Harmony Science Academy- The Sales Job

My husband and I toured the school before we enrolled our children (which will be referred to as Child A and Child B)   This was in 2003, we were promptly allowed admission to the school for our children.
1)  There was NO WAITING LIST
2)  We were told that the foreign teachers were "Scholars"

• Scholars don't teach in public schools (which is what a Charter School essentially is)
• Scholars do not teach in academia lower than a University
• Scholars general have published works
• Scholars have higher than a Bachelors Degree
• We found that the foreign teachers didn't have teaching credentials
• The foreign teachers at this school had the equivalent of a Bachelors although some were enrolled in American Universities to earn a higher degree. These teacher/students were paid to go back to school.

3)  We had a back to school night that served delicious shish kebab with baklava for desert.
4)  Met a few of the American teachers, 4 out of the 8.  The American teachers had never taught before
     it seems the Harmony Science Academys are attracted to American Teachers who are inexperienced or
     young.  We met none that were highly qualifed.
5)  We attended meetings and were soon getting the drift that the board was controlled by all Turkish people
     and all MALE.  The Harmony Science Academy Board would make decisions prior to our meetings and
    would often times talk in Turkish to exclude us from decision making.  
6)  Never was religion discussed, but fundraising was an ongoing topic and expenses.
7)  Child A and Child B both had a mix of Turkish Teachers and they couldn't understand them very well. 
     Both A and B started learning Turkish at School and found it be a different experience.  They both
     enjoyed Turkish Dancing and performed in a Turkish Olympiad in Texas.
8)  Our family was invited to many Interfaith Dialogue and Cultural meetings at the Turkish Raindrop House
     We never attended but we noted that many local politicans are speakers there.
9)  My husband and I went to Turkey with our children so they could perform at the big Turkish Olympiad at
     a big outside park with stage. 

• There were children from other GULEN "inspired" schools, they were upfront about the word 'Gulen"
• We had never heard the name "Gulen" although it was a subject with the other students from Muslim countries.
• We stayed in school dormatories that we later found were used by Gulen students. 

10)  We toured many mosques, and ancient ruins that turned out to be Greek orginale.  The guides were  nice  but everything was about Turkish culture, Turkish this and Turkish that. 

After our first year, we started to become suspicious of the school when we started to hear all the false claims about waiting lists and how the test scores were improving yet we saw no personal proof of this with
Child A and B.  We were never allowed to see test results, or able to discuss with the principal issues about
our child's academic growth. It was as if these Turkish Teachers expected us to conform to their style, their culture and their rules.