My Kindergartner, 2nd grader and 3rd grader are all attending a very outside the box approach to education at the American International School of Utah. The school is in the old "historic" 49th St. Galleria. There are about a thousand students enrolled from K-12 with 20% international students in the high school. There are 280 kids in the elementary school, with over 500 kids on the waiting list.
So to answer to your question...
It's amazing. My kids have never been happier! As a mom I love that there is no required homework and NO backpacks! So happy. The kids can work on Raz-kids, and other programs they are using at school if parents want them to. But for me, I love that my kids come home and can play, play, play. I'm not fighting them on homework or yelling at them because there is a moldy sandwich in their backpack or that I'm tripping over backpacks all over the house. The school tries to be as paperless as possible and only allows healthy snacks. Want to bring a treat for a child's birthday - you are limited to fruit cuts, fruit leathers, strawberries with whip cream, etc. I love that my kids don't come home loaded with sugar.
Breakdown...
Gwen loves Kindergarten. It is a Montessori approach. She plays all day while challenging her brain (this is her quote). There are 48 kids in Pre-K to K and they all have class together with three head teachers and one assistant teacher. I love all of her teachers. They are strict but kind and super fun. Gwen wishes she was all day... which we had the option to pay for. She is reading better at home and loves school. Isn't that the point in Kindergarten.
Audrey adores her two teachers in 2nd grade. Yep a class of 36 has two amazing teachers. It is also a Montessori approach mixed with Acton Model. She has yoga 2-3 times a week. Love it! She tells me that she plays all day but her teachers tell her she is actually learning as she plays. I've never had her come home with so much excitement. It helps that all the elementary kids are provide with a healthy snack every day. She loves the books they read and tells us every detail, she loves the science experiments they do and the fun the have. She made a volcano erupt last week and this week she made a cross section of the earth with it's different layers.
Porter is in 3rd grade and didn't love the first week. I think the 3-5 graders had a harder time adjusting to the different culture at the school. It is now the end of week 3 and he loves it. I think the 3-5 teaching style is my favorite. There is a teacher and an assistant for 36 kids. There are four groups which they call crews. All the crews are mixed with 3rd,4th, and 5th graders. Some of Porter's favorite projects have been drawing a self portrait. See the improvement below. He fought this assignment and didn't want to do it but now loves to see how much he improved (which was the purpose). I"m excited to see his final draft that is at home. He wrote an autobiography and today is presenting a biography that we wrote with a group of kids. They interviewed one of the teachers and created a timeline and biography of them. I told him what a great thing to learn. He can write a biography about his grandparents. He was excited. They are also reading the Giver. Daily they have "specials" which include a variation of the following depending on the trimester: Ukulele (he starts this in December), Choir, Dance/Theater, Health, PE, Art, and Keyboarding. He comes home happy and excited to learn.
Other perks...
Porter and Audrey take piano lessons at the school on Tuesday mornings. There is also a beginning orchestra that we will do next year with Audrey at the violin and Porter at the cello. Also an amazing performing arts director and opportunities to be in plays.
How's the new school? Amazing, awesome, a dream come true.
Is it perfect? Of course not. Parents, teachers and staff are all working from the same book but we are not always on the same page. Not a well defined flow of authority. But those issues take time and will work out.
I thought parents were crazy to drive from Layton, or Eagle Mountain to take their kids to AISU, but now I think I would do the same. I'm just luck to live 1.5 miles away :D
