Dhaka, Bangladesh Report of what it's like to live there - 08/18/15
Personal Experiences from Dhaka, Bangladesh
School Name:
American International School Dhaka
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Parent.
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
My children have covered at least a portion, if not a full year, of grades K-7 here.
3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?
2014-2015.
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Government.
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
It's within the diplomatic enclave, so we can get there even during "hartals" when we're confined to the enclave. And it came highly recommended.
Admissions & Welcome:
1. Are the admissions and placement procedures clearly stated to prospective families, either on the school website or through other means of communication?
C - I haven't heard of specific problems, but I can tell that some people in the school aren't sure what the procedures are before arriving. The school is working on making the application process easy to do online, but there is a part where the principal has to admit the child and then they have an interview with the counselor. I'm sure they are looking to make sure they can meet the needs of the children coming in, but it does not seem to be that transparent.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
B - This is getting better. Our first year here, we didn't even get a tour of the school when we enrolled mid-year, and information was difficult to obtain. I always felt like I didn't know where to start with the questions. Part of the problem is that the school pretty much clears out in the summer, leaving no one behind who feels empowered to keep things rolling and to answer incoming families' questions. I felt like the beginning of this school year (2015/2016) was significantly better than last year's beginning.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
I'll speak about our Kindergarten experience, but in general this is the "climate" for all the grades we've participated in. The school is a warm, welcoming place. The teachers and administrators are genuinely pleased to see the kids arrive each day. In kindergarten, they were encouraged to think deeply about the discussions they were having and the activities they were involved in. The teacher we had made reaching all of the kids, regardless of their ability, look seamless. I volunteered a bit in the class and was amazed at how broad the range of abilities was, yet the teacher had no problem making topics appropriate to all. I also really liked that they had a "Peace Rug." Kids would come in from recess and tell the teacher that they had had a problem with another kid and the kids would go sit on the "Peace Rug" together to work it out. The kids were encouraged to treat each other kindly, fairly and respectfully.
2. For the following attributes, down to the next blank box, grade your experience at the school on a scale of A (excellent) to F (unacceptable/terrible) and provide comments:<br><br>Overall fair and equitable treatment of all students and families:
A - I have not seen anything that makes me think the school treats anyone unfairly.
3. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
C - Depends on the teacher. We've had great and mediocre. I think the middle school assumes that the kids tell their parents everything. Mine will if I ask, but even then, it seems like partial information. I think there are places to see things on the website, but I don't where or how. Once when I asked a teacher, she didn't know, as she was relatively new.
A - Some of the teachers in elementary have been GREAT about communication, so I do want to show this "A" rank, too. It just depends...
4. Services for gifted students who need academic challenge and students with learning difficulties:
B - There are no real services for gifted students that I've seen, but parents are encouraged to work with the teachers to have them provide more challenging work for their child. They offer more for students with learning difficulties, it seems, but again, this is a small school without tons of options, so parents are encouraged to work with the school and their child's teacher.
5. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?
Lunches can be purchased, or you can bring lunch from home. PE uniforms are for sale for middle & (I believe) high school. Laptops are purchased by parents for middle & high school. You don't need to buy any supplies for elementary grades, as everything is provided.
6. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
B - There is a pretty good variety for the elementary-aged kids - from cooking to crafts to sports to chess and legos. Not a lot is offered for middle schoolers, other than sports and jazz band and the uni-cycling mentioned above.
7. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
B - I feel like there are high standards for behavior for all of the students. I don't always feel like the kids are challenged as much as they could be, but I do know that I need to reach out to the teachers regarding this.
8. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
A - I think my kids get just enough homework here and it's decent. At their last school, my oldest spent almost every moment between arriving home and eating dinner on his homework - and then usually still wasn't finished.
9. Administration-parent communication:
I'm not sure how to grade this. If the parent reaches out to the administration, I'd give it an "A" as they will be receptive and responsive. I don't know if they reach out to parents, though. Or if they do in a timely manner if a kid is having a hard time.
10. Teacher-student communication:
A -
11. Academics, answer the following questions "yes" or "no" with an explanation if appropriate:<br><br>Are there any classes or subjects where students are not appropriately challenged?
Yes? The key here is "appropriately." My kids aren't particularly challenged here - but they weren't in our schools in the States, either. I've known since they were young that it would be up to me to find ways to challenge them. I did find that my kindergartener's teacher found ways to challenge her. I feel like my middle schooler could choose projects and classes that would be more challenging, but he's been going the path of the "easy A." Many parents wish they did more math facts memorization.
12. Does your child receive any special-needs assistance or instruction at this school? If yes, what types? Who provides services and where:
None.
13. Do you believe the special-needs assistance is appropriate and fills your needs? Explain:
N/A
14. Does the gifted and talented program meet the needs of students? Please explain:
No. Not much offered.
15. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?
Yes. We have great band, drama, music and art teachers who love what they do.
16. Please describe any classes or programs that you believe are missing:
I think there could be more after school options for middle school, like a chess club, service clubs... things like that.
17. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?
There is a BYOD program at the school for middle school and high school. It used to be Macs only that we had to buy, but they opened that up to pretty much any laptop this year. Sports trips will cost extra, but the "Discovery Trips" that the middle school and high school students take are included in the tuition. Fabulous!
18. What activities do you feel are missing?
Chess club, service clubs - basically more for the kids who aren't particularly interested in sports.
19. Have your children participated in the activities offered? If no, please indicate why:
Yes.
20. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?
Yes. And again, this is getting better. We had a kind family who gave us a tour and showed us where our children's classrooms would be, as the school didn't. But they seemed to do a much better job this year.
21. Please describe any problem areas or challenges in social interaction at the school:
This is the 21st century and I'm old. I don't like how much communication goes on on-line as it is difficult to monitor and easier for kids to be mean to each other via the computer than to their face. I've only heard of a few issues, but I heard about them through other parents and the parents get involved and put an end to any unkindness they see going on.
Academics & Resources:
1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?
A - I can't answer for the high school issues, but I know someone whose son was having such a hard time that she left her job a year early to leave the school. But she told me that after she had made that decision, the school continued to work with her and her son's issues so well that she felt they had resolved them and wasn't sure she would have chosen to leave early. My family is currently working with the school with an issue, and the middle school in particular has been so flexible and willing to see what they can do to help. That hasn't always been the case with the elementary principal, but I think the counselors will be able to help convince her to work with us, as they seem to be more flexible.
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
A - We have great libraries, including an e-library.
3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
C - I'm ranking this a C because I think there is TOO much emphasis on IT. They do have lots of resources, but, for example, they don't teach cursive in elementary grades because keyboarding is "more relevant." Since I take notes in cursive every day, I think they can and should be teaching both.
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
B - PhyEd seems fine. They offer a decent range of after-school sports.
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
A - I'm sure the website shows stats, but the class sizes are small. Maybe in the range of 1-20. And elementary classes have a teacher and an aid.
6. Are Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses available in upper grades? If this is an IB school, is the full diploma required of all students?
N/A - They have IB in the high school. I'm not sure about AP, since I have no high schoolers yet.
7. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
Yes. See above a few questions. I've heard people complain about a lack of math work, but my 3rd grader brought home packets, and both elementary kids were assigned math online on the IXL website.
8. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
B - (but probably an "A" if you take into account the size of the school) The elementary kids get art and music at school. Drama is available as an after school option as are other craft-type classes. Band starts in middle school, and there are theater, choir and art options for middle school kids for electives. One thing I'd like to see changed is that my middle school student seems to be able to sign up for classes with out me seeing what his options are.
9. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
Yes. Even all of the aids are fluent.
10. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
No. I've had teachers tailor some work for my kids, but in general there isn't a lot offered that I'm aware of.
11. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
Yes. Mentioned above. Sports, band, choir, drama, mathematician's workshop and writer's workshop.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
Some. My kids have friends who are Bangladeshi and they will attend birthday parties and have occasional play dates.
2. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
None at all, that I have seen. There is such a great mix of kids from all over the world, that there isn't a big group who could exclude expats. I think some of the locals have a harder time, as they find the friends they make are constantly leaving, and I believe there are a few more issues within the groups of local kids than between locals and expats.
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
The teachers. They are happy and it shows in their work. They want to be here, appreciate their great jobs, the great atmosphere they work in and the freedom they are given in their classroom.
2. Greatest challenge?
Communication. They try, but I often feel like I don't know where to look for everything I need. They are getting better at this, too, but it's definitely not perfect yet. Oh, and summer time enrollment is nearly impossible, since the school clears out in one day and people don't arrive back until right before the year begins.
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
Yes. My kids are happy. I like their teachers. They aren't as challenged as they could be, but as I said, they aren't in the states either, and I feel like they're being encouraged to be good people here. I feel like the school truly cares about the kids. (But in the meantime, I'm teaching my younger kids cursive at home!)
