The Foreign Service Journal, December 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2013 61 I t’s hard to predict how a teenager will react to the idea of an interna- tional move. Some see it as a grand adventure and look forward to the change of lifestyle with eagerness and enthusiasm. Yet many par- ents worry that they might face the opposite reaction: open mutiny, complete with accusations of ruining the child’s life. Of course, the reaction could also be somewhere in between—or both, depending on the day. Each teenager is different, but one thing is universal: choosing a school is not only about feeding the mind, but also feeding the young person’s appropriate social and emotional development. That makes it a doubly important decision, one for which consideration of the child’s resilience is essential. Even under the best of conditions, bidding on posts while trying to find the right school for your child is a challenge. The bid list of possible posts around the world comes out, and you have a tight turnaround time to figure out whether the job is right, the post is right, and the school is right. If you have to find a school that will meet the needs of an exceptional child, your anxiety can be thrown into the red zone. Though there are many benchmarks for determining the suit- ability of a school, it is important to keep in mind that every individual has their own needs. A school that is great for one student may be a disaster for another. Here are some of the things to consider: Size Curriculum Extracurricular activities Peer group School culture College counseling Safety For a full discussion of each of these aspects of choosing a school, as well as a discussion of the types of schools and alternative approaches that are available to meet the particular needs of FS kids, go to afsa.org/ educationarticles to access the complete article. Rebecca Grappo is a certified educational planner and the founder of RNG International Educational consultants, LLC. She does place- ments for international schools and boarding schools, including those for students with learning disabilities, as well as for therapeutic schools and programs. Married to a retired career Foreign Service officer, she has raised their three children internationally. From the FSJ Education Supplement June 2013 Thinking through Educational Options For Your Foreign Service Child BY REBECCA GRAPPO