The American International School of Kuwait

The American International School of Kuwait has an extremely important mission. The school is a unique cultural bridge bringing together students from across the Middle East and around the world. We are privileged to live in an oasis of peace in a troubled region and to teach and to study in a school dedicated to nurturing students as they become world citizens. There are few groups of people to whom living the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile could be more important. As an IBO World School we celebrate the rich cultural tapestry that presents each day at our school as we, in the words of the IBO, "develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect." We offer the Primary Years Programme (PYP) for pupils aged 3 to 12, the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for students aged 11 to 16, and the Diploma Programme for students aged 16 to 19. Approximately twenty percent of high school students take the full Diploma Programme while roughly eighty percent write at least one International Baccalaureate world examination. All graduates obtain a high school graduation certificate accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. These programmes are unique, but common threads give them unity. They each are holistic, balanced and inquiry driven. Each of them promotes international mindedness. Learning under the umbrella of the IBO is both integrated and applied. Teachers and students learn together by doing, discovering, and reflecting. Given that most students are working in English as a second language, however, care is being taken to systematically emphasize skill development throughout in both literacy and mathematics. This is all a work in progress. We are far from perfect, but strive constantly to improve. We realize that learning is never complete. We therefore aim to sustain the natural curiosity that students bring to their first day at school. To do that we need teachers who are not only knowledgeable and skilled, but also creative, imaginative and adventuresome. We need parents who are not just supportive and caring, but those who also participate in the joy of learning. We treat children the way adults like to be treated; we treat adults the way children like to be treated. In a nutshell, we want to be a community of people who have never really grown up. We learn together, and that is fun.