International School Parent Magazine - Spring 2022

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MEET THE HEADTEACHER George Walsh, Institut International de Lancy, Geneva Tell us about your background and what made you choose education as a career? Originally born and raised in the Ribble Valley, Northwest England, I am delighted to introduce myself as Headmaster of Early Years and Primary at Institut International de Lancy, Geneva. I am an experienced leader in global education, and I have held key positions in the United Kingdom, South-East Asia, and Switzerland. My passion for teaching started when I was a student myself. My teachers always inspired me, and I have many fond school memories. Later in life, I realised the capacity schools have to influence the lifelong development of the individuals within their communities. Knowing this, my vocation as an educator INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT SPRING 2022 | 22
was born. Fast-forward several years, I now find myself in the privileged position of shaping the ethos and values of such a prestigious and highly respected Institut in the hope that IIL students will receive the same experience that I once did. I am also fortunate to have been invited to work alongside the Council of International Schools in their mission to assist topperforming international schools with their ongoing development. I am proud to contribute towards raising the standards of international education across the globe, with the hope that more children will grow up in a more tolerant, peaceful, just, and sustainable world. How will your experiences and philosophies inform your approach as Headmaster at IIL? As a practising Catholic, my faith drives my philosophy and approach as Headmaster. Although IIL has evolved into a diverse and inclusive community since its foundation in 1903 by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Lyon, Christian values remain at the heart of everything we do. I consider every school day a blessing, and each lived to its fullest through work, play and laughter. Therefore, I set ambitious expectations of personal achievement in an environment where people treat each other with compassion and grace. As a result, students become well-rounded, harmonious individuals prepared to serve others. This philosophy makes IIL an extraordinary place and is why I remain committed to its continued development in the years to come. What is your vision for the school – will you be bringing anything new in or changing anything? Are there any areas that you want to develop in the school? My vision for the school is encapsulated in our three key guiding principles: learning, well-being, and citizenship. In other words, a school with high-quality teaching and learning is conducted in a safe and happy place where people take care of each other. This sounds basic and what most people would consider a minimum requirement in any well-resourced international school. However, I have seen far too many schools trying to do the next best thing to stand out from the crowd in increasingly competitive markets in recent years. So much that they are juggling so many different new initiatives that they lose sight of the original purpose of their existence. One of the key areas I will be looking to develop, running across all three of these guiding principles, is global citizenship and intercultural learning. We are currently conducting an entire curriculum review to ensure that the contextual themes we use are relevant and meaningful to the changing needs of our students. For example, I noticed that most of our curriculum units had themes linked to British culture when I arrived—for instance, Tudor England or the River Thames, as particular case studies. However, with over 97 different nationalities represented, our curriculum was no longer relevant to most students. At the forefront of our new approach are the Four Cs: Communication, Conflict, Conservation and Culture. The desired impact, measured in 2023, will show that our students have started understanding the differing attitudes towards these key global issues. How do you encourage a love of learning in young children? Instilling a love of learning in young children is deeply rooted in our second guiding principle – well-being. For learning to manifest itself, young children need to feel safe and happy in the environment where they spend most of their time. Our hand-picked team of outstanding teachers are experts in creating a welcoming, innovative and engaging space for children to develop their creativity and curiosity. I am also a big believer that learning should be fun, especially for children in Early Years and Primary education. My best school memories include working on projects with my classmates, getting messy with gooey Science experiments, and giggling at the teacher’s funny character voices during our class novels. I think children today are still the same as when I was young – they will love learning new things forever if they find enjoyment in their earliest school experiences. Apart from the excellent city campus and facilities at IIL, what is your favourite thing about the learning environment that makes the school so unique? Cohesion. We are blessed at IIL to have strong working relationships between our three English, French, and Bilingual divisions. Although our Institut has these three well-established sections, each with a unique culture and programmes of its own, it overjoys me to see such a solid togetherness between school leaders, teachers, students, and parents. This sense of school citizenship demonstrates our passion for inclusivity and collaboration. What do parents of IIL value about the school? Our strong sense of community. In the short time that I have been at IIL, it is clear that our parents, students and employees love to share their support for our common INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT SPRING 2022 | 23
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International School Parent Magazine - Spring 2022

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