Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Report of what it's like to live there - 05/29/14

Personal Experiences from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan 05/29/14

School Name:

School Name: Home Schooling Resources

Background Information:

1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?

Both.

View All Answers


2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?

Our children were in middle school when we homeschooled in Bishkek.

View All Answers


3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?

2011-2012

View All Answers


4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?

Academic.

View All Answers


5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?

We homeschooled because we couldn't afford the tuition at any of the international schools in Bishkek.

View All Answers


Administration & School Procedures:

1. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?

Hope Academy had a reasonable selection of elective classes that our children could participate in.

View All Answers


2. Please describe any problem areas or challenges in social interaction at the school:

It would be fairly difficult to find English-speaking tutors in Bishkek.

View All Answers


Academics & Resources:

1. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?

We were able to use Hope Academy's library, which was very helpful. It's not huge, but it was a great resource for us.

View All Answers


2. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?

There aren't a lot of sports programs available for children in Bishkek outside the international schools.

View All Answers


3. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?

We talked to both QSIB and Hope Academy about participating in art and sports classes. Hope Academy seemed to be the most open to the idea and allowed us and other homeschoolers to take classes there for a very reasonable fee. Hope Academy is Christian, but even though we are secular homeschoolers, it worked fine for us. Our children took art, rock climbing, basketball, and other sports classes, and also went on field trips with Hope Academy.

View All Answers


Social & Emotional Well-Being:

1. 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.

Our children were warmly welcomed by Hope Academy, even as homeschoolers.

View All Answers


Overall Impressions:

1. What is the greatest strength of this school?

Homeschooling worked very well for us in Bishkek. We've homeschooled four different times overseas and our year in Bishkek was the most successful ever.

View All Answers


2. Greatest challenge?

For us, it was having very few resources, but that wouldn't apply to many expat families with homeschooling budgets and HHE shipments.

View All Answers


3. Would you choose this school again? Why?

Yes.

View All Answers


Subscribe to our newsletter


New book from Talesmag! Honest and courageous stories of life abroad with special needs.

Read More