge whatever they want. This being Qatar, they do!), and we may still have to supplement with a few more shirts or even the bermuda shorts when it gets hotter, but we are good for now!
No comments:
Post a Comment