Miguel Garat Garcia and his wife Sara are the proud parents of Carlos, Alejandro and Miguel, who have been Wellingtonians since 2017. As part of our ongoing We are Wellington series, we ask our wider Wellington community — staff members, parents and pupils — to share their experiences of the College and talk about what makes the Shanghai International School  special to them. Miguel joins us to share what he and his family look for in a school and how Wellington is equipping their sons for future success.0

Getting the most of the Wellington experience

Our children want what every kid wants to get out of Wellington, to make good friends and have a good time. But as parents, we want our children’s school to be a place where they will be well taken care of, respected and made to feel like they are part of a family. We want a place where they are challenged to achieve incredible goals, whether they are academic, athletic, artistic or personal. We know that Shanghai International School’s teachers and leaders work hard to make sure that all of these things happen.

Learning and growing through co-curricular activities

Our sons are always looking for new activities to explore, but what they really like and are particularly good at are sports and theatre. These are the things that we always encourage them to do. Sports are important to us. Our boys are big into football, and it has helped them to develop physical skills, make new friends and build self-confidence. Because of their involvement in sports, they have better social skills, they behave better and are better at relating to others. Their involvement in sports contributes to better academic performance as well.

Theatre has also been so enriching for our children. My wife and I are always telling our sons that the ability to communicate clearly and confidently is a valuable life skill. Theatre is perfect for this. It is a way for them to cultivate this skill and have a lot of fun while they do it.

Becoming globally-minded, confident children

In their time at Wellington, Carlos, Alejandro and Miguel have become happy, globally-minded, confident children. They have learned how to communicate, how to debate, how to give opinions. They have learned how to care for others. They have learned how to win. They have learned how to lose as well. This is even more important, because, when we lose, we learn something from it. All of this, I think, is because of the entire Wellington experience.

Preparing children for long-term success

Without a doubt, our sons are learning how to behave with emotional intelligence. I think this is the most important lesson for our children’s future and, by the way, for humanity. Over the years, I have seen the transformation first hand.  They are better problem solvers. They are more inclined to help others. My wife and I can see how they relate to others with empathy and understanding. They are better equipped to resolve conflicts. This is a reason why our children are so much happier. This is happening here at the Shanghai International School , and it is what makes this school such a special place.

A strong community of actively engaged families

The Wellington community goes beyond the classroom, and we, as parents, feel fully engaged. We have a voice. We participate in the education of our children, and this is very important, because 20 years down the road, we will look back and feel great about the things that happened during our children’s time at the Shanghai International School.

Although our campus is currently closed to external visitors – you can still take a look round via our new virtual tours. Our admissions team is readily available to answer any questions you might have and to guide you through the application process.  Please do get in touch.

admissions.shanghai@wellingtoncollege.cn