OUR PHILOSOPHY

The mission of the American Community School of Sharjah is to provide an American-style education for national and international families living in Sharjah and the surrounding Emirates.  ACS Sharjah seeks to educate the whole person, to lay the foundations for life-long learning, and to foster a lively and stimulating atmosphere within a coeducational environment.  The program will instill in the students the highest academic and ethical standards and will prepare them for higher education.  Additionally, it will help them become responsible citizens while challenging students  to reach their fullest potential.  The faculty will set standards of excellence and integrity in the delivery of academic and co-curricular programs including the American high school diploma and International Baccalaureate.

ACS Sharjah seeks to nurture the qualities of respect for self and for others and to cultivate a desire to serve the community. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their thoughts, words and actions, to act with honor and purpose, and to make a difference in our complex global society.

Educational Philosophy

ACS Sharjah is an international school following the American curriculum. Its philosophy regarding student development is based on the following principles.

• Students have an inherent ability to learn.
• All students have strengths and needs.  It is the responsibility of all school stakeholders to maximize those gifts while meeting the needs of the students. 
• Through the ACS Sharjah curriculum and POLARIS program, students have a greater opportunity for success, while exemplifying their areas of strength.
• Students will learn to make good choices and take responsibility for their actions.
• Promoting the growth of the whole person is one of the school's primary goals.
• Personal growth will be achieved through solving real life problems.
• Teachers facilitate and design instructional activities that allow students to construct their own understandings.
• Students should be active participants in the learning process.
• The process of learning involves relating new learning to past experiences and assimilation of new information through application, retention and transfer of knowledge.
• Feedback is an essential part of the learning process.
• Students should assume responsibilities for themselves and others in the school and larger community.

It is our belief that some students will need additional support and service to reach the same standards and achievements of their peers, while other students have expanded abilities that need to be cultivated.  ACS Sharjah is the only school in the UAE actively addressing the needs of differentiated learners who otherwise might not achieve our standards or students who have been held back by those same standards.

The school's philosophy can be divided into four key areas:

1  The first deals with cognitive growth, beginning in the early school years, with hands-on activities. As the child matures, symbolic, abstract concepts are incorporated, including situational problem solving.  Intellectual development occurs naturally in an environment that stimulates curiosity, with a sensitivity to and awareness of each student's uniqueness.

2  ACS Sharjah strives for personal and social growth in its community.  The child develops through self-expression, self-acceptance, self-actualization, as well as peer-interaction, all of which are integral to future success. Students are given the opportunity to develop their personal identity, while taking responsibility for their membership in the school community. The skills developed at ACS Sharjah will allow students to become active members in the larger community, sharing with and learning from people in an international context.  The school embraces programs that advocate citizenship, tolerance and respect of all people and cultures. 

3  The third area in student development is the promoting of their physical well-being through the use of mind and body. Growth occurs naturally through play and interaction with others. This is reinforced in structured and supervised health education classes.  Younger children will have the opportunity to play while older students will be encouraged to participate in organized team sporting activities.  Additionally, personal physical growth through martial arts classes, swimming, dance, gymnastics, and physical fitness classes at our well-equipped athletics center will allow our students to develop a well-balanced and life long commitment to mind and body.

The fourth area in student development is Personal Accomplishment - Education is not a spectator activity.  Students receive the opportunity to experience meaningful academic, physical and community achievements, while learning how to benefit from defeat and to make every situation a learning opportunity.  Students receive continuous feedback from every member in the community in a supportive and integrity-centered environment.  It is the students' personal accomplishments that they will take with them after they have graduated from ACS Sharjah, allowing them to truly become life-long learners.