My husband is taking a sabbatical and planning to do research work in India at a great university. He will be gone about 8 months. He wants us to go with him and I am very tempted (we are originally from India and the pull of the homeland is still very strong for me). We will put the kids in an American International school where the curriculum will be the same. My 8th-grade daughter is not at all happy. She is in all the advanced programs in 8th grade and is very nervous of missing 6 months (Jan-June), missing her friends. The international school assures us that kids from all around the world are in their school and our kid should be ok. We think this is a great learning opportunity for her. If she misses out on the 1/2 school year, she will not be get into the advanced programs in 9th grade, right?? What bugs me is: we e-mailed the prinicipal and guidance counselor some ten days ago about all this and they have not replied. So I assume they are leaving us to "deal with the consequences." Do we ask the superintendent of education about this? We will try to meet the princi and the counselor in person but if they do not respond, we will ask the superintendent. Please tell me what you all think. I mainly worry that DD will not be in the advanced programs in the 9th grade and this will affect her college prospects. Thanks so much, thesub
I would walk into the school and ask to speak to those people at this point. If they have to, they will make an appointment. You may need to secure a curriculum from the other school in order for them to make that determination. Personally, the above obstacles notwithstanding, I think it is a wonderful opportunity. Each child is different. I know our oldest didn't want to move overseas because he would miss his friends, etc. Between Facebook and the fact that he has made a lot of friends quickly since he got here, he's enjoyed it. I'm not sure he is getting as much out of it as I am but I'm still glad I'm giving my children the opportunity. If this is your homeland, this is all the more reason to have her go. Sometimes there are other things that are more important. These schools are used to kids coming in at different times of the year and likely the kids are used to having new people come and rotate out often as well. At least here, my son found it easy to make friends for that reason. What a wonderful way for her not only to experience her heritage but also to meet people in a multicultural setting. Oh, and a big part of getting kids to accept these things is to make it an adventure. This is coming from a family that has moved several times. Involve reading, research, discovery, questions, googling, pictures, forums, etc. We learned a lot before the move and it made it exciting and eased some of the nervousness. Help find places she might want to visit, etc. Of course I wouldn't throw it all at once. Sometimes life really is about experiences.
cutNglue: thanks so much. DD is not the adventurous type at all.This summer we went drove around Europe and nothing appealed to her till we went to Parsi especially for her. I tried to point out the exciting stuff in Europe and DD was quite indifferent. She is not a bubbly/extroverted kind. Anyway, what are the academic consequences in America if a kid misses out a good portion of the school year? Will they have to be re-tested to get into 9th grade advanced classes? DD does love her advanced programs and the teachers in it. thanks, thesub
In our district she would just go back into the programs she was in before. I can't believe no one at the school will work with you to solve these problems.
She will learn more being in India about the real world and life the next few months than in any 8th grade classroom. And Im betting they have an outstanding educational program somewhere there for her.
This MAY be a once in the life time opportunity for her. School, and this one class, should not affect this wonderful opportunity that she has to live in another country. I would definitely go in person to discuss this with the principal/guidance counselor, but I wouldn't let this one little thing be the reason to not go, in my humble opinion. And you never know, next year when she's in high school, her new principal/guidance counselor may listen to your story and move her into the advance class, anyways. BTW, I love India's culture, food, etc. I'm jealous.
Thank you, peachyness & stephenpe, for reassuring me. I am also very nervous but I will make it work. I called the counselor this morning and she said the princi has been v.busy with first week of school and I should hear from him next week. Thanks again, thesub
The experience she will have is probably more appealing to a college than her advanced placement classes. However, you need to talk to someone. I would propose that you ask for the curriculum, do your own supplemental homeschooling to make sure she is on track for the next year. You could even agree to submit assignments that she completes or create a portfolio. I can't see them not allowing her to go back in the programs for that reason.
Thank you for the replies I am hoping to meet the P next week and figure out how to handle this. Thanks again, thesub
Personally, I think the cultural experience will be wonderful for her. You would likely have her in an American school there, so you wouldn't have to worry about her education. You definitely need to hear from the P and counselor, so if they don't respond, I would go in. Good luck, and let us know.
BTW, you posted this same thread in another area. Forum policy states that you only post one thread. It makes it easier because now we have people posting in both threads instead of one thread. When you click on All Posts, both of these threads will pop up.
Yikes...sorry for posting in both threads but I wanted to hear from everybody since I am going crazy trying to figure this out myself. But why is it wrong to post in many threads? Does it take up valuable member time or is just annoying to see the same question over and over again? Thanks for clarifying and I promise I will pick only one thread to post my questions. thesub
Because there are then two conversations on the topic, not one, which is difficult for posters to follow. I was confused too when I had commented, and then saw another thread on the same thing and I realized there were two threads on the one topic. It's a forum rule, and likely one thread will end up being closed. Also, posting it in two places doesn't allow for more people to see it. It still shows up for everyone to see. Where you post just helps to clarify the audience you might be targeting (like general education instead of only elementary), but everyone can see it the same.
The other thing to remember is that a lot of posters click on All Posts on the top, underneath where it says Welcome thesub. All new posts pop up there. So, if you post the same thread in different areas, then all of those posts pop up and it's just more confusing for us.
Don't worry too much--it happens to a lot of first-time posters. This sounds like a wonderful opportunity for your daughter!
Amakaye: thanks for reassuring me. I am not a first-time poster but I just wanted to hear from many people and I guess got carried away:-(((. Thanks again.
I teach 11th graders, and the word from our college counseling service is that 9th grade advanced classes are not especially important for college admissions. While colleges look for a challenging curriculum, the India trip is as likely (if not more likely) to be appealing on an application.
I think it is a wonderful opportunity for her to learn about her culture. She may not like it initially, but she may definitely get into it when you get there. I would definitely go for it as long as there were no serious consequences with her school. It would be awesome to be able to do that and get that experience at a young age.
Specialpreskoo.... from what I hear, the American School in India is very nice and has kids from 23 different countries. So I don't think I will homeschool her since the point is for her to get familiar with the school and more Indian culture. Thanks, thesub
I think they will.. the counselor says they will take the Indian (American) school grades. I am just nervous that everyone will say, "yes, yes...this a great opportunity etc etc and we will take the Indian grades" and then say something totally opposite when we return in June!!! I am an eternal pessimist. Should I get the counselor's words in writing they WILL in fact take the Indian grades when we return??? thesub
I would get whatever the "final" plan is in writing. This way it can't be a he said she said. Maybe when you get there you can send them or email ( my friend tried to send something from India this spring...have yet to see it) something from the school.
Wow, what a fantastic opportunity! Even if she isn't too excited about going, I bet she will be very thankful she did (if not right away, later on in life). And, as others have mentioned, if she qualifies for advanced classes now, then she will later, and should be placed in them.
