Ola Uruguay Real Estate and Investments

Private schools in Uruguay offer a dizzying array of choices, and to decide with confidence is extremely difficult. There are plenty of obvious differences between the schools, yet, there is something more subtle in making the choice.

First of all, you should look at how the school coincides with your values in terms of religion, method of teaching, sports, and art opportunities. Next, consider the academic values and reputation of the school. Then, the schedule and program, and how it suits your child and family schedule. Do you want your child in school full-time for eight to 10 hours a day, or would a four-hour schedule fit? How many children are at each grade level? Are the class sizes reasonable? Is it religious or “laica”: without religious afiliation? What are the institute facilities? Is there a swimming program? A sports field? Science labs? A school library? Is there a playground?  These are the obvious questions to ask, but to delve deeper, here are some other issues for you to consider when choosing a school.

The vast majority of private schools are bilingual. This poses different issues for foreign kids as the method for learning English here often involves learning grammar and some tedious bookwork. For example, our native speaking son, at age 10, knew about countable and uncountable nouns, yet, there was never really a risk that he would ask for more “rices” at the dinner table. How will the teachers approach working with a native speaker? Will your child be required to work through the grammar with his peers? What strategies will they use to maintain his interest in class? In addition, what level of proficiency do his instructors have? What should your child do if he notices that his teacher makes a mistake? How open are the instructors to discussing the differences between, for example, North American English and the British English that they speak? These are important issues to consider and to discuss with the school.

Although you are choosng the school for your child, your level of comfort and integraton in the school is also important. First and foremost, how do you connect with the director? Is she/he receptive to you and understanding of your concerns? You will be communicating with the director through the school year to discuss any problems or concerns you will have. How is the director’s ability to communicate with you? Do you feel comfortable approaching him or her?

Is the school used to accepting foreigners? Uruguayan schools are often institutions with long-standing traditions that rely on word-of-mouth to communicate information about school life, in particular the calendar. As a new-comer, it may be difficult to become informed of new developments. In our son’s first year here, I didn’t know what to send when the children had to bring food to school for a shared snack, nor the proper protocol about a wide range of things from birthday party details to seasonal uniform options. A neighbor and fellow parent in the school was a huge help to me in this respect. Do you know the parents of any other students who attend the school? Are there opportunities for the parents to integrate such as Father Soccer in the evenings, Mommy Volleyball, or the like? Are their parental advisory councils or volunteer positions for you to get to know other parents? Is there effort put into integrating the family? Are there family sports days or family events?

In the end, you must simply consider how you feel about the personal connections that you have made. No school is perfect. After all the facts have been considered, choosing a school is rather like friendship. Although there are many people with good qualities in the world, we choose from among those with matching values and a shared understanding of something that goes beyond than words.