Guadalajara, Mexico Report of what it's like to live there - 05/15/14
Personal Experiences from Guadalajara, Mexico
School Name:
School Name: ASFG - Guadalajara
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?
4th grade, which ASFG says is at the 5th grade level--read more below on this.
Also 10th grade.
3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?
2012-2013. We would have loved to stay but curtailed (departed early) due to the school environment. It's a great city otherwise.
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
U.S. Government.
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
It was the school sponsored by the U.S. Consulate.
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?
F
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
F. Nothing other than an initial welcoming session. They need much more, especially for the expat children.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
Not a climate conducive to learning, especially in the high school. The school consists of approximately 90% local children the school calls their "legacy kids." The kids are not necessarily bad and I did not see any physical bullying. It's actually more harmful in a sense since the "legacy" children did not seem to have any interest or time for the expat children.
The school had no program to assist assimilating the expat kids into this environment and just seemed to accept that their interests lied in taking care of the long-term children. I would say the environment amounted to bullyig by exclusion for many children. If your children are great athletes or find some other niche, they might have a better experience. My kids have attended several schools in South and Central America and we have never seen such a poor environment for children. Don't take your information from Post or the school but rather reach out to other parents at the school. Hopefully, they will address this issue which is quite significant.
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:
F. There is no program to help assimilate the expat children. There is a strange climate of all the Mexican children who know each other since Kindergarten and the expat kids who either find other expat kids or walk around by themselves.
3. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
C
4. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
B
5. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
F
6. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
F. Not enough at the high school levels. Lower school would be at a B grade.
7. Administration-parent communication:
Good at the lower school - A. She was always available. The high school principal was not - F.
8. Teacher-student communication:
C
9. 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?
The school has a two tiered first grade system. I think the first year of first grade is for the Mexican children to improve their English. So when they go to second grde, ASFG has them in the second tier of first grade. It sounds crazy and it is. It presents so many dilemmas for parents and children. Talk to other families with children in the school to see how it affects them. Your child will either feel s/he has been kept back or be put into classes with children a year older.
10. Do you believe the special-needs assistance is appropriate and fills your needs? Explain:
11. Does the gifted and talented program meet the needs of students? Please explain:
No. AP level courses seemed to be at the normal range of a typical U.S. private school.
12. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?
Some at the high school levels. My son was unable to take part in an excursion outside of Guadalajara since the security officer would not approve his participation due to security concerns. That's understandable but still limits what some kids can do.
13. Have your children participated in the activities offered? If no, please indicate why:
Band and singing.
14. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?
None that we saw, especially at the high school levels.
15. Please describe any problem areas or challenges in social interaction at the school:
Many expat children do not find it a welcoming environment. Despite having attended several schools overseas, my children did not adapt. The school has some serious issues they need to address. I sincerely hope they can.
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?
They had a great high school counselor but I believe he departed in 2012. I think the problems were beyond him and, unfortunately, institutionalized.
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
B
3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
D
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
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
B
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?
No IB program but they do have some AP level classes which seemed to be at the normal standard of any U.S. private school.
7. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
Yes, at the lower grades, no at the high school. The school bragged about how much homework the kids would have during the year in high school. If my son had an hour's worth of homework a week, that would be a lot.
8. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
B
9. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
Yes. I did not see any issue with this.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
Expats with expats and locals with locals. Very few exceptions.
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.
Yes, expat children are excluded from birthday invitations and pretty much any social interaction unless it's with other expats. There are, of course, some exceptions to this. Unfortunately, some grades do not have many expats so this does not help. My son was in a grade with a total of 3 expats.
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
They have some really great and committed teachers. They had a great counselor in high school but I believe he departed.
2. Greatest challenge?
Making the school a friendly and welcoming environment for all children, not just their "legacy students." Doing away with the second level of first grade which does not work for expat families coming from traditional schools with grades 1-12.
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
If they reverse course and improve the enviroment for expat children, absolutely. Otherwise, no.
