I blelieve the fee issue has been resolved, but I have never been told that directly.

Still looking for information on this school, if anyone out there has any information. Thanks.

For a professional development workshop I do from time to time on the portrayal of teachers in films, which film do you believe presents the best/funniest/most accurate (choose one or all - or something else) portrayal of a teacher? Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie? Jon Voight in Conrack? Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller's Day Off? Ray Walston in Fast Times at Ridgemont High? I would be interested in hearing any and all opinions. Thanks in advance.

J.W. - I just went back through my e-mails (I am not particularly good with the personal account, the school account tires me) and saw I owe you a reply! I promise an update in the next day or two, tops. There were 46 detentions after school yesterday, and almost-daily multiple suspensions for fighting. I did a peer observation yesterday of a senior English class, though, and was pretty impressed - certainly the most intellectual thing I have been a part of on the campus this year. I'll write more re the gun very soon.
- E.B.

No problem with your questions. CDs are available here - mostly rock and pop; there is not a wide selection, but there are some, and enough. DVDs, too. Musical instruments - if you can plug them into a wall they are here (keyboards, etc.); we brought three musical instruments over so have not looked for anything else. There are organized sports here - Jeddah Youth Baseball League is coed, the schools have a limited number of after-school activities and a few on weekends, and some compounds organize events. Our daughter is an avid soccer player (she is 10), and she has opportunitities - slight teasing from some groups of boys for being such an athletic girl. Our kids are older, so homework fills in the gaps. I would not say there is an abundance of things for kids to do here, but there is a minimum amount. The problem we have found is things for adults to do. For adults, it is absolutely horrid. As I have said in a previous message, if I were single, I would have shot myself last October.

We are currently at a school which is the educational equivalent of a used car lot. It is disillusioning, disappointing, and embarrassing. We are weighing the possibility of staying, going to another international school, or returning to the US. Bigger factor than even the damage to our careers and sense of values is a child with college looming on the horizon. A majority of his core teachers have no classroom management and/or no certification and/or no expertise in their subject area. Our dinner table conversation includes tales of disciplinary actions, including daily suspensions. Our younger child is in a class of 27. Standards, ethics, and again - values, seem to matter little. Apathy and cynicism rule. We want to continue this journey abroad but are really caught in a bind. And, with the economy what it is, it is more than a little scary.

Again, hard to say since it depends on the country, but I would ask for the names of teachers with nannies, and get in touch with them. Their nannies might know something. Our school wouldn't help us get up out of a chair, but I guarantee you if you asked my housekeeper for the names of other housekeepers, she would have some lined up outside your door the next morning. If the veteran teachers have nannies, you''ll find one, too.

I am in the Middle East, and it would be absolutely no problem finding someone. At least where I am, there are many "guest workers" from east Asia and finding them is relatively easy - other colleagues will know names upon your arrival.

It's hard to offer any advice without knowing where you are going.

We brought in over 200 CDs in our shipment and have brought many here in our luggage and there has never been a problem. Keep in mind, as a family, we shipped in a lot of stuff (part of the deal we made with ourselves and our kids when we moved abroad) and I don't think one of our boxes was opened, but I believe a big part of that was because the staff member we had at the airport worked out a deal so all of us didn't have to spend hours going through things. But, having said that, we have never even had a suitcase opened at the airport, so I don't think it will be a problem. We were also worried about a couple of pieces of artwork, and even wrapped a couple of statues in socks and undies and hand-carried them, but still no problems. I am reasonably certain bringing a guitar would be no problem. We brought three musical instruments - one on the
plane, and two in the shipment (including a guitar) - and had no problems.

You should receive a list of what can be brought in and what can't from either your school or a shipper where you live. There are some odd things - like you are not supposed to bring chess sets (and we had a really nice one we sold) but you can buy them here! Read it carefully, and use your best judgement. Depictions of the human form are supposed to be a problem, but again, that's only if your stuff gets inspected somewhere along the way. We brought a DVD of Almodovar's "Bad Education" - to name just one thing - and no one ever saw it.

As for sporting goods for children and adults - we have never had a problem and can't remember hearing of any problems. Sometimes the stuff is more expensive, but it is here. We bought scuba/snorkeling gear for four, and it wasn't cheap, but it was high quality.

Hope this helps.

Air pollution is not a problem - I have not heard anyone complain about it. It isn't great, but it is not worth noting. Litter is a big problem here - I am still not used to the litter here. It's the worst of anywhere I have lived.

Conti is relatively close to the airport, but the airport is pretty easy to get to from most places in Jeddah - that is a small positive. I have been at four international schools and at two, the trips to the airport were sometimes longer than the plane rides. The Jeddah airport is easy to get to and quite nice also.

It is about a thirty to forty minute drive to the beach club we go to. There are probably closer ones. This beach is quite nice and perfectly okay for a family. Expect to see bikinis and the occasional woman in the water in her abaya, too.

Many people here have invested in SUVs, others new sedans, while some swear by an old piece of junk. All can be found. Personally, I would opt for the best used vehicle I could afford. Driving here is pretty offensive like many places in the world, with high speeds, weird lane changes and so on, but it can be done. You need to be hyper-alert if you are behind the wheel.

Hope this helps.

Can anyone provide up-to-date information on American Academy Casablanca? It appears the reviews are all from last year or before. Anything would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I notice I have neglected to update the information about myself on the left margin - now in Jeddah. If that is a match, let's figure out a way to talk.

We are not at a school managed by ISS. It is Wednesday evening here, which means the start of the weekend - thank goodness! We need a weekend to clear our heads and map out how to proceed with this issue. We quickly went from a plan of staying for four years to get one child through high school, down to two years, and now we are wondering if one year will be pushing it. I am 51; this is my 22nd year of teaching, and my eigth year in international schools and it is hard to imagine feeling more like a lowly pawn.

Thanks to everyone for their positive feedback and wishes.

Thanks very much to all who have written. I would still appreciate hearing from more people.

I completely agree with asking up front at interviews - we ask a LOI of questions at interviews, and now we know to ask this one.

We do not know why it takes $800 to register a kid - except that such a fee is just a way to make a little more money...and nickel and dime us. I have checked every document I have, and all state that tuition is covered - not tuition and fees - and, of course, there is no mention in any materials to new and propsective employees what any fees might be. While it would have been good to have asked, anyone reading this can picture a decent administrator saying, "Oh, by the way, note this doesn't cover fees, which total XXX," and then letting the propsective employee make a decision based on complete information.

Had we been told upono our arrival, we would have cleared the debt immediately, without this ridiculousness.

Finally, given the MANY other dysfunctions at our school, we can't be certain this wasn't instituted after our arrival. There are very few other teachers with kids here, but those we have asked never had to pay in previous years and are shocked by our news. This saga is not over yet - going back to the boss for further clarification and will keep you posted.

Will write more later - and looking forward to hearing more.

Please help! I would like to know if your school pays the tuition and fees as a benefit to employees with children, or just the tuition. This is our first year here, and today (January 20) the cashier handed me a statement (dated December 22) that the equivalent of US $1,600 was to be taken out of my next check for my two children's registration fees.

As many of you understand, my wife and I are holding our breath waiting for our first post-holiday paychecks, so the timing could not be worse. But, we were never told we would be responsible for this! This is my fourth international school, and I have never heard of anything like this.

If you could let me know what goes on at your school, it would be greatly appreciated. I don't necessarily need to know about relatively minor fees because we probably pay those, too, but if you are at a school that charges relatively big for having kids, please let me know.

Thanks very much.