Should we be Teaching in the Early Years?
There has been much debate in Europe about whether it is more important for children to learn or to play at pre-school. Should children...
Comedy and Control in the Classroom
Comedy is in the surprising; there is quirkiness and unpredictability in the lightness of humour. We laugh at an unexpected event, and...
The Schools in Your Neighborhood
I have lived in three quite diverse Swiss neighbourhoods since arriving here in 2002. The differences among them, in hindsight, are...
Physical Development and Learning: Moving is Thinking!
In Switzerland and many other European countries, team and athletic sports are not organised as part of school. They are social,...
Developmental Daycare: Care with a Difference
To many of us working parents, the term “daycare” (Kindertagesstätte, Kita or Krippe in the German-speaking part of Switzerland) simply...
What Makes Children Happy At School?
This may seem an impossible question to answer. By reflecting on our own experiences and identifying what happiness at school or lack of...
Special Education Matters
When a teacher reports that a child is not progressing or fulfilling her potential at school, the parents suddenly have to face the...
Two School Languages for Your Children! …but at What Price?
In the current economic climate, international company employees are facing dramatic cuts by global employers who now only offer local...
Long Travels with Children
We often wish that summer holidays could go on and on… well, they can! For this summer issue Monica Shah, our education columnist,...
Growing Up and Changing Schools
As our children grow and change, we parents develop new perspectives on their potential. Preschools and kindergartens are often their...