If you can afford it, go for an international school

People think spending VND800 million ($34,500) a year to study at an international school is xenophilic. I don’t think so. My own daughter studies in an international school, and while it is not that expensive, it is not cheap either.

I and my partner do not expect her to be hugely successful or be part of the top brass in future. All we want is to equip her with the knowledge and confidence to thrive in life, whether in or outside Vietnam.

Our daughter went to both public and private facilities throughout primary school, but recently, after she moved to an international school, I have seen some remarkable improvement in her confidence and communication capabilities.

Every day after class she is happy and excited about the extracurricular activities and life skill lessons she gets.

I think I am spending my money wisely. As long as our daughter thrives in school, it is worth it. Going to an international school is only an issue if you can’t afford it or if your child isn’t capable enough for it. But if you can, go ahead and pay up. Trust me, I have no qualms.

I always appreciate the effort that teachers put in to do their job, whether in public or private school. But there is simply no comparison between a public school and an international school when it comes to quality. A classroom in a public school typically has 40-50 students, and so we cannot expect teachers to take care of each and every student as well as they can in a classroom with a smaller number of students. It is also a reason why many students at public schools have to take extra classes.

A classroom at an international school only has around 25 students. My daughter’s class has 22 students and 11 teachers to handle the various subjects. A better teacher/student ratio means better management and better teaching quality.

Our daughter is an only child, so we were very loving and protective. She is a good kid, but sometimes lacks self-confidence and is a bit shy. During her years at a public school, she was afraid to talk to teachers or speak in front of the class. Teachers at her current school knew about this and helped her overcome it. They had lunch with her to get rid of her fear and organized activities with kids from other classes so that she could hone her communication skills. After three years at the school, I was happy to see the evident improvement.

As parents, we all want the best for our children. We have to give them the best opportunities we can offer without worrying about what other people think. We all raise our kids differently, but I don’t believe that growth requires pressure and suffering. It is okay if our girl does not turn out to be successful; we just want her to have joy in her life.