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I'm from the U.S. and will soon be moving to an international school in Hamburg,,,I was wondering if anyone has been to an international school before and could tell me the difference between there and a public high school here in the U.S.
The International School in Hamburg actually has a Web site:
http://www.international-school-hamburg.de/
I haven't attended this particular school, but I've seen a couple of similar ones in other places. The biggest difference from an American high school is going to be the fact that both students and teachers are going to be from all over the world. What it means for you is that you will have to learn Euro-English. Your school will have a "programme of study" rather than a "curriculum", you will take IB (International Baccalaureate) classes rather than AP classes, and all that jazz...
Generally, international schools are filled with expatriates, and not just from English-speaking countries. Many kids come from families that are well off financially, but they may barely see their parents who work all the time. Many teachers are also expatriates (typically, spouses of foreign business people), so quite a few teach because they want to, rather than because they have to.
Judging by spelling and phrasing of documents on the school's Web site, it appears that the school is run by British teachers, so expect to be held to a much higher standard (both in academics and in demeanor) than you would be in the average U.S. high school. You may also have some heavy catching up to do; chances are, the stuff they studied in the math class last year was on your American high school's to-do list for the next year...
My Dad was an officer in the US Army and he was assigned to Germany for several years, near Heidelberg then near Nurnberg. I went to schools that were run by the US military and they were no different than regular american schools. (I'm not sure if they were the same as what you are talking about.)
The only real diffference was that all grades took a class in German language. In elementary school it was simple phrases and songs (Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum, wie grun sind deine Blattern ... Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches ...). In high school it's just like taking a foreign language in a high school in Indiana.
Hope this helps. Good Luck!!
I didn't sorry I can't help you, have a nice day :)
