We were told that ISS teachers are carefully selected to fit the requirements and the environment of the school. You can definitely tell that this is true because it’s easy to see that most teachers are very passionate about teaching their subjects. I’ve been to other schools, and unfortunately, have observed that most teachers either don’t have the time nor the interest in checking up on their students that have expressed difficulty in their class.
Because ISS feels like such a family, it’s much easier to develop a good working relationship with our teachers. Furthermore, ISS has a great support system for students, with teachers regularly checking up on newcomers when they first join the school. It’s especially vital to avoid those “first-day jitters” when a student is transferring from another school. I personally felt very welcome and at home when I first arrived at ISS. There are also compulsory 1-to-1 counsellor meetings that I personally experienced when I was in Grades 8, 9 and 11. This is probably ISS’s #1 advantage, that they have the capacity to allow that kind of attention to be placed on their students.
Coming from a very big school when I transferred in Grade 7, I was used to my own subject teachers not remembering my name, let alone the principal. However, even staff members at ISS know me as a person!
I believe prospective students are at a disadvantage if they can’t see beyond the lack of facilities at ISS. Many judge a book by its cover, and I feel those students lose out on a great high school experience in favor of bigger schools with seemingly better facilities. ISS is defined by much more than its exterior. I feel like the great experience I’ve had at ISS has taught me a lot about the facade that other schools put up to conceal a lot of their internal issues, and this taught me to look beyond an exterior.
I’d happily be at ISS, and have a great high school experience with not as many facilities than be at another school with stellar facilities but with a less-than-great high school experience.