Don't know what happened with that post....here it is again!
Hmmmm.....you're asking some good questions here! Your other one about "any happy Americans" and this one (since school is starting tomorrow for my kids) for us are so closely related. My daughter is 15 and we've been here for two years. While she can see the value and benefits of being here, it's been tough. A lot of the transition problems for us is that we knew we'd only be here a few years. I think for those who are making the move permanent, they probably acclimate faster knowing this is the only option! We've tried to do as well as we can, but I'd say we're surviving, but not thriving. I think the school situation has been difficult and a stumbling block for that "happy american" feeling.
Coming at your sons age could be tricky to figure out what to do with his classes/GCSE's. The high school education is broken down into two two year sections, with big tests at the end of each. Here's a few other things that have made our experience not as thrilling!
-some "bullying" from teachers...saying things like 'you're stupid' to students or loud yelling at the students...would they get away with that in the States??
-things that make the high school experience in the states fun - dances, athletic events, assemblies...those don't happen here much.
-transferring back to a stateside high school has difficulties, or state college-bound kids have a lot more to face because they have to do a lot of research on their own and stay on top of the ACT/SAT info and testing (although an overseas education is smiled upon for diversities sake)
-it's very academic and they're not afraid to place children in classes based on achievements (good for high achievers, not so great for others)
-groups have been hard to break into (I'm sure that's in the States, too, though) and we've really had to face problems with the underage drinking culture and troublemakers. That's more a society issue instead of a school issue, however. I DO feel like the kids are safe in the schools.
don't know about advice on transitioning, but some good points that have happened because of our move:
-My kids are much, much more free here to walk around and I don't worry about them as much because where we live they don't have to worry about busy streets to cross and I feel the area is safer.
-We've grown closer as a family which I really treasure because this would normally be a time of crazy teenage antics, but she knows she needs us!
-They'll surprise you - my quiet, shy son has come alive here! It'll push them and cause them to grow.
Hopefully it'll be a good year for us and we can work on moving from surviving over to thriving. Good luck with all your plans. I know it's tough as a parent to make plans that affect others' lives and there's a lot of responsibility put on you! Let me know if you have any other specific questions! I'll try to answer them positively!!
