Barcelona Mum

The American School

Why did you decide to send your child to The American school?
After looking at several American (US) and British curriculum schools in the area, I felt that the curriculum, balance of English/Spanish instruction and geographic make-up of the student body was the best fit for our family.

Are you happy with your choice?
Yes.  This is not to say that I haven't had some concerns that my eldest child (10 years) could be challenged more, particularly with her writing.  I do appreciate that the school administrators take such concerns seriously, and we were able to arrange to have my daughter go to a one-on-one writing class twice weekly.  I now recognize that this is a fairly common concern amongst native English speaking families when the majority of students aren't native speakers.  I am less concerned about this now as I have contacted and been reassured by several American families who were formerly at ASB (and have since returned to the US) that their children were well prepared academically in all subject areas.

How much research did you do into the education system beforehand?
I had lived in Spain some years ago so already had a basic understanding of the Spanish educational system.  For two reasons we opted not to enroll our kids in a local school.   Education in the public schools is taught in Catalan not Castellano (Spanish) - this was not of interest.  Secondly, the philosophy of education is very different from the US system.  Our children had already been to one internatioanl school based on the US curriculum and I thought that continuity was important.

How did you find the application process?
Straightforward.

Do you feel your child is getting the same level of education as he/she would as you would in your native country?
In general terms yes, although in the US our children would not be offered the opportunity to study a foreign language until the 6th grade.  Some content areas may not be identical, but the curriculum is very similar.

How much Catalan and Spanish is your child taught each week? 
I have 3 children at the school aged 4, 8 and 10.  Our 4 year old does not receive any formal instruction in Spanish or Catalan; however she is conversant after a year as the language on the playground at this age tends to be Spanish.  My 8 year old (3rd grade) has two SSL (Spanish as a Second Langauge taught only to non-native speakers) and five classes of Spanish (language class taught at a native level)per week.  She is given a pass/fail grade until her level of Spanish is conversational.  She also has two Sociales (Social Studies) classes per week that are taught in Spanish.   The number of classes taught in Spanish is the same for our 10 year old (4th grader).

Approximately how many Catalan children are in your child´s class?
This varies by class and it is difficult to say if a child is Catalan or Spanish as there are several children of Catalan/Spanish parents.   In my 3rd graders class, total, 13 of the 18 students are bilingual in Spanish (due to having at least one Spanish speaking parent) and English.

How is the day structured?
The school days begins at 9am and ends at 4pm.  There are 7 periods with a 30 minute morning recess and a 45 minute lunch/recess.  Children have the following specials each week:  2 physical education, 1 art, 1 computer, 1 library, 1 music.  There is also an optional after school activities program with offerings in the areas of sports, drama, etc. 

What qualifications do the teachers have at the school?
All teachers (except those teaching in Spanish) are native English speakers.  Teachers must be accredited; most are from the US and Canada.  Many have Masters Degrees.

What language do you speak to your child at home in?
English (my husband and I are both from the US)

How well integrated do you think you are in Catalan society?
We have been here just over a year and I wouldn't say that we, or many foreigners I know (who also haven't been here for many years), are "well integrated" into Catalan society.  Catalans tend to spend time with family and many still socialize with childhood friends.  While very cordial, I haven't found it very easy to get to know Catalans well.   I have found it easier to get to know Spaniards from other parts of Spain who are living here.