Marianne Salem is the Executive Director of the Lake Leman International School (LLIS) in Morges, Vaud. Founded in 2011, the school offers education to students aged between 3 and 11, with flexible teaching that matches each student's needs and a strong focus on community engagement for both pupils and their families.
In order to accommodate both international and local students, LLIS prioritises teaching of the French language. The co-education of international and local students in the same school has a very positive impact on the integration of international students into the local community and fosters the friendship between Swiss families and families from abroad.
Lake Leman International School, www.llis.ch
By Marianne Salem, Lake Leman International School, www.llis.ch
Your child isn’t reading at the same level as his or her classmates, or perhaps hasn’t as good a grasp of mathematics and science. Is it time to call in the specialists, or track down a tutor and pay for extra classes? We say no. Just like every adult has different abilities, every child is unique and learns at a different pace. It’s not about judging your child against the progress of others, rather it’s about helping them to find their path to fulfilling their own potential.
Education at its own speed
Some children have a natural aptitude for maths, while others have an affinity for the arts. Yet as parents, we may naturally want them to excel at subjects we believe will suit them best in life, gearing them towards traditional professions in law, medicine, engineering and academia.
By Marianne Salem, Lake Leman International School, www.llis.ch
By focusing on academic testing and grading, are we threatening our children’s love of learning? Leading thinkers in education believe so, citing widespread problems at the heart of mainstream and state-led schooling across the world.
What do the experts say?
Sir Anthony Seldon, vice-chancellor of Buckingham University in the UK and former Master of Wellington College, a leading independent school, said that too many schools worldwide had adopted an “exams-factory” approach thereby neglecting students’ wellbeing and character development.
“Anybody who says you can reduce the purpose of education to the passing of tests is guilty of adopting that approach… exams and tests matter but they’re not all that matters and the problem is they are seen by many to be all-embracing,” said Sir Anthony in an Independent.co.uk report.
Over the years, international schools have come under harsh criticism as not providing the best learning experience. These schools have been seen as a place where students who struggle with education are sent, or as isolated bubbles outside the community where non-native families become an insular micro-community. However, a new kind of international school is changing that view by taking a new approach to teaching. From community engagement to non-standardised teaching, at Lake Leman International School (LLIS) our students get the opportunity to develop their individual skills and create a personal leaning experience for themselves.
One of the traditional barriers faced at international schools is that of community integration and student-community engagement. The schools are fantastic centres of learning for students of all cultures and nationalities, but typically, these learning environments have been very self-centric. Services used by the students and their parents are often available on the school site, and with lots of young people to mix with at the school too, this has often led to international schools becoming quite isolated. Students often only mix with staff, other students and their families, and parents tend to socialise with each other. While this is a supportive and safe environment, it also presents issues with the wider community. Are these schools doing enough to integrate with local people?
