Today, the world is one big village. Thanks to the advancements in technology and transportation, there is no country far enough or no culture completely unfamiliar. If you see, we have more Indians living overseas today than ever before, and similarly, there are more foreigners living in India.
But while traveling and settling in a new place is extremely rewarding, it is not all rainbows and butterflies. Adjusting to new setups can be challenging for anyone but is most tasking to school-goers. New language, different curriculum, testing patterns, and remarkable differences in how a typical school day looks are some of the many issues that children face.
To help children adjust to this new, barrier-less community, it is important to give them exposure to cultural and ethnic diversity from a nascent stage. And what better place than their school to teach them how to be better global citizens? While any school can achieve this (albeit theoretically), international schools are designed to do just this!
At the Excelsior American School, positioned among the Best International Schools in Gurgaon, we take our international education modules and standards very seriously and work relentlessly to provide an unhinged and positive learning environment to our students. We are truly international in terms of the curriculum we follow, our pedagogy, and our focus on experiential learning.
So, here’s our take on the core benefits of sending your child to an international school. Read on.
What Makes a School Truly ‘International’ – The Pre-requisites
“What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, right?” Well, this is also the case with international schools. In the last decade, there is a considerable increase (almost double) in the number of schools with the term international in them. Even in India, international education refers to an umbrella of different school systems that use varied formats and curriculum. But the fact is that not all of them live up to the international standards of K-12 education.
Barring a handful of actual international schools like ours, most of them adopt only some features of international education. So, before moving to the benefits, you must understand what makes a school international, in the true sense.
According to the guidelines set by the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL), to qualify as a truly international school,
- The school must follow an internationally accepted curriculum like IGCSE, IB, etc., different from the host nation.
- They should facilitate students transfers (send and accept students) globally.
- They should employ teachers from multiple nationalities.
- The school should use more than one language (English being the first language of preference).
- They must encourage diverse multilingual and multinational student bodies.
At the Excelsior American School, one of the leading international schools in Gurgaon, we make it our mission to impart holistic education based on a top-of-the-class international curriculum via skills development and innovative learning. Backed by our Cambridge-based syllabus, we focus on bringing innovation and creativity to everything. As a result, our students are set to become independent thinkers and problem solvers.
Core Benefits of Sending Your Child to an International School
- Kids get groomed as per internationally accredited curriculum
When children are used to studying an international curriculum, they do not fall behind in case of transfers abroad. National boards are often limited to the host nation and do not find relevance in the international community. When a child from such curricula moves to another country, they face tremendous pressure and challenges fitting into the new pattern.
International boards like IGCSE are widely popular and as such, finding a good IGCSE school in a new country becomes a child’s play. There are over 140 countries and 43K+ schools that follow this curriculum, making it one of the most popular international boards in the world.
If a child is already studying at one such school in the native country, transition to another school when the time comes becomes seamless and easy.
- Children learn and grow in a multi-cultural global community
Apart from adjusting to a new study pattern, when children transfer to a new country, they face another culture. While some kids are natural charmers and make friends easily, others might find it a tad bit difficult.
However, if kids already study in international schools, they get early exposure to a multi-cultural student body. At The Excelsior American School, a well-known international school in Gurgaon, we understand the importance of a diverse learning environment and thus, encourage students from different ethnicities and nationalities to team up.
Through our project-based, experiential learning modules, we encourage children to collaborate with others, and as a result, they learn about different perspectives. This is very important in building analytical skills in them in the long run.
- Kids receive more than just academic excellence
Gone are the days when it was ok for a child to get good grades and not be very active in other aspects of learning. The proverbial dull Jack has no place in today’s world of cutthroat competition. The new focus is on treating a child as a whole and nurturing every aspect of his/her personality, i.e., mind, physical body, emotions, and intellect.
Holistic education is the current buzzword, and for good reasons. Unlike public or other private schools, where holistic education is a new framework, international schools are built on this policy. And STEM-based learning in international schools is an interdisciplinary module connecting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, designed to help children see the bigger picture instead of focusing on individual concepts. In addition to this, international boards put great emphasis on extra-curricular activities to encourage learning by playing. At The Excelsior American School, our state-of-the-art infrastructure and trained professionals help students connect with all the other aspects of their personalities without hampering their core academics.
Summing Up
We, at the Excelsior American School, understand that parenting is indeed as tasking a job as it is rewarding. As parents, you have to make critical choices on your kid’s behalf that have the power to change their entire course of life. And selecting the right school is certainly one such tricky affair. Hence, if you are looking for a holistic learning environment for your child and at the same time want to make it easy for the kid to fit in any school in the world, an international school should be on the top of your checklist.
At the Excelsior American School, a renowned International School in Gurgaon, we work round the clock to create precisely such a learning environment for our students that aids in their overall development. And it makes us immensely proud to state that each batch of our students has not only grown academically strong but also fared equally well in other spheres as well.
