International Schools

It is difficult to judge schools but there are ways that this is done in the international community. We don't have grades like students but some are definitely better than others. My current school, Shanghai Community International School, is actually quite good. I would give it an overall B in the international community. Shanghai American School is one of our big rivals and it probably is an A school based on its reputation. I have known a lot of people who have taught there, however, and they weren't anything too special, so reputation is key for a school. The school were I was before Shanghai, the American International School of Kuwait, was probably a C level school when I arrived, but it improved every year I was there. We had pretty good administrators and the community was mostly interested in education. We did have a fair bit of problems, however, as all schools do, so I would say our grade would have still be in the B minus range when I left. Still it was a great place to work, and I hope it keeps improving. My first international school was the New School of Collaborative Learning. It was small (only about 80 students) but everyone worked really hard to make it work. For effort we would definitely have gotten an A, but the quality of life in Beijing was low, the material needs for the teachers were never met and the pay was just awful (and got worse after I left). Unfortunately that school never had a chance to get better, and it ended up going out of business a few years after I left. I would say it was a C school, that never quite had a chance to improve. I write all of these reflections today, because I have just applied to what I consider an A school, The Cairo American College in Egypt. I have an interview on Wednesday and am super-excited. I interviewed with them last year, but didn't make the cut. Hopefully, this year will be a little better. Their enrollment has fallen a bit because of the Arab Spring and the recent overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood president of Egypt, but I think it might be a great time to get to Cairo to see what is going on there on the ground. Insha'allah I will get the job. Wish me luck.