It's hard to move (maybe traumatizing is a better word)
It's hard to change schools frequently
It's hard to be a foreigner
It's hard to study in your second language
It's really annoying to go to school with the rich.
On the other hand, CNG (Colegio Nueva Granada) has several advantages
To my mind they are
1) the campus has 4 schools each with its own administration: primary k4 - 2; elementary 3-5; middle 6-8 and high school. It is a great relief to have all the kids at the same campus.
2) an army of personnel who clean, paint and maintain
3) the campus is beautiful, with patios where students can relax and eat their lunch or talk during breaks. Lunch is more leisurely and I am glad they are not herded and hurried like the large schools in the US. There are gate porters that keep campus security, but inside the campus, students move around freely.
4) Real food is served, the bookstore sells food that was a fruit or vegetable this morning. Somebody's mom made the little pizzas they sell.
5) They have great actitivies, several plays every year, and field trips that are significant events. In grade 1 they go on a day trip to "Guatavita", that is, El Dorado, an hour away. In grade 7 they can go to the Pacific Coast of Colombia, in grade 12 they can choose to go to La Guiajira an isolated peninsula on the Carribean coast. I am glad my children have this opportunity.
6) Teachers are recruited based on merit and they are motivated.
7) Students come from professional or international backgrounds and so educational expectations for students are higher
8) Private funding means they have microscopes for every student, can actually use chemicals in chemistry and there are no textbook or desk shortages.
