San Francisco, CA
Chinese American International School

Teachers Are:

OVERALL RATING: (4.2)
Full of energy and seemingly happy in job
Patient and affectionate with children
Talks with children and listens carefully when they are talking with him/her
Praises children for accomplishments and good behavior
Provides feedback on what my child does during the day
Shares insights on my child that are helpful and accurate
Identifies my child’s strengths and weaknesses
If necessary, provides additional support to my child during pickup and drop-off
Resolves disputes quickly, calmly and fairly in a manner that allows children to learn from the dispute
Notices children who are not on task and/or engaging with other children appropriately and quickly reengages them
Manages the energy level of the children so that all children feel safe and able to learn
Provides additional support to a child when s/he is clearly failing in her/his efforts
Strikes the proper balance between active and quiet play for children

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Parents' Comments on Individualized Teaching

Parent #1
The Preschool teachers are wonderful. They are enthusiastic, happy, and energized. They provide both formal and informal feedback. But given their responsibilities, its impossible to do that every day...As a single parent, I've been given a lot of additional support particularly at pick-up time. There is a high level of awareness of individual needs/situations.

Parent #2
Our staff are all dedicated professionals whom I entrusted my children totally. My children thrive to learn and are quite happy in this nurturing environment.

Parent #3
I have been universally impressed with the teachers at CAIS, both the English-language and the Mandarin-language teachers. Though their styles are different, presumably reflecting cultural norms, all have struck me as warm individuals who love helping children learn.

Parent #4
Great music specialist provides exceptional music exposure to the kids. They love it and learn a lot about music and ensemble work.

Parent #5
The Chinese teachers have a challenging job, and lots of kids report home that they prefer to be in the English classroom, especially in the beginning. The Chinese classroom is all about immersion - language, culture, etc. They learn lots of songs and poems. The classroom is traditional - one teacher instructing everyone; they also do small-group breakouts each day. The English classroom, in contrast, is free-form. The children 'explore' the classroom individually, or in pairs, after a brief circle time. Much time is spent on emotional learning (conflict resolution, etc.) and kids are allowed to choose activities that interest them, with some, but not much, nudging from the teachers. The English teachers are younger and like to keep the classroom fun and somewhat silly at times. Most kids love being in this classroom.

Parent #6
The teachers seem to have a 'type' of child they believe will do well in their program. These children seem to get preferential treatment, if your child is not 'the perfect Montessori' child, s/he will have a more difficult time at this school. They had a great after-school art teacher but she is no longer there. I wish they had half-day or mentoring programs that helped the youngsters that do not adjust as quickly as some.

Montessori? Waldorf? Play-based?

What school type is right for your child? Is one model better than another? What does the research say?

View an example from the Savvy Source guide to learn more.

Trace around your child's foot, with shoe on, on a piece of white construction paper or card stock. Have child cut out the shoe print and add a spooky face. Glue it to a popsicle stick and you have a ghost stick puppet!

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