I really don't recommmend sending your children to this school.
-The name is very misleading- the only thing American about the school is the name and the textbooks.
-The teachers are not native English speakers, they are almost exclusively arab and indian= cheaper for the school to employ than bringing American teachers, also, not being from the US, they are not as familiar with the curriculum as Americans would be. The school also employs almost exclusively female married teachers and staff- this means that they are in Doha under their husband's visa, basically meaning that the school does not have to pay for their accommodation, flights etc. A lot of them have large families and / or are almost always pregnant every year, which makes you question their energy levels and therefore their commitment. They usually look very tired, as many of them are egyptian and stay up all night looking after their kids whilst their husbands sleep- his work is considered more important in their culture. Result- teacher is distracted and tired- your children's education suffers. Another result of them being sponsored by their husband and not the school is that they can leave the job at any time without notice, and many of them do- they find better paying jobs and leave. this obviously is a huge disruption to the students.
-The school also puts a lot of emphasis on Arabic and Islamic studies, these subjects are given the same amount of time as English, Maths or Science. No alternative subjects are offered to students who are not arabic speakers and non-muslims, they just get to sit in the library and do as they please.
-My son was picked on for not being a muslim and told by his classmates that he would go to hell!! the teacher did nothing to stop this, and when I went to see the school, they didnt seem surprised or upset about it- I think they agreed!
-The classes are huge, often over 30 students. There are no extra-curricular activities on offer.
-There are also severe discipline problems in the school, with whole hours often being wasted to control just a few kids!
-The buliding is really inadequate- it's basically large portocabins used as classrooms with no real buliding or corridor except for the main entrance and offices (what the parents see). This means your children will have to play and form lines outside under 50 degree heat in summer before going into a hardly air-conditioned room.
-There are loads of great and affordable schools in Doha, contact me and i'll give you a few names. Just trust me, you could do better than this. I had to move my son in the end, went to Elite Int. School- far better. I got no refund on the fees paid to AA though.
Hi everyone,
I really don't recommmend sending your children to this school.
-The name is very misleading- the only thing American about the school is the name and the textbooks.
-The teachers are not native English speakers, they are almost exclusively arab and indian= cheaper for the school to employ than bringing American teachers, also, not being from the US, they are not as familiar with the curriculum as Americans would be. The school also employs almost exclusively female married teachers and staff- this means that they are in Doha under their husband's visa, basically meaning that the school does not have to pay for their accommodation, flights etc. A lot of them have large families and / or are almost always pregnant every year, which makes you question their energy levels and therefore their commitment. They usually look very tired, as many of them are egyptian and stay up all night looking after their kids whilst their husbands sleep- his work is considered more important in their culture. Result- teacher is distracted and tired- your children's education suffers. Another result of them being sponsored by their husband and not the school is that they can leave the job at any time without notice, and many of them do- they find better paying jobs and leave. this obviously is a huge disruption to the students.
-The school also puts a lot of emphasis on Arabic and Islamic studies, these subjects are given the same amount of time as English, Maths or Science. No alternative subjects are offered to students who are not arabic speakers and non-muslims, they just get to sit in the library and do as they please.
-My son was picked on for not being a muslim and told by his classmates that he would go to hell!! the teacher did nothing to stop this, and when I went to see the school, they didnt seem surprised or upset about it- I think they agreed!
-The classes are huge, often over 30 students. There are no extra-curricular activities on offer.
-There are also severe discipline problems in the school, with whole hours often being wasted to control just a few kids!
-The buliding is really inadequate- it's basically large portocabins used as classrooms with no real buliding or corridor except for the main entrance and offices (what the parents see). This means your children will have to play and form lines outside under 50 degree heat in summer before going into a hardly air-conditioned room.
-There are loads of great and affordable schools in Doha, contact me and i'll give you a few names. Just trust me, you could do better than this. I had to move my son in the end, went to Elite Int. School- far better. I got no refund on the fees paid to AA though.
Sorry to go on, hope this helps!
Emily