International School of Beijing

Wow. That was my first impression. You can go here to the ISB website to see their promotional video(s) about the programs. It’s a HUGE building—with a population of 1,800 students, it’s the largest international school in Beijing.

The kids (and I) were suitably wowed by the playground. Noah did mention again the lack of just plain dirt for digging—but given their penchant for acquiring serious amounts of dirt wherever they go anyway, I’m happy to see more concrete and soft rubber stuff. There is a definite Chinese feel—from the dragons to the pagodas. The pagodas are amazing—not some chintzy mock-up. They were repainted this summer and most of the detailing work had to be done by hand. It had a little Disney-esque feel to it, but since I have a love for all things Disney, it suits me just fine.

Nerdy thing to notice—this is the parking lot surface. The tiles take the weight of the cars, but when you drive in or stand, it looks like a large expanse of grass instead of asphalt. Pretty cool, huh (in that, you know, nerdy thing to notice way)?

Inside, the school resembles a pretty typical suburban school with a few notable exceptions. Most schools don’t have what appears to be antique furniture in the halls for decoration! In all the halls there are silk robes, furniture, pottery, and paintings—some on display, some to be used. The middle school has a snack area that is furnished to look like a tea room!

In other respects, there are guidance counselors, school nurses, gyms, media centers, computer rooms—much like what the kids would have back in the States. The great thing here is class sizes—22 maximum for middle school, which is about 10-12 less than where we used to teach. They have a huge stadium and grass and artificial turf fields for baseball, soccer, cricket, field hockey, and rugby—no American football, though. They also have a fantastic theater and a smaller “black box” theater for smaller productions as well.

Afterwards, everyone found something to be excited about. Everyone also remembered that they’ll be the new kids and starting over will be hard. There are about 450 new students this year so they won’t be alone in their newness, but it’s not easy to think about that first day. On the other hand, they’ll have a week where Mark and I are at work and they’re home alone all day with their ayi (housekeeper) who doesn’t speak English so anything might be looking good at that point!