American Academy in Bratislava Reviews (1)

Rating:

Celia Gray, a year ago

From my own experience I can say that of the secondary schools I have attended so far (Pankúchova, Private Bilingual Grammar School Czech), the American Academy is definitely the best and I think that thanks to its uniqueness also the best in the whole of Slovakia. It is characterized by the Canada-Finland-American school system, which means that one year is divided into trimesters and students choose their own subjects according to what they enjoy (each trimester has the opportunity to choose different). The approach of teachers is diametrically different from that of Slovakia in that they are really interested in their students, they want to teach them new things and the smile will never disappear from their faces. Most teachers are from abroad, especially from English-speaking countries such as the USA, Britain and Canada. It is the teachers and especially the founder of the American Academy - Mr. Kania - who helped me the most to get closer to my goals and became my friend. As for tests, we rarely have them, and only from subjects such as mathematics, biology and sometimes history. Teaching is based on making projects and presentations and watching thematic videos, so that the student really understands what they are learning, and not just crushed it into one paper and then forgot the curriculum forever, as is the case with the Slovak school system. It should also be mentioned that we students talk a lot with teachers about the topic, present our opinions and especially learn how to properly put together arguments and refute them, which I think is one of the most necessary things in life today - correct and especially productive conversation . American Academy is in partnership with Foxcroft Academy in Maine, USA, as well as with its parent company JK Education. JK Education is an organization that helps students from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and other neighboring countries get to the best universities around the world, especially with those with whom they are in partnership. Maps with locations where their graduates got to are published on Facebook, and the results are really envious. This brings me to graduation. Things are so that this school ... has no high school diploma! :) Whether we know it or not, in America the graduation is not taken and therefore not even in AA. Instead of graduation, you collect credits for each subject you choose, and if you collect the required number of credits for the given branches: Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Humanities, English Language, Foreign Language, Optional, you will go through and finish high school. All done. There is still a test called SAT, but it is only required by universities in the USA, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, India and Singapore, and not every university in these countries requires this test. In addition, if the student is from a country that does not require SAT and applies to the United States, this test is usually not mandatory. The school environment is very modern and pleasant. AA is in a block of flats, it's not the typical school building, so I guess a lot of people would be confused when looking for its location. That's fine, I was too. But once you find her, it's hard to leave her. The interior is spacious, with its own fully equipped kitchen, dining room, library, CLEAN toilets and classrooms with interactive whiteboards. This year there were only about 30 of us students and according to new updates on our website there should be up to 65 of us in 2020/21. You could write 100 words of praise about the American Academy, as I did right now :), but this non-traditional school can also be described in two terms and a member: An Unique Opportunity.