Presenter: Candice A. Hughes, Ph.D.; President, Bridging Cultures, Inc.; Assistant Professor, Chicago School of Professional Psychology

The workshop organized by WBFN for the three sister organizations—WBFN, IMFFA and IDBFA—was very lively and informative again this year. The topic was vital for most of the people attending the workshop. Each of the 22 attendees took an active part in the interesting conversations and discussions around the informative and interestingly varied sections of the presentation by Candice Hughes.

Candice, as a psychologist and a former expat parent returning to the US after some years in Europe, first made us all think and converse about how our own school systems worked, how we learned and how the school and the teachers were perceived by us and our parents. It took us all morning and many contributions to get around that first exercise. But we learned a lot about the different ways of schooling in Europe, Latin America, the US, and especially France, a well represented group in our workshop. One of the members in the US group was schooled in China so, as a bonus, we also learned about the schooling system there. The idea behind the exercise was to make us all aware that our expectations towards schooling here and elsewhere are formed by these experiences. The exercise really gave us some food for thought. We then filled our plates from the excellent buffet and as we ate, Candice rolled out all her knowledge about the US schooling system. We learned about the values that drive the US school systems, how to differentiate among the schools and how to become aware of the varied curriculum among states, districts and schools. We learned about how important it is in the US for parents to be involved in the schooling of their children. The US schools expect parents to follow their child’s schooling closely and be present in both a mental and physical way in the school’s daily doings. There was a significant difference of opinion between the members born and raised in the US and the rest of the attendees on how they viewed the US schooling and its values.

In the end, Candice took us on a tour of how to navigate the US school system. I have tried to incorporate the important aspects of this tour in the fact box below. In all, it was a day well spent.

How to navigate the US School Systems
Key points to keep in mind:
A US core belief is that all decisions about education should be made at the level as close to the people as possible, which means:
The federal government has limited responsibility and power.
All schools are not created equal.
There will be differences between school districts.
There is no national curriculum in the US.
Most university degree programs require the study of a wide range of topics other than the area of specialty.
In US schools, parents often are expected to:
Make sure their children do their homework but not be too involved in it
Volunteer time in the school library, student clubs or special events
Speak informally with the school Principal and the child’s teacher from time to time
Make appointments to meet with the teacher or the Principal if they have questions or concerns about their child’s schooling or wellbeing
Attend Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) or Association (PTA) meetings
Be a chaperone on their child’s class trips to museums or plays
Be a soccer mom/dad during weekend games or bus mom/dad during weekdays
Give money, items to sell, or time for fundraising events
To succeed in one’s career in the US, it is neither necessary nor sufficient to have gone to one of the best universities.

By Annemarie Brink Olsen