Best Pre-College Summer Programs for Young Learners (Page 8)

It was a nice experience for us. The support we received during our interview and registration process was valuable. Thank you. I’d like to share both our experience and recommendations with you. The welcome we received on the first day was warm. However, we expected a brief orientation for the families, but this did not happen. There may have been cultural differences, but a short introduction and a school tour would have been helpful. When we evaluated the school process, our experience fell short of our expectations. We expected a curriculum based on a placement test before school started, but when we reviewed our daughter’s grades, we realized the lessons were too simple for her. The program we received included options like indoor swimming and team sports, but we received feedback that the teachers mostly played soccer with the children or left them to play among themselves during free time. We expected a more professional approach that guided the children and taught them teamwork. We were disappointed to see students playing games on tablets during their free time. We expected teachers to intervene. During our interview, we asked about the Turkish population because we wanted our child to speak English. You stated that you were paying attention to this. Unfortunately, 90% of the class was Turkish. Of course, you have little opportunity to intervene in this matter, but we learned that schools in Europe open in August, and the number of students from different countries increases in June and July. We would have liked this information to be shared with us. Unfortunately, we were seriously disappointed in this regard. I can’t say that the program benefited us in terms of either language or cultural exposure. All families have similar feedback, as our experience didn’t align with the program’s purpose. The age and behavioral incompatibility among the students was also a negative experience. The school’s physical conditions were good, and we were satisfied with this. However, the facilities could have been used more effectively. The Cadbury World trip, which appeared on our calendar in the program sent to us, had already taken place the week before. This was disappointing. The program was not implemented as communicated. The teachers were attentive and warm. Our daughter interacted with them enthusiastically. Overall, we can’t say it was a negative experience. It helped my daughter gain self-confidence in speaking, but it fell short of our expectations. We were unable to achieve the benefits we prioritized, such as language development, learning about cultural differences, and participating in a disciplined program.