James Barbour

I was interested to read your reflection on your children's educational experiences. As a teacher at one of the international schools here in Moscow, I found myself smiling at what you wrote. Much of my experience has been with the year group that your daughter has just completed. Whilst we teach the English National Curriculum, we are able to offer a broader perspective than we would in the UK. They can look beyond their immediate environment in quite unexpected ways, as you also found out. I undertook a similar project with my class after we had finished our SATs and they presented many items ranging from their personal pets, to the designs of Louis Vuitton, to Korean diplomatic relationships in the 20th century. What impressed me just as much was the way in which they presented them. Some children used hand-outs, some used PowerPoint presentations - one created a video and put it on YouTube! Certainly the transient nature of friendships is a downside as roughly 33 of our children move in and out each year. However, on the positive side, the children learn to make friends more quickly than they probably would at home; to develop friendships and to 'open up' that bit more readily. They are far more tolerant of other countries and cultures than they would otherwise be: everyone is just 'another child'. In almost six years in Moscow I have only had to deal with two incidents that were race related. The behaviour as a whole is excellent. What else? Although many children have English as an additional language, they achieve as well or higher in comparison with the UK because they are supported at home. Undoubtedly the small classes help ! but knowing that if homework gets sent home, or if there is an issue, parents are far more likely to be supportive of the class teachers. Sadly, the culture in the UK has changed so much that my profession is held in a position of contempt; whereas overseas we can do our jobs and know that we will be supported by the vast majority of parents. As a teacher, working with foreign service children and those of others who find themselves here for a short period of time is a pleasure. They are well mannered, motivated and great fun to teach. I appreciate what you are saying about your children's education being less UK-focused but in an increasingly multicultural world, that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Posted by Chris Barnes on August 12, 2009 at 04:02 PM BST #