An American in Paris

Sisters Middle School Principal Kathy Miner will be Director of the International School in Paris for the 2010-2011 school year.

Mark Stewart has been named interim principal at the middle school.

Miner is getting excited about her new endeavor.

"I'm struck by how we compare," she said. "I expected that the schools would be much different in Europe, maybe even more advanced and more sophisticated" noted Miner, "but the educational philosophy, the class work, even the subjects are very similar to what we have at Sisters Middle School."

Kathy and her family will leave this June for the adventure in Europe. Her fifth and seventh grade children will attend the international school in Paris.

"Beyond the academics which are nearly identical to ours, there is a strong focus on the arts," Miner noted. "Relationship building between students and between students and staff is also a major focus.

"Classes are taught in English, and most of the students are children whose parents have been transferred by their companies to work abroad for a year or two and then return home," Miner said. "With a 30 percent annual turnover, the need to build and re-build relationships and continuity is vital."

Miner found an apartment in Garches, a "commune" in the western suburbs of Paris, within walking distance of the school. She said that the streets are lined with small shops and chocolatiers.

"It's like living in a little fable," she said.

Miner's training is in special education. She came to Sisters four years ago and has been principal of the middle school for three years, following Lora Nordquist into that job. She has secured a one-year leave of absence from Sisters School District to allow her to follow her dream of teaching abroad.

"I was chosen as one of three finalists from a field of 153 qualified applicants," she said. "The other two finalists had international school experience, but they chose me because I had 'typical' American middle school experience and philosophy. The international schools want their students to be able to move from the international school setting back into the American public school system seamlessly."

Teaching in Europe has its advantages.

"Because the European countries are small and close together and travel is easy, there are lots of field trips to the locations that are being studied," Miner said. "If we are doing a unit on the Romans, we can go to the ruins in Italy."

Kathy has been abroad a number of times, twice to Paris, twice to Florence and twice to Athens. Her studies and teachings included a lot of art and art history.

"The girls and I are also very excited about the eighth-through-12th sports league," Miner said. "This league is between international schools all over Europe. When the kids play another school, they go to that country and stay in the family homes of the host school. After the games, the visitors are given a mini-tour of the area with some historical and local facts woven in. What a great way to become immersed in other cultures."