anna77
22 Apr 2013
USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]
Newpip, what's the name of the school your kids attend? How difficult would it be for a child who does not speak a word of Polish to integrate into it? Do they provide any assistance for children like that in terms of Polish language? How many classes are taught in English and how many in Polish?
In general, I would love for my kids to pick up Polish while we are there as I firmly believe that they can only benefit from speaking a different language (we are a bi-lingual family already, speaking Russian and English at home). However, since it's a temporary move, I don't think I would want to enroll my kids into a school where education is only in Polish. A bi-lingual school would be ideal, provided they offer enough support for kids who do not speak Polish and meet our standards in other ways.
Another concern is how quickly my 7 yo will be able to make friends in an environment where he does not speak the language. He will be leaving some great friends behind and I am sure will be feeling lonely in the beginning. Providing him with an environment where he can make new friends fast would be a huge consideration for us. By extension and knowing from experience we had living in London, we would probably also have a higher chance meeting new friends amongst parents of the schools our children attend than elsewhere... Lastly, we will be choosing where to live mostly by proximity to school... So a lot rides on the school choice!
Newpip, what's the name of the school your kids attend? How difficult would it be for a child who does not speak a word of Polish to integrate into it? Do they provide any assistance for children like that in terms of Polish language? How many classes are taught in English and how many in Polish?
In general, I would love for my kids to pick up Polish while we are there as I firmly believe that they can only benefit from speaking a different language (we are a bi-lingual family already, speaking Russian and English at home). However, since it's a temporary move, I don't think I would want to enroll my kids into a school where education is only in Polish. A bi-lingual school would be ideal, provided they offer enough support for kids who do not speak Polish and meet our standards in other ways.
Another concern is how quickly my 7 yo will be able to make friends in an environment where he does not speak the language. He will be leaving some great friends behind and I am sure will be feeling lonely in the beginning. Providing him with an environment where he can make new friends fast would be a huge consideration for us. By extension and knowing from experience we had living in London, we would probably also have a higher chance meeting new friends amongst parents of the schools our children attend than elsewhere... Lastly, we will be choosing where to live mostly by proximity to school... So a lot rides on the school choice!