Parents share why they chose the British American School of Charlotte
Charlotte Weekly - February 11-17, 2005
By Kathryn Daniel
The British American School of Charlotte is well into its second semester as South Charlotte's newest choice in private education. This school, however, sets itself apart by offering an international atmosphere. BASC follows the British National Curriculum, and all the school's contents, from pens and pencils to books and desks were shipped over from the United Kingdom. Additionally, the entire staff, led by Headmaster, Allan Strange, is composed of international educators. This year the school is open to students age 3-11; each subsequent year, BASC will expand until it reaches year nine (U.S. equivalent of eighth grade). I met recently with several parents who have children enrolled at BASC, and they were eager to share their experience about the school in the midst of its inaugural year. Immediately it was clear that they are pleased with the choice they made.
Mary Jo Adams has two children enrolled at BASC, Emmy 8, and Olivia, 11. Alesa Belvedere's son Samuel is 9. Susan Smith's 7-year-old, Jack, will be joined by his sister Campbell this week when she turns 3 and enters the school's nursery level of schooling. These parents shared why BASC is the school of choice for their child's education...
When you were looking for a school for your child, how did you come across the British American School of Charlotte?
SS: We were new to Charlotte and looking for a private school for our son.
AB: We were not new to Charlotte but wanted a significant change. We were in a private school before, but we just weren't pleased.
MA: I have a son who attends boarding school in the UK. So when this school was opening up, knowing that there was a good chance that more of my children would attend a UK boarding school, we thought that it would provide a good transition into the British curriculum to prepare them for overseas education.
When you were looking for schools, what exactly drew you to this school? What set it apart from others?
AB: The first mention of it here in Charlotte... I could not believe that they were opening... I was ecstatic.
MA: When I heard the British American School was opening, I was curious to attend one of their open meetings to get an insight into the British curriculum and what would be going here ... I attended one of their very informal meetings at Ballantyne Country Club and was just so impressed with the staff that was there and what they had to say about the way of education ... At this school, there are very few formal textbooks. All the learning and homework comes in the form of a soft notebook ... The curriculum that the teacher uses is tailor-made to individual children and where they are in their learning curve.
SS: We were actually looking for a situation for our son where he would be challenged because he was not challenged in his previous schools. When we saw the article in the newspaper that said they were going to have individualized education, that immediately struck a chord with us ... We were extremely impressed by Grainne O'Reilly-Askew (BASC director of development) and the staff they have there ... We just knew that it would be a perfect fit for our son, and it has been ... It was such a relief to know this caliber of school was going to come here and fill that exact niche we were looking for.
How would you explain to the other parents the difference between the British National Curriculum and the curriculum of public schools here?
SS: It seems that it's very well thought out. It doesn't seem like there are really any gaps. We looked through it quite extensively on the Internet and also here at school ... In our instance, my son doesn't have to be sitting in class doing what everybody else is doing when he's capable of doing so much more. And so they're able to take that curriculum and get the right piece of that for him from the curriculum that's established. They're not just making up a few things to keep him busy while other kids are doing their work. And that's what you would get pretty much anywhere else.
MA: I think it's very comprehensive ... From our experience, the more traditional American Curriculum is task-oriented - in other words, a lot of worksheets, a lot of fill-in-the-blanks. The British Curriculum is much broader. You learn grammar through literature. Your are not circling a noun or making something plural. You are reading literature and using literature and reading as the method of learning the proper use of the English language. Therefore, these children are learning to express themselves (in writing) and verbally with examples in literature instead of individual sentences, which I think is just learning in a vacuum.
AB: I see a wholeness in it ... And the other thing that I like (is that) our son comes home with an understanding of why ... What I see here is that he has a greater understanding of why he's doing these things ... It's more a mastery (of skills).
MA: They won't accept that your child cannot learn a concept. They know that they will find a way to explain it. These teachers here, it's their responsibility, and they feel it is their success to make sure your child learns.
Etiquette and respect are also significant parts of the school atmosphere. How have you noticed a difference in your child this school year?
AB: I am very much appalled that as a society, we don't have manners incorporated. We do at home, and we would spend a weekend trying to undo what had happened at school. It was very frustrating because that's important to us ... Honestly, by the end of the first week, we had seen a 180-degree turnaround.
SS: Same here, absolutely the same thing ... They are succeeding socially as well as academically here.
MA: Some people might thing being in such a small environment is a negative. The way that these children (commingle), an 11- or 12-year-old interacts with a 3- or 4-year-old ... it teaches patience and tolerance.
SS: I'm the only one of us three who will be having a nursery-level 3-year-old coming in, and of course I plan to bring her all the way through (the school). For me to have that continuity is amazing because (otherwise) you may or may not go to the preschool ... you may go to different elementary and middle schools. There's not a lot of continuity there ... I think with my children going here with that continuity, they can do anything they want to, and that's really what we want for them.
All of the children start a foreign language study at age 3. What are your children studying?
All: French
AB: But the teacher is fluent in five languages.
Four of the five schools in the British Schools of America family have a student population that's largely American. What is your family's nationality?
AB: My husband is Italian; his parents were born and raised in Italy. And his godparents are South African, so that's part of the reason. We're very multicultural.
SS: I was born in England and my mother's English.
Are you all planning to enroll your children again next year?
(All respondents nod their heads and answer, "Absolutely.")
AB: My only disappointment in this point and time ... is that there's no high school.