Shanghai, China Report of what it's like to live there - 08/07/13
Personal Experiences from Shanghai, China
School Name:
Shanghai American School - Puxi
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?
Grades 7 and 8, 3 and 4.
3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?
2010-2012.
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Government.
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?
A -. I think so, a lot was taken care of before we arrived.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
A -. Great support, easy process getting in. There is a very high demand to get into the school so the Embassy had to lean on the school to get us in, but they took us.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
Very positive and friendly. The kids were very welcoming and the teachers were actively interested in the overall well-being of the children, not just academically. The middle school more so than the elementary.
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 -. Equitable. There is a large Korean expat community at the school that pushes for a Korean style education with no emphasis on non-academic activities. But, the school administration pushes back and the balance is pretty good. Seeing how hard some of the kids are pushed is a little sad. But, it is all self-imposed.
3. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
A+. Teachers happy to talk to parents. There were two parent teacher meetings each year where the teachers sit down for 5-10 minutes with each parent and went over kids performance/issues. You could go any time to talk the teachers.
4. Services for gifted students who need academic challenge and students with learning difficulties:
B -. No special programs for "gifted", but the academics are very challenging without it. Everything seems to work at a level above the States and the kids are all self- or parent- motivated. The teachers will customize their lessons to some extent to suit the needs of the child. There are few kids with obvious learning or physical disabilities. Can't really speak to that program though.
5. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
C -. Meh. A lot of kids go straight to "Korean" school after school, so the demand is low. More at the high school level.
6. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
A -. The teachers seemed more than willing to customize their curriculum to meet the kids needs.
7. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
A -. Homework was well-balanced. Not too much, not too little.
8. Administration-parent communication:
A -. Emails, also several "principal coffees" where you could learn more and talk direct to the principal.
9. Teacher-student communication:
A -. Good. Teachers were not condescending and they went above and beyond to ensure the kids were doing well. Kids knew their teachers well and vice-versa. No anonymous students getting lost in the shuffle.
10. 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?
No. Customized to meet the students needs - (OK, maybe PE wasn't that challenging).
11. Does your child receive any special-needs assistance or instruction at this school? If yes, what types? Who provides services and where:
12. Do you believe the special-needs assistance is appropriate and fills your needs? Explain:
13. Does the gifted and talented program meet the needs of students? Please explain:
Yes.
14. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?
Yes. Drama was great.
15. Please describe any classes or programs that you believe are missing:
16. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?
Yes. China Alive! Kids take a trip each year to a different part of China. Beijing, Yangshuo and in High School, overseas. MUN went to Singapore.
17. What activities do you feel are missing?
Yes-ish, Not a lot of American sports. Baseball, Rugby and Soccer seem to be the primary sports.
18. Have your children participated in the activities offered? If no, please indicate why:
Yes - drama and rugby.
19. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?
Yes. Transition went well. Busing was great.
20. Please describe any problem areas or challenges in social interaction at the school:
Just distance from housing. SAS has two campuses. One in Puxi and one in Pudong. The Embassy and its housing are closer to half-way between them in Puxi. Busing takes 30-45+ minutes.
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+. Kids said there was an over-abundance of counseling.
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 -. Two libraries, probably the two best English libraries in Shanghai.
3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
B -. Apple centric. You must buy your middle school student an Apple laptop. The cost of which is not covered by the government reimbursement. Campus wide wifi, decent support for the apple. School centric google email. The kids did a lot on the laptops and became very knowledgable. The laptop includes lots of additional software and they learn how to use it.
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
C -. Nothing too serious, not like in the States. The sports programs are secondary to the academic programs. Everyone participates and it is just for fun. Really, isn't that how it should be?
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
A -. Good - 15-20ish.
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?
A -. I think they have both.
7. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
Yes. Not busy work, usually very appropriate.
8. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
A -. Nice balance. Great drama program, great art program. Don't know about the music program. I'm guessing classical piano and violin is big.
9. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
Yes - Don't know if it is required, but they all spoke excellent English. Most from U.S., Australia, UK, New Zealand. Except Chinese language instructors.
10. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
Yes, each teacher added work as needed to challenge.
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.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
No, the school is far from Embassy housing. So most socialization was within neighborhood. Students were nice and friendly though.
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.
No.
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
Teachers and physical facilities. Administrators are great too.
2. Greatest challenge?
Distance from heart of Shanghai. Puxi campus is more Korean centric than Pudong campus. Pudong campus is more western expats and seemed to have more sports. But, I like the atmosphere and teachers at Puxi and I seem to remember kids at Pudong trying to transfer to Puxi.
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
Yes. One of the only redeeming qualities of Shanghai.
