International School Parent Magazine - Autumn 2019
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Delicious
Autumn Recipes
We look at some great
new seasonal dishes
Revision
Why long term revision
trumps last minute cramming
INTERVIEW WITH
LISA LYLE
Zurich International School’s
new director unveils her
experiences from across
the world
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Welcome back!
And welcome to our Autumn Edition of
International School Parent Magazine.
After a fabulous Summer, this Autumn is off to a glorious start with that late summer heatwave and glorious
sunshine in September. We have teamed up with Hoher Kasten Tourism this edition for some family (and wallet)
friendly walking options in the Appenzeller Alps. With over 400km of walking trails, 6 cable cars, and a huge
selection of mountain inns, it’s the perfect place for a quick term time getaway.
We are showcasing some delicious Autumn Recipes on page 40. Warm Autumn Salads, Spatchcock Chicken, and
baked Autumn fruits are all on the menu. Something I am acutely aware of in Switzerland is the need to shop
seasonally and take advantage of locally produced ingredients. They’re comparatively good value, and normally
excellent quality. All these recipes are aimed to help you do just that, using ingredients readily available in
supermarkets across Switzerland.
Zurich International School have a wonderful new Director and we have interviewed her. We chatted with Lisa
Lyle about her experiences as a teacher and head teacher across the world. Lisa is full of life with boundless
ambition and enthusiasm for her students. This shows throughout the interview which you can read on page 6.
We wish her luck in her new role.
There is also a strong argument made by IB DP Coordinators on why it is never too early to start revising. Long
term revision has huge benefits over simply cramming at the last minute. Excellent advice is given from teachers,
coordinators, and tutors in this in depth piece.
I would like to extend our invitation to teachers, parents, and practitioners in all fields of education to contact
us about writing and interview opportunities.
We would love to discuss with you the opportunity to be featured in the magazine and on our website at www.
internationalschoolparent.com.
We remain committed to the task of helping parents and children make the most of the fantastic opportunities
an education at an international school in Switzerland provides. All that remains to be said is that I hope you
have a wonderful start to the academic year.
Work hard and be the best!
Nick
Nick Gilbert
Editor & Publishing Director
International School Parent Magazine
Mobile + 41 787 10 80 91
Email nick@internationalschoolparent.com
Website www.internationalschoolparent.com
Facebook facebook.com/internationalschoolparent
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 4
22
Contents
42
39
06 Meet the Headteacher
12 Future Hospitality Trends: Ensuring Education
Reflects the Industry
14 Wellness & Architecture In Switzerland
16 A Weekend In Lucerne
18 The start of Mental Health Fiest Aid training in
English in Switzerland
22 Reggio-inspired pedagogy
26 The hospitality industry: a world of opportunity
29 Gifted: the double-edged sword
32 Why revision needs to start NOW!
36 Gardens Switzerland - Autumn
39 Why the IB Diploma Core (TOK, EE and CAS) are
worth so much more than a mere 3 points
42 Autumn Recipes
45 Helping teenagers argue... effectively!
48 Understanding Gender Identity in the World of
Global Nomad Families
52 Hoher Kasten: Family Friendly Hiking In The
Appenzell Alps
54 SGIS Annual Conference 2020, Institut Florimint,
Geneva ‘2020 Vision’
57 Creating A Culture Of Caring - Why developing
empathy is a vital part of education
60 Internation Families On The Move
64 Life Changing Events
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 5
Meet the Head Teacher
Lisa Lyle
ZURICH INTERNATIONAL
SCHOOL
Lisa Lyle is the newly appointed Director of Zurich International School, having previously worked in France and the
USA. International School Parent Editor Nick Gilbert talks to Lisa about her own experiences in education, what makes
international schools special, challenges in the future of education, and some of her personal passions.
Your career in education has spanned
multiple countries, taking you all over
the world to teach and run schools. What
made you become a teacher in the first
place?
Like many people, I backed into teaching. I
was in graduate school pursuing a masters
and PhD in French literature and to be
able to afford that luxury I had to teach. I
didn’t know that I was going to fall in love
with teaching, but when I was teaching at
the University of Pennsylvania as part of
my doctoral work, I realized that I loved
the teaching part of my job more than the
research.
As I was finishing my degree, a local
independent school asked if I would teach
French for them part-time, as I wrote my
dissertation - it seemed like a perfect match!
I never did finish my doctorate, but I did fall
in love with independent and international
schools, where a whole community of
adults is organized around the single
purpose of creating transformative learning
experiences for every child.
There was nothing about my personal
experience - a tiny public school in East
Texas where no one went to college -
that prepared me for being part of these
amazing schools. To this day, I feel so
lucky to have spent my career in schools
like ZIS, and I’m so grateful that my own
children have had these experiences. I
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 6
“In really good schools, we teach children, not curriculum, and we have educators
who are capable of differentiating the learning pathway for each child. ”
believe every child in the world deserves
this kind of education - unfortunately it
is simply not available to everybody. The
key difference from what I have observed
with international and independent schools
is that we have the time and the budget
to explore the particular interests of the
child more closely, whether that means
finding them an extra book on a topic of
their interest, or seizing learning moments
that stray from an endorsed curriculum.
In really good schools, we teach children,
not curriculum, and we have educators
who are capable of differentiating the
learning pathway for each child. In these
schools, everyone is similarly committed to
providing great education and to fostering
passion, inquiry, curiosity and a quest for
knowledge.
Has your own education meant that you
find the international school setup even
more fantastic?
My educational journey through high
school was more impoverished than the
one we provide at this school. I certainly
floated to the top of my educational
community and I had teachers that were
kind, generous and supportive, but I wasn’t
in an environment where it was normal for
everyone’s parents to have gone to college,
or even to be curious, well traveled and
multilingual.
In college and graduate school, however,
the world became larger. I had a bit of a
wandering spirit and took off at 18 and
hitchhiked around Europe. Because of
the effect that travel and further education
had on me at this time, the schools I’ve
chosen to be part of as an adult place
global experiences and personal intellectual
development at the core. I would say that
because I wasn’t exposed to that during
my schooling, I thoroughly appreciate the
importance for students as early as possible.
How do you get students to be the best
academically, in sports, or the arts in this
environment?
I believe most people function best in an
environment of high challenge and low
threat. Whether it’s working in a new
medium, using a new computer platform,
or learning a new language, it’s important
to be challenged in an area that you’re
interested in. So, children need conditions
that allow them to experiment, to fail, and
do stuff that’s hard for them, which means
they’ll be compelled to improve. It’s like
hitting a tennis ball with someone who is
not as good as you are. If it’s too easy, you
might do it for a while because you care
about the person, but it’s not going to feel
very exciting unless you see significant
growth on their part (in which case you are
in a teacher role), or you are challenged
enough that you are motivated to get back
out there and improve.
It is also true that the children who find
the amazing satisfaction that comes from
gorging in areas of interest - whether that’s
dinosaurs or construction equipment or
art - become better self-motivated learners.
Even six year olds become monogamously
obsessed with a subject, want to know all
the words and how everything works in
relation to it, and then might move onto
something else. Often elementary schoolage
children, for example, have a huge
concern for sustainability, animal welfare,
and animals that are at risk of extinction.
As long as the topic helps them to think
critically and develop curiosity, it can serve
as the hook to nurture important stronger
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 7
skills, for example, in research, presentation,
and writing.
Children, of course, don’t develop at the
same time across all disciplines. Sometimes
because of such an obsession, they will
leapfrog over their peers because they’re
studying on YouTube or they’re reading
voraciously. Ideally, schools engineer for
those experiences and know their students
well enough to encourage them to lean into
their own passions.
Research in education has grown
exponentially, and today we know a lot
more about what constitutes highly effective
teaching and what compels learning. We
know that children learn best when they’re
in a learning relationship with adults and
with each other, and when they care about
what they’re learning about.
What do you find particularly special
about the teaching process at ZIS?
Our teachers are very reflective about
their teaching practice. They know that
their professional obligation is to optimize
learning for every child. The focus has
shifted from, “This is how I teach” to,
“This is how children learn and it’s my
job to foster the conditions for learning.”
Our teachers are willing to take risks and
try different approaches. It has definitely
evolved from my school days, when if you
got a good teacher you were lucky, and if
you had a bad teacher you had to just live
with it.
These days students have access to
a lot of information, sometimes more
information than adults, because they’ve
been doing interesting research. We
encourage this curiosity, and teach our
students to be respectful but engaged
actively in the conversation. It is clear
that the students at our school have great
relationships with their teachers.
Apart from the amazing campuses and
beautiful facilities, what makes ZIS
special for students?
During the interview process for this job,
I was lucky enough to be interviewed by
a number of students at the school. To a
student, they were all multicultural and had
lived and traveled in a variety of contexts
and spoke multiple languages. They were
well prepared, and their questions were
insightful and probing. They were respectful
but diligently curious. As they spoke with
each other they would reference what
“The key difference from what I have observed
with international and independent schools is that
we have the time and the budget to explore the
particular interests of the child more closely, whether
that means finding them an extra book on a topic of
their interest, or seizing learning moments that stray
from an endorsed curriculum.”
another student had said earlier, showing
they were good listeners and compassionate.
Those were great interviews!
On meeting our students, it was
immediately clear to me that they are
comfortable with adults. When I asked
them what they valued about the school
they all seemed to love their teachers. They
were the product of a school environment
where there’s significant respect between
adults and children, yet they weren’t too
deferential.
It’s not a school that works on the basis
of “come to school, go home”; students are
very engaged and deeply value the extracurricular
experiences that complement
the academic day. It’s great that this is the
case, as busy kids make for happy, engaged,
vibrant kids.
Because of the central location and
the network of international schools, the
students are actively engaged all over
the place, for example, to do academic
competitions and educational trips in
Madrid, Stockholm, Prague, to name
just a few. They have a close relationship
with a school in Ghana, which one of our
teachers set up, and every child is aware of,
has fundraised for, or done service for the
school in Ghana, which is fantastic.
What do the parents value about the
school?
Parents want their children to be prepared
to make an impact in the world, wherever
they are. Particularly in this international
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 8
This is going to be very important in the
modern world.
What’s the most exciting prospect for
you about leading ZIS?
My goodness, there’s so much! I’m really
excited about being in an international
community and teaching children with
such a global perspective. These kids
are influenced by how widely they have
traveled. They’re interested and eager
to think about things in new ways. The
same is true about the teachers, many of
whom have taught at international schools
elsewhere, and have perspectives that will
inform the choices we make about the
curriculum and other areas.
In the very first year, the focus will be
on coming to know the community and
involving everyone in a strategic planning
effort, starting with many conversations in
small and large groups to see which issues
precipitate out. Through this process, the
school leadership team and the board will
identify the most pressing imperatives for
the next chapter of our work together.
Personally, I am excited about talking to
all of these people and hearing about their
deeply held aspirations!
context, parents themselves have lived
globally and they anticipate their children
will do the same. They want their children
to feel happy, safe, loved, and known. That’s
something parents talk about in relation
to ZIS with great excitement, pride, and
appreciation.
At international schools, just like in
many independent schools in the US and
elsewhere, parents themselves are often very
successful professionally, highly motivated,
and well remunerated. They naturally
have big ambitions for their children. At
the same time, there is anxiety that entry
into the most competitive institutions is
increasingly elusive, no matter how high
grades are or how well prepared the student
is. It is part of our job to try and keep a
good balance and perspective in relation to
this situation and achieve the best outcome
for the individual. Fundamentally, we
know parents want their children to pursue
whatever future it is their children aspire to.
What are your personal ambitions for the
students at ZIS?
I hope that every student leaves the school
excited about learning and with sufficient
foundational knowledge and skills to
continue learning effectively at whatever
the next chosen place is. For some kids
that will be EPFL, for others that will be
at Harvard, and others it will be military
service.
Whatever they do, we hope they will have
developed a self-awareness that allows each
to know what they’re passionate about,
what they want to pursue, what gives them
satisfaction, how to show up best for that
and manage any anxieties that come with
ambition or high expectations. We also
want them to be able to self-regulate and be
compassionate towards others.
Our focus is to help them develop their
appetite to think critically, and their ability
to navigate different kinds of information,
process it, and present it in different ways.
Tell us a bit more about you and your
family life. How old are your children?
My own children are 27, 30, and 32 and all
live in the United States - two in California
and one in Chicago, Illinois. They are all at
interesting places in their lives. We’ve been
lucky to travel a lot together and they have
all had a lot of global experiences - we hope
to have time to travel with them around
Europe while we are here and I’m looking
forward to them visiting. My husband
is retired and is here with me, living in
Switzerland.
What are your hobbies?
Aside from languages and traveling, I love
cooking international food. In my kitchen,
you will find everything from fish sauce to
chili powders and tortillas - a full range of
things really.
We are pretty serious hikers. Although,
I’m not sure we qualify as serious hikers
in Switzerland or at least not yet. We
enjoy long vigorous walks! These beautiful
long days with all the accessible outdoor
activities are such a treat.
I also read widely and love music, art and
architecture.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 9
Do you have any personal goals for the
next 10 years?
Well, certainly we will have completed A2
level German by October.
I want us to travel throughout Europe,
Africa, and Scandinavia - we’ve spent a
lot of time in Western Europe, but to be
so close to Prague or Croatia is awesome.
We want to spend as much time as possible
in the natural world. If we were in the
Adirondacks, we might have a target for a
certain number of peaks to climb, but we
haven’t yet figured out a way to measure
our hiking here.
Professionally, I’m working to understand
how the phrasing of questions impacts an
answer. In order to foster collective inquiry
we have to frame questions in a way that
leaves open all sorts of possibilities, doesn’t
shut down thinking or make certain things
off limits for discussion. I hope to have time
to think about that more and understand
how it impacts the education we are
providing.
What is the future of education, what
are the challenges for children, and how
are you helping them deal with these
challenges?
That is such a complex question. One of
the challenges is to figure out the balance
between fostering individual exploration
at the same time as reinforcing a shared
learning experience.
For so long, educators believed that there
was a conveyor belt to put children on at
“In order to foster collective inquiry we have to
frame questions in a way that leaves open all sorts
of possibilities, doesn’t shut down thinking or make
certain things off limits for discussion.”
five years old and they exited at 18 to get
on another belt for four years. For some
children that will be the path that they
take. However, for an increasing number
of children their interests and access to
information cause them to foray into
different areas, whether they get obsessed
with coding or the xylophone or whatever.
They might develop high levels of mastery
disproportionate to that of their peers
in these areas, meaning their pathway
needs to become more differentiated. This
challenges a school to create pathways that
allow children to leapfrog over the content
that’s perceived as appropriate by age if
that child has already mastered it. The
temptation is to send an advanced child off
to do some additional online courses, but it
has got to be more individualized than that.
At the same time, schools--especially
international schools--have the opportunity
to foster individual growth and
development, while also preparing students
as active agents for positive change within
the global community and the communities
they will become part of. The exciting
opportunity we find in international schools
is that we can help each child value his or
her own cultural heritage and languages,
while ensuring each also learns to be
knowledgeable and respectfully curious
about the perspectives and experiences
of others. Having peers from around the
world brings nations and cultures to life in
a very real way, and makes for a vibrant
learning community.
Another of the biggest challenges we face
as schools - particularly in the social media
age in which everything is amplified to the
extremes - is mitigating anxiety and helping
students thrive personally. We need to
help students to be present, to understand
their emotional and mental states, and
to mitigate any problems. There is a
remarkable program called a “responsive
classroom”, in which educators ask kids
questions about their emotions, give them
language to use, accept whatever it is they
need to share, and help them think about
what their options are. We don’t formally
have this program at ZIS, but we know we
have a responsibility to foster well being
alongside academic prowess, and the
students at ZIS have an environment that
helps develop these incredibly sophisticated
tools and skills.
Thank you for your time!
Thank you so much. I wish you all the best.
Zis.ch
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 10
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INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 12
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Increasing demand for healthy
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INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 13
fully ready to adapt existing hospitality
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Visit: www.buergenstock.ch
Tamina Therme in Bad Ragaz
(Smolenicky & Partner Architecture)
The best time to visit Tamina Therme is in
the winter. The exteriors are otherworldly,
with large white façades broken up by
giant oval windows that peer outwards to
a contemporary outdoor pool. And it’s all
set into a lush parkland that blends into the
mountain landscape and is capped with
thick layers of snow in the winter.
The interiors are all monumental but
pay particular attention to the Attraction
Pool that feels vast and ultra modern with
tall structural columns rising from perfectly
clear spa waters, evoking a utopian-like
sense of space - a little like being lost in a
dreamworld. As one would expect from
one of Europe’s most popular spas, the
treatments are eclectic and multi-sensory, at
times completely revitalising and renewing,
echoing the golden age of spa culture.
Visit: www.thaminatherme.ch
Tschuggen Grand Hotel in Arosa
(Spa designed by Mario Botta)
With a private funicular designed to help
guests of the hotel avoid the queues to
Arosa’s slopes, the Tschuggen Grand Hotel
is perfect for a combination spa and ski
break.
The most striking architectural feature
of this Mario Botta designed spot is the
mountainscape of skylights that poke out
of the roof, lit in a pleasing array of muted
neons in the evening. The spa rooms though
are a little more grounded, dimly lit with
wooden accents and clean modern lines
throughout, while the treatments are spread
across numerous grottos, saunas, pools and
individually appointed treatment rooms.
Visit: www.tschuggen.ch
Thermalbad Zürich
This inner-city Spa is located in the former
Hülimann Brewery and offers an intriguing
bridge between Zurich’s industrial past and
its contemporary present.
The vaulted underground thermal baths
with their exposed brick walls and ambient
lighting, once a storage for the brewery’s
barrels, are a highlight alongside the rooftop
pool that offers superb views over Zürich.
Visit: www.thermalbad-zuerich.ch
Bernaqua at Westside Bern
(Architecture by Daniel Libeskind)
Set within a bustling water park, Bernaqua is
a perfect option for families. The spa offers
a full itinerary of luxurious spa treatments
alongside a waterpark and a mall, just a few
kilometres from central Bern. There is an
indulgent Asian Spa with numerous massage
options, a collection of hot air saunas
including a Finnish Sauna and a bio sauna,
and two women only zones that includes a
tranquil polar light steam bath.
Bernaqua was designed by avant-garde
architect Daniel Libeskind, with an angular
wooden façade with drastic windows cutting
through the exterior building and flooding
the spa with natural light.
Visit: https://www.bernaqua.ch
7132 Therme in Vals
(Architecture by Peter Zumthor)
7132 Therme is a striking contemporary
resort set into the primal landscape of Vals,
built from 60,000 slabs of local quartz.
The large outdoor pool is the architectural
highlight, but the entire complex is a design
Tamina Therme
in Bad Ragaz
Rooftop outdoor -
Thermalbad Zürich
lover’s dream, with elegant furnishings
throughout, tall windows with views to the
mountains and large relaxation areas with
open fires and a design that offers a welcome
mix of minimalist luxury and traditional
mountain comfort.
Treatments at 7132 Therme are focused
on the experience of bathing, with therapies
devised to relieve tension and to pamper.
There are seven pools but the most
intriguing is the sound bath resonance room
which utilises a soothing mix of water and
sound to achieve a state of near nirvana.
Visit: www.7132.com
Thermalbad Baden
One for the diary, Baden’s new Thermalbad
will open its doors in 2021 when starchitect
Mario Botta has finished what promises
to be an architectural highlight in Baden.
There will be nine pools, including a river
pool, a steam pool and an infinity pool
located directly above the River Limmat.
Until then, you can enjoy Baden’s mineral
rich thermal waters at the BagnoPopolare.
Visit: www.thermalbaden.ch
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 15
ADVERTORIAL
Copyright: © Robert Kittel / Luzern Tourismus
A Weekend In Lucerne
Perched on the tranquil shores of
a cerulean lake and framed by a
dramatic backdrop of mountain
vistas, Lucerne is the epitome of a postcardperfect
Swiss city.
The fairytale-like Old Town offers a
warren of cobbled streets leading to covered
bridges and idyllic promenades, while the
mountains are connected by rugged hiking
trails, scenic railways and breathtaking cable
car rides. In the summer months classical
music fans flock to Lucerne for the Lucerne
Festival, a spectacular feast of classical
music featuring many of the world’s finest
musicians.
Walk Lucerne’s historic streets and
you’ll encounter colourful waterside
townhouses topped with towers and red
brick roofs, vibrant plazas bolstered by the
scents of melted cheese and freshly baked
Birnenweggen (Lucerne’s famous shortcrust
pear pastry), ornate frescoed architectures,
some of which date back as far as the
16th century, and the majestic façades of
baroque churches.
Alternatively, take a stroll into the
mountains and you’ll stumble into stunning
panoramas of the lake and the bucolic
Swiss countryside. Hop on a gondola to
the summit of Pilatus and you’ll have a
fantastic starting point for picturesque hikes
along fabulous mountain ridges. Or take
the Pilatus railway that connects the village
of Alpnachstad on Lake Lucerne with
the terminus near the summit of Mount
Pilatus and experience the world’s steepest
cogwheel railway. www.luzern.com
Swiss Museum of Transport
The Swiss Museum of Transport is
resplendent with modern spaces that are
packed full of family friendly exhibits and
a vast permanent collection that includes
everything from steam engines and
helicopter simulators to a boating lake and
theme park style rides, exploring topics as
diverse as the history of chocolate, and the
future of space travel.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 16
As Switzerland’s most visited museum, it
has a bit of a reputation to live up to, which
it does well with exhibits that flirt between
traditional and contemporary, historic and
explorative, as it leads visitors through the
past, present and future of transportation.
Expect tales told through interactive
installations, huge explorable airliners,
an exhilarating walk-in replica of the
International Space Station and fascinating
installations documenting the evolution of
mass transportation. In the Red Bull Media
World, you can shoot your own TV show,
take 360° photos of yourself, and enjoy new
experiences - from travel to surfing - thanks
to Virtual Reality. www.verkehrshaus.ch
Hotel Schweizerhof Luzern
With an enviable location on the banks of
the lake, the five-star-hotel Schweizerhof
Luzern offers grand palatial luxury -
favoured by everyone from Tolstoy to
Anastacia - and some of the most desired
rooms in Switzerland.
ADVERTORIAL
Copyright: © Switzerland Tourism
Inside you’ll find a delightful collection
of well-appointed rooms and suites, a
wellness area, three speciality restaurants
and a series of banquet halls. The service
at the Hotel Schweizerhof Luzern is
exemplary throughout, rooms are finished
with large baths and elegant furnishings,
and each night the windows of the hotel are
illuminated in a striking array of coloured
lights that cast a playful technicolour
glimmer out onto the lake.
Choose a lake view room for gasp-worthy
vistas of the water that call to mind Turner’s
dreamy lakeside studies, or a city view
room for romantic views out to the fairytale
rooftops and towers of the old town. www.
schweizerhof-luzern.ch
Your Ticket For Central Switzerland
The Lake Lucerne region offers a
dramatic topography of lush mountains,
glittering lakes and medieval old towns, all
interconnected by spectacular mountain
railways and cable cars with staggering
views that take in the full emotive beauty of
central Switzerland.
There are an unparalleled number of
sights and attractions in Lucerne, from
mountaintop hikes and cruises aboard
historic paddle steamers, to delicious
mountain cuisine and some of Europe’s
most scenic railways.
Enjoy it all with unrestricted travel by
train, mountain railways and cable cars, bus,
and boat with the Tell-Pass. Choose between
two, three, four, five or ten consecutive days
and enjoy impressive savings with 20 bonus
partners. Children travel for a fixed price of
just CHF 30 for 2-10 days of unrestricted
travel. www.tellpass.ch
Gault & Milau Restaurant Scala at the
ART DECO Hotel Montana
Savour fine food and drink, extravagant
celebrations and cosy gatherings surrounded
by the spectacular panoramic view over the
mountains, the lake and the city of Lucerne.
The SCALA cuisine incorporates
the lightness and sensuous tastes of the
South, inspired by the flavours found in
the regions of southern Switzerland, as
well as in Italy, France and Greece. Many
locals and international hotel guests alike
appreciate the art of fine dining at the Scala
Restaurant. A solid training background
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 17
enables the restaurant staff to provide a
cordial and attentive service. They offer
an eclectic wine list. A visit to the outdoor
living room allows the discerning guest to
dive into new architectural and gastronomic
dimensions. The terrace is accessible year
round. On account of the high quality
and strong commitment of the service and
kitchen team, headed by the restaurant
manager Stephanie Christ, the Scala was
awarded 15 points by the international
Gault & Millau gourmet guide. The
restaurant now offers a new concept
“Kitchen Club”, inviting diners to take a
seat in the middle of their stunning kitchen
and observe the chefs preparing meals live
- a truly enchanting experience for all the
senses. www.hotel-montana.ch
Copyright: © ART DECO Hotel Montana
“How
are
you?”
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 18
The start of
Mental Health First Aid
training in English
in Switzerland
How many times a day do we ask a loved one, friend, colleague, neighbour or other
acquaintance, “How are you?”, and what kind of reply do we usually get?
Most of the time, it’s a superficial,
“I’m fine thank you”, and then
both parties rush on with their
busy lives.
Sometimes, if the person has a physical
health issue, they may mention that: “I’ve
got a cold and I feel lousy”, or “I twisted
my ankle last week” – whatever it may
be. But what about if they have a mental
health problem? Opening up and talking
about mental health problems is still taboo
and carries a lot of misunderstanding,
uncertainty, fear and stigmatisation.
For someone struggling with their mental
health, being asked how they are is actually
a really important question. Sufferers would
like to be able to talk about their issues
and feel supported by someone who has
the time to listen. But because of worries
about being perceived as weak, having
the courage to answer honestly can
be very difficult.
Also, for many people,
taking the time to listen to a
person with mental health
issues with compassion
and empathy can feel
uncomfortable, or may not
come naturally.
In Europe, 1 in 2 adults
will experience mental distress
at some point in their lives, with
depression and anxiety the most
common diagnoses. 1 Approximately
17% of the Swiss population suffer from
at least one mental illness but in 2013 in this
country, only 33% of those experiencing
mental illness received professional help. 2,3
Many people are not well informed
about how to recognise mental
health problems, how to respond
to an affected person or about
what effective treatments are
available. Plenty of myths and
misconceptions are still out
there. But now is the time to
act. We need to bust these
myths, change these misconceptions and
break down the barriers of stigmatisation
because mental health issues are so
common.
So, how can this be achieved?
Earlier in 2019, the Swiss Foundation Pro
Mente Sana, together with the Beisheim
Foundation, successfully launched the
Australian Mental Health First Aid
1. Wittchen, H.-U., & Jacobi, F. Size and burden of mental health disorders in Europe – a critical review and
appraisal of 27 studies. Neuropharmacology, 2005.
2. Bürli, C., Amstad, F., Duetz Schmucki, M., & Schibili, D. (2015). Psychische Gesunheit in der Schweiz.
Bestandsaufnahme und Handlungsfelder. Bericht im Auftrag des Dialogs Nationale Gesundheitspolitik. Bern.
3. Rüesch, P., Bänziger, A., & Juvalta, S. Regionale psychiatrische Inanspruchnahme und Versorgungsbedarf in der
Schweiz. Datengrundlagen, statistische Modelle, ausgewählte Ergebnisse – eine explorative Studie (Obsan Dossier
23). Neuchâtel 2013.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 19
“Opening up and talking about mental health problems is still
taboo and carries a lot of misunderstanding, uncertainty, fear
and stigmatisation.”
Programme in Switzerland. Here, the
programme is called “ensa Mental Health
First Aid”, ensa meaning ‘answer’ in one
of the Aboriginal languages and being
translatable in German, French, Italian and
English.
This well-validated, evidence-based
programme has existed since the early
noughties in Australia, having been
developed by Betty Kitchener, a health
education nurse, and Tony Jorm, a mental
health literacy professor.
It trains and empowers lay people to
provide initial support to others who may be
either developing mental health problems,
experiencing worsening of existing
mental health problems, or who may be
experiencing a mental health crisis. It’s
essentially a First Aid training programme
with similar principles to those for physical
4. Summaries of studies available at www.mhfa.com.au
First Aid but this time for mental health.
And there is strong evidence supporting
its utility. Several randomised controlled
trials have shown that Mental Health
First Aid training not only improves
a participant’s knowledge of mental
health but also reduces their stigmatising
behaviour towards others and increases
their self-confidence in their ability to
help those in need. In addition, it also
strengthens the individual’s own mental
wellbeing. 4
From October 2019, ensa Mental Health
First Aid courses will be delivered in English
throughout Switzerland, with HealthFirst
being an ensa partner in Suisse Romande.
Any interested person can become a
Mental Health First Aider. No healthcare
background or pre-requisite training is
necessary. Find out more about an ensa
Mental Health First Aid course near you
at https://www.healthfirst.ch/ or https://
www.ensa.swiss, or enquire about a course
within your company or organisation using
contact@healthfirst.ch.
Let’s do something about mental health
together!
Dr Michelle Wright, Director, HealthFirst Sàrl
With thanks to Roger Staub, Director Swiss
Foundation Pro Mente Sana
Dr Michelle Wright is a British-trained
General Practitioner and Director of
HealthFirst, providing dynamic First
Aid Training and Health Education in
English throughout Switzerland (www.
healthfirst.ch). She also has a regular
radio show about health on World
Radio Switzerland (www.worldradio.ch/
healthmatters).
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 20
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Reggio-inspired
pedagogy
Whilst it is relatively well-known that the Ecole
Internationale de Genève — affectionately known
as Ecolint - was the first international school in
the world, and the birthplace of the International
Baccalaureate, Ecolint has another claim to fame
which is less well known. Ecolint is also home
to Switzerland’s Reggio-inspired educational
programme. So what does that mean?
Inspired by a desire to create change at
all levels in society in the immediate
aftermath of World War II, the
pedagogy known as “Reggio-inspired” or
the “Reggio approach” was developed by
pedagogue Loris Malaguzzi in the Northern
Italian city of Reggio Emilia, which remains
at the heart of the movement.
The Reggio approach is built on a core
of pedagogical beliefs which are focused
on learning in early childhood, although
many can be applied throughout all stages
of life. Unlike some educational systems or
philosophies, however, the Reggio approach
is not one that can be easily “cut and
pasted”.
It is deeply embedded in the social
context in which each school is situated,
and requires a highly experienced and
intensively trained pedagogical team to
bring it to life in a school environment,
taking into account the realities of the
school community, which includes all staff,
students, and parents, who must work
together to build a successful environment
for learning and intentional pedagogical
project.
The Reggio approach is built on the
premise that every child is a competent
learner, who is capable of rigorous research
and intensive focus. This includes children
who in traditional systems would be
considered to have “special needs”, but
which Reggio schools prefer to regard as
children with “special rights” who enjoy the
same approach to learning as their peers.
What logically flows from the first premise
of the child as a competent learner are the
key principles which govern the approach
to learning. Firstly, the principle that the
child is the primary architect of his or her
own learning, posing their own research
questions and devising their own ways to
seek answers, through a constructivist (i.e.
building their own learning) approach,
rather than the passive or didactic approach
common to many traditional educational
systems in which the theory would see
the learner passively absorb information
which is conveyed by a teacher. Secondly,
to enable this constructivism, the learning
experience must be multi-sensorial, with
children given the opportunity to learn
through observing, touching, smelling,
tasting (where appropriate), listening and
interacting with stimuli, whether they are
naturally present in nature or the classroom,
or are intentionally and thoughtfully offered
to the child as a “provocation”. Next,
Malaguzzi postulated that children possess
“100 languages” which they use to construct
and communicate their understanding.
This includes verbal language, but also
movement, music, role-play, media such as
clay, watercolour, etc. which are all seen as
equally valid languages of and for learning.
Lastly, the Reggio approach is strongly
dependent on the relationships and interrelationships
which the child learner has
with the “three teachers” which the Reggio
approach recognises.
The concept of the three teachers is
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 22
central to Reggio pedagogy. The child is
the first teacher, since it is the individual
curiosity, autonomous research, and
commitment to learning naturally present
in children which open the pathway to the
majority of learning. The second teacher
is the other learners, including adults who
accompany the learner(s), whether they
are the regular classroom teacher, the team
of specialists or atelieristas who enhance
projects via their expertise in sculpture,
music, drama, etc., the pedagogista who
works with teachers and parents, or the
other members of staff, who are all - from
cook, to cleaner, to caretaker - seen as an
integral part of the pedagogical team, and
expected to contribute to the pedagogical
project. The third teacher is the physical
environment - whether built or natural - in
which the learner evolves.
To maximise learning, Reggio-inspired
environments are designed to be as
natural and neutral as possible, focusing
more on the learners themselves and the
various materials offered to them. The
environments are as diverse as the contexts
in which the schools exist. In general
they focus on transparency, relation and
reciprocity. The role of light, and the
deliberate blurring of outside and inside,
real and virtual learning environments
(the latter achieved via innovative use
of information technologies) are all
elements deliberately chosen to provoke
dialogue, reflection and interaction. The
environments favour a variety of shapes
and sizes of learning spaces, from large
public or community areas, to smaller
and more intimate spaces, with children
encouraged to use their imaginations,
and the natural environment, to create
their own tools and props. At Ecolint’s La
Châtaigneraie Primary School, Principal
Jennifer Armstrong - who was formerly
Founding President of the Ontario Reggio
Association and a board member of the
North American Reggio Educators Alliance
- was able to design the new building from
scratch to interpret our understanding
of these principles prior to its opening in
2011, and first-time visitors to the school
are always struck by the airy sense of calm
and openness which the building’s design
inspires.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 23
“The Reggio approach is built on the premise that every child is a competent
learner, who is capable of rigorous research and intensive focus.”
This calm environment also creates
the perfect setting for a pedagogy which
is based on active listening. Teachers are
attuned to exchanges between learners,
focus on thoughtful interjections and
questions and seek to enhance and amplify
the child’s thinking. Teachers practise
a pedagogy of listening that involves
the use of pedagogical documentation
(photographs, videos, scripted sessions
and the work of the children) as a form of
‘making visible’ the learning that is taking
place for all the learners.
Inspired by the educators from Reggio,
who call us all to respect all children as
citizens with full human rights, the learners’
ideas, opinions and hypotheses need to
be present in the choices and decisions
of the community. Reggio-inspired
pedagogy continues to be the object of
study of pedagogical experts around the
world, including renowned developmental
psychologist Professor Howard Gardner
from Harvard University’s Project Zero,
and has inspired both public educational
systems and private curricula including the
IB Primary Years Programme, in which
many aspects of the Reggio approach can
be observed.
Whilst all educators can be inspired by
the approach, schools cannot choose to
“become” Reggio schools in the same way
they can subscribe to other curriculum
models on a “pay to play” basis. Although
Reggio has evolved from its original and
informal community-based organisation
into an official non-profit structure - Reggio
Children - being recognised in any formal
fashion requires a long-term commitment
by a school, a direct and ongoing dialogue
with experts at Reggio Children and other
recognised organisations such as the North
American Reggio Educators Alliance, and
sustained investment in staff training and
development, as well as clear expertise from
the pedagogical leadership in the school.
Being a Reggio-inspired school is a journey
of a lifetime, but given the synergy between
Ecolint’s mission to educate for humanity’s
future and that of Reggio Children to foster
“education and research to improve the
lives of people and communities, in Reggio
Emilia and in the world”, it is a journey in
which Ecolint is very proud to engage in
Switzerland.
Jennifer Armstrong is a Canadian national. Passionate about languages, bilingualism and
holistic, child-centred pedagogy, Jennifer followed a BA in Canadian Studies and French
Language and Literature with a second Bachelor’s degree in Education, both at the
University of Toronto. After teaching for several years, Jennifer completed a Masters in
Curriculum and Applied Psychology, with a dissertation focused on Bilingualism. Having
been successively a teacher, French language consultant to the Trillium Lakelands Board
of Education, Director of Academics, Vice Principal and Principal of schools in Canada,
Jennifer was recruited by Ecolint in 2009 to open and run the new Primary school at
La Châtaigneraie, devising the innovative new approach to bilingualism that is in use
today. Jennifer is also a highly-experienced practitioner and advocate of the Reggio
Emilia approach to primary learning, which is the underpinning of the PYP pedagogical
approach. She is the Founding President of the Ontario Reggio Association and a board
member of the North American Reggio Educators Alliance. Jennifer has also lectured
and delivered keynote addresses at many Reggio-inspired conferences and university
symposia in the USA, Canada and Singapore and is the author of a chapter in a National
Association for the Education of Young Children textbook for education programmes on
Reggio-inspired practices in primary school.
Resident in the Geneva area since 2004, Michael Kewley read for a BA and MA in Modern
Languages at Magdalen College, Oxford. Passionate about language and communication,
Michael worked for 17 years at Procter & Gamble in a wide variety of local, regional and
global brand management roles, as well as providing communication consultancy and
training for the EMEA region. Alongside his professional obligations, Michael has been
an elected local councillor in France since 2008, and a volunteer fire and medical first
responder since 2007.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 24
Tobogganing
in Gstaad
Explore the three varied toboggan runs in Saanenmöser
and Schönried – endless fun for the whole family!
Daily ticket for adults: CHF 40.–
Daily ticket for kids: CHF 20.–
(price includes toboggan rental)
ADVERTORIAL
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 26
ADVERTORIAL
The
hospitality
industry:
a world of
opportunity
With over 1.3 billion international tourists in 2017 and
more travellers crossing borders each year, it’s no
surprise that hospitality is one of the most resilient and
dynamic industries in the world. According to the World Travel
& Tourism Council, one in 10 jobs on the planet is supported by
travel and tourism. Growing by nearly 4% per year, this industry
continues to be a powerful generator of career opportunities: one
out of every five jobs created in the last decade have been within
travel and tourism, and the industry is expected to support an
additional 100 million jobs worldwide by 2028.
Hospitality Myths and Reality
A common misperception is that the hospitality industry is
limited to hotels and restaurants. In fact, this global industry
offers university graduates a vast array of job opportunities
across the world. While high-end hotels and restaurants provide
rewarding career pathways, the reach of hospitality is far broader.
Traditionally grouped within the service sector, at its core,
hospitality is really the business of delivering experiences. With
growing consumer interest in experiences rather than products —
and the rise of the so-called “experience economy” — demand for
hospitality professionals is widespread and growing fast.
The art of providing exceptional guest experiences is needed
not just in hotels and restaurants, but in spa management, event
management, luxury brand management, finance, marketing
and the wider business sector. Meanwhile, the travel and tourism
landscape has been transformed by technology, making way for new
business models and opportunities for entrepreneurs. From online
travel agencies and digital concierge services to accommodationsharing
platforms and new disruptive business models not yet
invented, the hospitality industry encompasses an increasingly
diverse range of companies and careers.
Emerging Roles and Career Opportunities
This shift towards an experience-driven market has given rise to
new creative roles requiring emotional intelligence and the ability
to anticipate customer needs. In this regard, hospitality graduates
ADVERTORIAL
“One out of every five jobs created
in the last decade have been within
travel and tourism, and the industry
is expected to support an additional
100 million jobs worldwide by 2028.”
are in a privileged position, as they have
often honed the skills that employers seek.
For example, shortly after graduating with a
hotel management degree from Les Roches
Jin Jiang, Rashila Lobo was appointed
India’s first W Insider — an innovative
tastemaker role developed by luxury brand
W Hotels. W Insiders use their in-depth
knowledge and network to connect guests
with the best shopping and restaurants,
local hotspots, cultural immersion and oneof-a-kind
experiences.
Other roles and business models have also
emerged in response to growing demand
for unique, memorable experiences. Digital
concierge services like Quintessentially and
John Paul have successfully used technology
to bring the kind of personalised service
typically found in top hotels to clients
anytime, anywhere. Budget boutique hotels
like Mama Shelter and CitizenM immerse
guests in authentic neighbourhoods while
also hosting social events for visitors and
locals. Foodie hotels and experiences invite
travellers to savour craft beer, ceviche and
more in the places where these products
are made. And the rise of such innovative
businesses has created new multifaceted
career opportunities for aspiring hospitality
professionals.
Filling the Hospitality
Skills Gap
However, as the hospitality industry
continues to grow, global employers are
increasingly facing a shortage of skilled
talent. Graduates with a combination of
managerial expertise, soft skills and digital
savvy are in high demand and short supply.
In 2015, a report by Oxford Economics
for the World Travel & Tourism Council
indicated that the global skills shortage in
hospitality could put over 14 million jobs at
risk over the next 10 years.
Hospitality management graduates
with the right skillset and knowledge
can look forward to a diverse choice of
international careers. But business acumen,
practical know-how and people skills are
competencies that cannot be developed
through classroom learning alone. For this
reason, Les Roches Global Hospitality
Education embraces a learning-bydoing
approach that integrates academic
coursework with practical experience, a
technological immersion on campus and
professional internship semesters, which
can be carried out in almost any country.
Based on the Swiss model of experiential
learning, it’s an educational approach that
has earned the respect of employers: Les
Roches is ranked among the top three
institutions worldwide for hospitality and
leisure management (QS World University
Rankings 2019).
As hospitality offers many different
careers, students may wish to focus on a
particular area of expertise. Les Roches,
with campuses in Switzerland, Spain
and China, offers degree specialisations
in entrepreneurship, digital marketing
and finance. The institution also offers
postgraduate courses and MBAs, designed
for hospitality professionals to further
develop their business and leadership
abilities. But no matter their specialisation,
hospitality graduates with management
expertise, practical experience and
international exposure will discover that
their skills can open many doors.
Dr Christine Demen
Meier is the
Managing Director
at Les Roches
Global Hospitality
Education. She has
more than 20 years
of entrepreneurship experience in the
hospitality industry and served as a
consultant in Switzerland, Côte d’Ivoire,
Turkey and Ukraine. She is a member of
the Swiss Innovation Council.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 28
Gifted: the double-edged sword
This is the first in a series of articles on giftedness, how to
identify it, how it manifests, and how to manage it
The bell curve that establishes what is developmentally
normal for school children helps teachers and other
professionals to direct extra money, resources, and time to
students who are below the average, on the negative side of the bell
curve. But what about those who present above that curve, who are
considered “gifted”? Many teachers consider that these children
should be OK given they are developmentally advanced in one
way or another. If they are gifted, shouldn’t they be excelling?
However, this is far from the truth of what it really means to lie
on the positive side of the curve. There is a real lack of focus and
understanding about the characteristics of a gifted child and how
to teach and manage gifted children.
How do you know if a child is gifted?
As a child psychotherapist, I meet many parents in my office
who exclaim that their child is driving them insane through their
inability to follow directions and focus on even the most basic
tasks, such as brushing their teeth without getting sidetracked, for
example, by building something in their room. Parents will discuss
their child’s high levels of anxiety, and how they ask profound
questions about life and death. They talk about how their child is
prone to getting frustrated, highly sensitive, and socially different.
Many parents diagnose these children with ADHD or another well
known condition. However, most of these characteristics lead me
to write at the top of my notes the question, “gifted?”.
Behavioural characteristics of gifted children:
● Spontaneity and impulsivity
● Intense focus on passions and a resistance to changing activities
when engrossed in own interests
● Highly energetic with little need for sleep or downtime
● Insatiable curiosity and questioning nature
● Strong determination and perseverance
● Frustration, particularly when unable to meet standards of
performance or high expectations imposed by self or others
● Non-stop talking
● Unusual emotional depth and intensity
● Sensitivity and empathy
● Heightened self-awareness, feelings of being different
● Need for consistency between abstract values and personal
actions
● Advanced sense of moral judgement, idealism and justice
What IQ measurement is considered gifted?
Based on full scale IQs, such as the Weschler Intelligence Scales
(WPPSI-IV; WISC-V; WAIS-IV), it is generally accepted that
an IQ of 120 and above means “bright”, 130 and above is
“gifted”, 145 and above is “highly gifted”, and 160 and above
is “exceptionally gifted”. Often these scores are influenced by a
heterogenous profile, where one or two scores are lower, affecting
the score.
I stopped handing in my schoolwork. I would go home
and work on projects but then never be happy with what
I wrote. These were not things I wanted to write, they
were things I was told to write, to fulfill the teacher’s
checkboxes so that their kids would do well, and she
would look good. I wasn’t exploring my creativity or what
I really thought. I stopped handing in my work. I stopped
going to school. I stopped caring. No one understood me
anyway and what was the point of all of this nonsense. I
got put a year back and put on medication.
J. (16 years) – Highly gifted/clinical depression
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 29
“Nobody expects a child who
is three standard deviations
below the average to act, think
and understand the world in the
same way the average one does.
However, everyday people expect
that from kids who are three
standard deviations above the
average. Whilst most get that one
or three standard deviations below
the norm makes a difference in
daily living, on the other side of the
curve we are all lumped together.
Talking about a deficiency is met
with empathy; the other side of the
curve is met with comparison and
even contempt. I struggle everyday
with who I am.”
J. – Extreme low self-esteem/
Highly gifted
Learning challenges for gifted children
Giftedness can lead to conflict in the classroom for many reasons.
Gifted children get bored with routine tasks, resist changing away
from interesting topics or activities, are overly critical of themselves
and others, impatient with failure, and perfectionistic. They
disagree vocally with others and argue with teachers. They can
make jokes or puns at times adults consider inappropriate. They
can be so emotionally sensitive and empathetic that it seems like
an overreaction, and may get angry or cry when things go wrong
or seem unfair. They ignore details and turn in messy work. They
reject authority, are non-conforming and stubborn. They dominate
or withdraw in cooperative learning situations. They are highly
sensitive to environmental stimuli such as lights or noises.
A gifted child is an independent learner and may choose not to
complete all requirements of an assignment because they don’t
see the point of them. They also take their own approach to
Teachers didn’t know what to do with me, I would joke
around in class, disturb all the other kids. I would lose
things all the time and not follow directions; teachers
were constantly annoyed with me. They thought I had
ADHD, turns out I just wasn’t challenged enough. They
moved me up a grade, I got challenged and most of the
behaviour automatically stopped. I still lose everything,
but I am never pulled aside anymore, and it feels good to
be challenged.
K. (12 years old) – Gifted/ dysgraphia
problem-solving, and can be side-tracked by an idea they find more
interesting than their homework. Giftedness comes along with what
is known as the autonomous factor, which means that you’re not
interested in whether other people see the value of what you’re
doing, but more in how important it seems to you.
The gifted or stupid paradox
A classroom can be a torturous place for gifted children as they are
required to conform to educational norms. When unrecognized,
gifted children can suffer more or just as much as kids with a
recognized “difficulty”, and many gifted children actually do
not get top grades. The classroom can feel like a prison to these
children, to the extent that they drop out of school or become so
severely depressed or anxious that they are hospitalized.
Paradoxically, gifted children often think they are “stupid”. If,
for example, they are twice exceptional (E2), it may cause problems
or deficits like dysgraphia, leading to struggles with writing and
putting thoughts on paper. In the younger years this might mean
they see others progressing much faster, and start internalizing
that they are “less able”. In “Growing Up Gifted”, Barbara Clark
(1979) reported on a young female student had spent 18 years
believing she was not intelligent because she asked more questions
than her peers in class. Later, in Clark’s university class, when the
characteristics of the gifted were discussed, the woman strongly
identified with the description. During a conversation with her
parents, the student found out that she had an IQ of 165. School
personnel had advised her parents not to discuss her extraordinary
IQ with her, resulting in her low level of academic self-esteem.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 30
I struggle in school, I know I am popular, I always have so many kids around
me. I get invited to all the parties. Regardless I feel so deeply empty, I feel so
lonely. I am surrounded with people, but I always feel isolated and lonely. I have
this deep hole in my stomach, and most days are hard to get through. I know I
think in ways that others don’t; I get bored with their conversations, but I just
pretend. The only time I feel good is when one of my friends visits from abroad;
we can talk for hours and days about everything and anything such as space and
time and existence.
L. (16 years) – Highly gifted/ clinical depression
year olds whose maturity level and topics of interest are hugely
divergent.
Given these challenges, many gifted children are more
comfortable interacting with the teacher and other adults rather
than peers, which can lead to bullying and further social isolation.
I feel like there is something missing, I feel like I am
different. I struggle with friendships; I have one close
one but not lots of friends. When that friend left it felt
like a deep hole was created. I am at the top of the grade
and feel like I need to do everything just so, but I feel like
I have no real control. I am amazing at sports and put a
lot of attention into that. Regardless I feel isolated. I feel
like I can control my eating.
N. (14 years) – Gifted / eating disorder
Social differences in gifted children
Gifted children present a unique social profile, because many - but
not all - aspects of their development occurs at an accelerated rate.
Usually, the child’s intellectual development happens on a faster
trajectory than their peers, while physical, social and emotional
development does not (Tolan, 1999). This uneven development
means gifted children can experience unique difficulties in various
developmental areas, for example, resulting in a 6 year old child
who functions as a 12 year old in academics, an 8 year old in sports
and a 5 year old when he loses a game. This uneven development
experienced by gifted children explains why many of them may
struggle to make or maintain friendships; kids expect others
to think, act, and speak as they do, and the gifted child is left
frustrated and questioning why they are not “normal” when they
realize that this is not the case. Given how sensitive they are, they
feel these social variabilities deeply.
Asynchronous social development can be accentuated when
gifted children are moved up a class, or even two, especially in
the early tween years when a 10 or 11 year old is in class with 13
Social isolation in gifted girls
Social isolation is a common issue for gifted children in general,
although often more so for girls, according to Dr. Kathleen
Noble: “Not all, certainly, but... the majority of gifted women
are introverted. And introversion by itself leads one to isolate.”
This means that along with understanding what giftedness is all
about, it’s important to understand introversion. Introverts get
their energy from solitude and if space is not made for them to
experience that solitude, it can put gifted girls at grave risk for
developing conditions from depression to eating disorders as a
way to create that personal space. A lot of gifted girls have intense
radar, which can intensify introversion. These children will also
have to work harder to find peers and friends than the average
child.
The characteristics outlined above represent an overview of why
gifted children can struggle in school due to their unique academic,
social, and emotional developmental issues. It is understandable,
given the profile of the gifted child, why they remain
misunderstood and often overlooked, which in turn often leads to
severe mental health outcomes and unfulfilled academic potential.
In our next article, we will discuss how educational professionals
and parents can support these children to navigate school, social
interactions, and other important aspects of life, and how this can
lead to better outcomes for them and their families.
Laurence van Hanswijck de Jonge is a Developmental Clinical
Psychologist with a background in Neuropsychology who
provides developmental and psychological assessments for
English speaking children between the ages of 3 and 18 at
KidsAbility in the Cayman Islands. Her practice is rooted in
Positive Psychology and her belief in the importance of letting
our children flourish through building on their innate strengths.
She is certified by the University of Pennsylvania, USA, to run
the cutting edge resilience building programme for children.
She is also a CogMed coach, an evidence-based Computer
Training program which sustainably improves attention by
training working memory.
Dr. Laurence van Hanswijck de Jonge, PhD Child Development
https://www.laurencevanhanswijck.com/
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 31
Why revision needs
to start NOW!
IB DP Coordinators share tried and true advice on
how to revise over the long-term.
I
certainly know when I was in my final year of school
the synonym for revision was “cram” – trying to revisit
EVERYTHING you’d learnt in the past 1.5 years in that
month before the exams. It’s an impossible task and I’m glad to see
the tone has since changed. Although, it’s entirely possible that my
teachers insisted on regular revision, but I didn’t pay attention…
Does that sound a little bit like your child?
In any case, the IB Diploma Coordinators we spoke to are
unanimous in their agreement that the best revision is cyclical,
frequent and regular. Not only does it help keep the foundations
of your child’s learning strong, it avoids the stress of a situation
ahead of the exams where a student realises they don’t remember
something crucial in the curriculum. So, whether your child is in
first year or second year of the IB, or in their final years of another
programme of study, here’s how you can encourage them to revise
regularly.
Be clear on what revision DOESN’T look like
While it may seem obvious, Keith Sykes, IB Coordinator at Collège
Champittet, still often finds himself impressing on students and
parents that studying and revision isn’t hours and hours on end
flicking through textbooks and notes, while lying on the bed,
updating Snapchat and Instagram, with the TV or music on in
the background. “My advice is short, sharp bursts. I’m not saying,
leave Insta, Twitter alone totally. I’m saying 25-30 minutes, real
focused concentration. Good quality work. Committing things.
Memorization techniques. Then take a 10-15 minute break, and
go back and do it again. This is better than hours and hours of
mediocre ‘revision’ ”. Every student by this stage should have a
better idea of what approach to study works best for them. What
works for one, might not work for the other. Identifying what
quality and effective revision looks like for your child is the first
step.
Be organised and create a schedule
Dr. Eugene Stevelberg, IB DP Coordinator at Institut
Florimont, insists that students keeping up with their work is very,
very important. “Students should request of their teachers, if their
teachers don’t do it already, that before they start a new lesson to
go over very quickly, what they’ve done in a previous lesson.” He
says students should expect at least two hours of homework every
night for day to day work, plus the right time put aside for Internal
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 32
Assessments in each of their courses and the Extended Essay.
Joseph Amato, IB DP Coordinator at Zurich International
School (ZIS) recommends students to create a schedule: looking at
the time they have available, deciding which subjects require the
most amount of time, deciding how they’re going to best prepare
for those subjects and then sticking to that schedule. “I tell them not
to necessarily spend a whole day just studying Maths at the expense
of everything else. Maybe the emphasis that day is Maths, but try
and get the other subjects in as well. Then, of course for different
students, maybe another system works better. It does depend on the
student and needs a personal approach.”
Get your hands on curriculum outlines, marking schemes and
past papers
To truly get ready for revision from the first term, Keith Sykes of
Collège Champittet recommends students ensure they get a copy
of the written curriculum for each of their subjects. This will help
them track their progress, annotating where they’re confident and
where they need help. “Schools will also use DP planners, and
students can ask the school or the teachers: When are they are
going to put the breaks in? Are they doing it by chapter in a book?
Are they doing it by topic? When are they doing an experiment?
Find out what those weigh points are and use them to structure
your mind mapping and summarizing throughout the course”.
Other documents he recommends getting hold of early on are past
papers and marking schemes. “They are all so readily available. It
seems to me to be an insanity to not looking at the questions you
might get asked!”
Regularly make notes
Note-making is a recurring theme among DP Coordinators. Dr.
Zoe Badcock, AP/IB Coordinator at the International School
of Zug and Luzern (ISZL) advises students make the effort to
summarise their learning as they go, for example, to make revision
notes at the end of every unit in preparation for a unit test. “I
often see them doing that all at the end of two years, and if they’ve
just spent time doing that after each unit, it wouldn’t be such an
onerous thing”. She’s observed that when students do this they
aren’t as worried about poor grades in the final exams because they
have a real sense of their learning progressing. If, in the process of
making notes, they notice they haven’t understood something, they
know it’s something to allocate time towards revisiting.
Joseph Amato (ISZ) equally emphasises the importance of
regular revision. “Even though we have a very short, tight school
year to get everything done, I try and build revision into our day to
day experiences, maybe every few days take a half a class to go over
topics, to practice an essay from something we did from the year
before.”
Keith Sykes (Champittet) admits that mind mapping and
summarising is a key skill, that in itself takes practice. He often gets
students to use the Cornell note taking method, which requires
them at regular intervals, in the evening or at the end of the week,
to summarise their learning, a good way of committing things to
medium- and long-term memory. He says that “Another thing that
students don’t generally do, but they should, is to review a couple
of weeks or a month and look at how the work they’ve done in
one subject relates to work they’ve done in other subjects.” This
transfer of knowledge and making links is core to the IB, and
something students work on in Theory of Knowledge, which helps
to understand, internalise and store knowledge longer.
Make a plan for using free periods productively
Free periods are certainly there to give students a bit of breathing
space and independence. But their purpose is to create time for
the individual to focus on what the individual needs to work on –
outside of a class setting. It is certainly an exercise in self-discipline
and self-management but one that will pay off enormously in
the future. Making time to plan the day or week ahead, reflect
on what’s most urgent and what can be rescheduled – these are
common indicators of happy and effective people in the workplace.
So, now’s the time to start practising! Kate Bradley, Head of
Secondary at La Côte International School advises students to use
their free periods to “ensure they’re doing something related with
their studies and making sure there’s no gaps in what they’ve just
learned. It could also be using that time to structure their notes in
folders, dividers. Organisation and persistency are key to IB DP
success”.
Mentor your child
Clearly, as parents, we all reach a point where we can no longer
help our children with the content of a particular subject. But
taking an active interest and asking the right questions can aid
students in identifying what knowledge they master, and what
they’re still unclear on. Dr. Eugene Stevelberg (Florimont)
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 33
recommends regularly asking your child when
they get home what they’ve done in class
that day, something key they’ve learnt
or something they didn’t understand.
If they can explain something well,
they’ve understood it well. So,
this exercise helps them be more
aware of what they need to focus
on in their revision.
He understands that not all
children want to confide in their
parents. “Adolescents, especially
who are going through a difficult
period in their life, don’t always
enjoy sharing or want to share with
their parents. But parents don’t need
to be a friend, it’s probably better to be
less of a friend and more of somebody who
is taking the role of a mentor. They need to
keep an eye on them, on how they use their computer
and when they use their computer, and establish and maintain a
consistent dialogue with them.”
Encourage peer-learning
Speaking of friends, they are key revision partners. At a time where
adolescents might be resistant to their parents’ or their teachers’
advice, they will listen to and want to learn from their friends.
And sometimes peers have ways of explaining concepts that their
friends will understand better than a teacher’s explanation. Keith
Sykes (Champittet) finds that revising together with peers is a great
method, face to face or online. “We find a lot of students get good
material from ‘Student Room’ online and work well remotely with
other students across the globe. We had a student a couple of years
ago that found a like-minded studier in Boston, through ‘Student
Room’. They shared notes, skyped, interacted with each other
and formed a real collaborative learning partnership that saw him
through his exams.”
Be aware of your school’s policy on study break and
maximise it
As the final exams approach, many schools will release the students
from class for independent study. But the timetabling of this often
changes quite a bit depending on the timing of spring break, the
time it takes to complete the particular course of study your child
is doing, and what the best practise is considered to be at your
child’s school. John Switzer, Upper School Principal of Zurich
International School (ZIS) finds that while students tend to say
they study best at home, they often actually get more value from
coming into school and studying in an allocated space where they
have access to their teachers to ask any questions they might have.
Joseph Amato, IB DP Coordinator at ZIS agrees that “a lot of
teachers feel that students are best served being in class going over
old papers and gaining from what they hear from their classmates”.
He explains that the amount of release time is very dependent on
when Easter falls, and schools that have a longer release period
may have a longer school year to begin with and may have more
hours.” So, don’t be surprised if one school has one-week study
break vs. 3-4 weeks at another. Simply investigate the reasoning
behind it and plan accordingly, especially the use
of holidays.
Use holidays wisely
When it comes to holidays,
Andrew McLachlan, Deputy
Head of Curriculum at La Côte
International School, emphasises
that it’s very, very important
that students take time off as
they need downtime, but this
needs to be balanced against the
demands of the programme, and
well-planned for. “Students need
to balance their study time and their
downtime. We try to help students to
plan from 18 months backward, and if
they do their planning and keep up the good
work, regularly, they can do it. I don’t mean to
say they can’t have a vacation, but they should also take
advantage of vacation times as well to revise. Some of the summer
vacation will need to be dedicated to finishing up their Extended
Essay, and often Christmas & Easter vacation in year 2 is more or
less cancelled. But it’s a question of using one’s time wisely as there
is simply not going to be a lot of spare time.”
Dr. Zoe Badcock (ISZL) shares a tangible anecdote of how using
holidays strategically can lead to success. “Last year we had a
group of very high achieving boys, and very sporty boys. Because
they knew they wouldn’t have so much time during the school
year due to their sporting commitments, they would review during
holidays. That discipline to just allocate a bit of time regularly
made all the difference.” She emphasises how valuable it is when
parents support the holidays as moments to review, especially in
the second year of the IB which is not the time for a big family
holiday, especially Easter break. So, her big tip is when it comes
to planning vacations, keep the IB student at the centre of your
decision-making. Stay home at Easter or go somewhere that still
allows studying to be the priority.
So now you can start the school year armed with a wealth of
IB Diploma Coordinators’ top tips for students to get the most
from their learning. What’s more, your child will come away with
organisational habits that they’ll also take with them into further
studies and beyond.
Sandra Steiger has over 10 years’ experience teaching
English at various schools in Switzerland. She now works
as Academic Support Manager at TutorsPlus. During her 6
years at the International School of Geneva, she was also the
Service Learning programme Coordinator, International Award
Supervisor, a Homeroom Mentor and Head of Year 8.
If your child needs a helping hand with revision, TutorsPlus
provide specialist private revision tutors, as well as regular
revision courses throughout the year. If you feel your child has
any gaps in their knowledge or exam technique, we’d be happy
to match them with an experienced tutor who will ensure they
move forward with confidence and solid foundations. You can
reach TutorsPlus at 022 731 8148 or info@tutorsplus.com
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 34
Stunning spas
Wellness
in the city
Switzerland is a paradise for all spa
lovers. What better way to round off
your next city getaway than to soak
in a stylish spa?
MySwitzerland.com/spa
Locarno: Termali Salini & Spa.
Architecture by MORO e MORO architects
The Termali Salini & Spa is adjacent to the lido public bath of Locarno,
and they are an oasis of peace. The water used in the spa stems from the
deep valleys of Ticino. The water’s journey was a source of inspiration for
the local architects of MORO e MORO. The interior reflects the Ticino river
valleys in an abstract and modern design.
Zurich: The Dolder Grand Spa.
Architecture by Sir Norman Foster
The award-winning Dolder Grand Spa by Sylvia Sepielli
is an oasis for those who love to relax and want to feel
pampered. The spa with a panoramic view of Zurich
offers a unique wellness programme over 4,000 square
metres. In addition to the spacious swimming pool,
guests can enjoy the separate Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s
spa areas.
MySwitzerland.com/dolder
MySwitzerland.com/termalisalini
City breaks
City breaks are a brief escape
from everyday life – and our
Swiss Boutique Towns are perfect
for the occasion. Swiss
towns and cities offer a wealth
of unparalleled variety in a very
compact space. It becomes
an unforgettable experience for
visitors if they can see the town
through a local’s eyes.
MySwitzerland.com/cities
Art Museums of Switzerland
Amazing art, design and photography:
a visit to one of the Art
Museums of Switzerland promises
a unique experience. Located in
charming boutique towns, eleven
world-class museums present
grand sights on little space.
MySwitzerland.com/amos
Design & Lifestyle Hotels
High standards of design, a clear
definition of form, carefully chosen
materials – Design & Lifestyle Hotels
are characterised by inspiring architectural
accomplishments. A holiday
in these select hotels will make the
hearts of the style-conscious guests
beat faster.
MySwitzerland.com/designlifestyle
Find more inspirational experiences and tips: MySwitzerland.com/expats or contact
expats@switzerland.com or phone 0800 100 200.
GARDENS SWITZERLAND
- AUTUMN
With the long summer holidays
over, and the prospect of
a productive autumn term
ahead, this is a good time to think about
gardens and gardening, both in and out of
school. There is a great deal of evidence
that shows that kids and adults are happier,
make better food choices and have
improved self-confidence if they can spend
some time outdoors in a garden setting. It
can be difficult to find the time to do this
in a busy school day, particularly if your
school doesn’t have any outdoor space, or
you live in an apartment, but there are lots
of fun and interesting ways to get kids into
gardening, even if you don’t have a garden.
Projects for home
Autumn is a time when the days are getting
shorter, and the weather is less appealing so
think about ways that you can get growing
and use the space that you have.
Spring flowering bulbs like daffodils and
crocuses are best bought from September
onwards, when the choice is broadest and
the bulbs are still fresh. These are terrific
when grown in pots for a balcony or terrace,
and with some careful planning, you can
have colour from January right through to
June. The trick for long-lasting colour is to
“layer” the bulbs in the pot. Each type of
spring flowering bulb will then push their
way to the top of the pot when it’s time for
them to bring the fireworks, and you can
pack in a surprising number of bulbs into
a small space. You can buy kits of different
kinds of bulbs, or you can make your own.
Start off with a pot intended for use
outside, that has drainage holes in it, and
fill the base with expanded clay balls to
help keep the drainage holes free of roots
and soil. Then you can add a layer of soil
or bagged compost, about 10cm, and start
planting. The biggest and latest flowering
bulbs, such as alliums or tulips, go in on
the bottom layer. They need to be at least
10cm from the top, but can be up to 25cm
from the top. Cover them over with soil or
bagged compost and put in the mediumsized
bulbs, like daffodils. Repeat with the
smallest bulbs, like crocuses or muscari. I
like to tuck some winter-flowering plants
like pansies in on the top, for some extra
colour before the bulbs start to appear in
January or February. Keep the pot watered
over the winter, and you’ll be rewarded
with masses of pretty blooms for months.
You can try pots with just one colour
of plants, or clashing, multi-coloured
ones, or even search out some sweetsmelling
combinations like the daffodil
“Cheerfulness” with the tulip “Prinses
Irene.”
Projects for school
School gardens make fantastic outdoor
classrooms, not just for learning about
growing food, plant development and
reproduction but also for topics like ecology
and the environment. As we head towards
the winter, this is the time to think about
what helpful insects you might like to find in
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 36
If you have space in your school
garden, then perhaps an entire
class could work together
to make a large-scale insect
hotel, with lots of different
environments to suit the needs
of different overwintering bugs?
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 37
your school garden next year. Lacewing and
ladybird larvae are voracious consumers
of aphids, those common garden pests
that can transmit diseases and stunt plant
growth. If you want these predators to help
you control aphids in the garden, then you
need to make the garden inviting for them
to want to spend the winter there. It’s an
easy project to make your own ladybird
and lacewing hotel, and there is plenty of
interest to see if the hotels are occupied,
and discussing why might they prefer one
over another – is it in a more sheltered
position? Are the bamboo tubes a better
size? Is it warmer in one place or another?
Choose a selection of tubes, like bamboo
canes, hollow straws and grasses that you
think your guests might like. Bind them
together with string or pack them tightly
together in a flower pot. Find a spot in a
warm, sunny place, out of the wind, and
either hang up the tubes or tuck them into a
space in a wood pile or somewhere safe, so
that the tubes are horizontal.
You can even try a very low-tech version
of this by cutting the base off a 2l plastic
bottle and rolling up some corrugated
cardboard to fit inside. Punch two holes
towards the bottom of the bottle and
push a stick through the holes so that the
cardboard can’t fall out. Hang the bottle,
with the lid on it, from a tree or near a
building, and watch to see your aphid
exterminators move in!
If you have space in your school garden,
then perhaps an entire class could work
together to make a large-scale insect hotel,
with lots of different environments to suit
the needs of different overwintering bugs?
These can easily be constructed using
stacked pallets, or a Swiss railway box
pallet. Paper tubes and flower pots are great
for bundling materials together, and the
contents can vary hugely, depending on
what insects you would like to attract. Moss,
grasses, bark, twigs, slate and small pebbles
are all easy to find and inexpensive. Once
the hotel is in place, in a sheltered and
warm spot, then the roof needs to go on.
Old roofing tiles, or old planks and roofing
felt, work well and are easily removed if you
want to move or dismantle the hotel. You
can even put some sedums or wildflowers
on the very top in some gritty soil to
“green” the roof.
If you’re lucky enough to have your
school garden in an area near woodland or
lots of gardens, then you can plan space for
hedgehogs to overwinter at the base, or put
in some stones and moss and rotting logs in
the centre to attract overwintering toads.
Gardens to visit in the autumn
There are hundreds of fantastic gardens to
visit, across Switzerland, and they all have
their own special charm at different times
of the year.
If you don’t have woodland near you,
and would like to enjoy the best of the leaf
colour and playing in fallen leaves, then the
Ermitage at Arlesheim is a perfect family
outing. This is a very romantic and exciting
place to visit, and the beech woods are a
great place to play or collect leaves. The hill
is pretty steep, so plan for a climb to get to
the top, and enjoy the wonderful views and
“follies” like the caves and the wood cabin.
Near Zurich there is a remarkable garden
which surrounds the headquarters of FIFA.
It’s right next to the Zoo, so you can add
a visit to the FIFA garden to a visit to the
Zoo. The garden is structured to represent
all the continents where football is played,
and there are characteristic plants from
each of these regions. There are a large
number of ornamental grasses in this
garden, and they are at their best in the
autumn, glowing golden in the soft sunlight.
The garden surrounds the offices, but is
fully accessible to the public, so pop in and
take a trip around the world.
The extraordinary alpine garden at the
Schynige Platte is worth a visit at any time
of year, but the access cog railway is a little
less busy in the autumn than at the height
of summer, and you’ll find there are still lots
of plants flowering once you arrive. Parts of
the garden are quite steep and require good
footwear, but some of it is also accessible
with strollers or wheelchairs. All of it is well
signposted, the plants are well labelled and
the team that run the garden are hugely
knowledgeable and very enthusiastic.
Entrance to the garden is free with the
cog railway ticket, and the garden and the
railway usually close at the end of October.
All the botanical gardens in Switzerland
are free to visit and you can expect to
find lots of family-friendly activities in the
autumn. Bulb planting, making a modern
herbal, observing bees, following in the
footsteps of giants, you’ll find all this and
more at your local botanic garden. Check
out www.botanica-suisse.org for a full list of
gardens.
Hester Macdonald is a garden designer,
journalist and the founder of the
Swiss Gardening School. Her new book
“Gardens Switzerland” was published
by Bergli Books in 2019 and is the
first trilingual guide to gardens across
Switzerland.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 38
Why the IB Diploma Core
(TOK, EE and CAS) are worth so much
more than a mere 3 points
Is your child entering the IB Diploma feeling a bit intimidated by the Theory of
Knowledge course, or daunted by the prospect of writing the Extended Essay? Have
they come home saying, “TOK + EE are only worth three points out of the 45 so
they’re not something worth worrying about”.
Well, the DP Coordinators we spoke to across
Switzerland would want those students who think the
DP Core only weighs 3 points to know that they are
gravely mistaken. Likewise, they have encouraging words for those
a little concerned by it. By following the criteria and expectations
of the Core carefully, it can be quite straightforward to achieve
success – and those three valuable points. But by really engaging
fully with the IB Diploma Core, you can add enormous value to
your other subjects and in-so-doing, even add something like six
more! How is this possible?
If your child is studying or intends to study the IB Diploma,
you’re probably already aware that it is a programme that
places special emphasis on holistic and inter-disciplinary
learning, exceptional critical thinking skills and an application
of learning that is of benefit to society. The type of thinking
and demonstration of learning that the IB evaluates depends on
students being able to think from different perspectives, transfer
knowledge and apply what they learn in useful and ethical ways.
These skills are exactly what the Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
Course, the Extended Essay (EE) and the Creativity, Action,
Service (CAS) programme seek to achieve.
So, let’s hear some more what DP coordinators have to say about
engaging with and getting the most of out the IB Diploma core.
How engaging with Theory of Knowledge can increase your
points
Joseph Amato, IB DP Coordinator at Zurich International School
(ZIS), understands why students can feel a little intimidated by
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 39
“Not only does CAS
serve to keep students
balanced and physically
and mentally healthy, but
in a very practical sense, it
helps them enhance their
university applications.”
having to study a subject that they haven’t really thought about
up until now. But he would reassure students that nobody needs
preparation to study TOK and it’s a course that from the first
day you can walk in and experience and enjoy. While many
students are initially preoccupied by the essay and presentation
(which they’re graded on), he emphasises that what makes a very
interesting, useful TOK course is the opportunity to bring in many
outside speakers, as well as take advantage of the talents of the
teachers at school who have backgrounds and expertise in a variety
of areas. All of this contributes to perspectives that go
into eventually writing a better essay, and doing a better
presentation.
John Switzer, Upper School Principal of ZIS echoes that he
thinks, “the best schools or the best TOK programmes are not
discreet. Meaning it isn’t like you just go there for TOK and
the moment you step out of that room, now I’m back to my
Physics or Biology room. Actually, no, it’s more or less a way of
epistemology. How do I know what I know? And what are the
ways by which I come to realise things? Perception, logic. Again,
that’s something that everybody can do.” According to many ZIS
graduates, feedback on TOK is that it is something they really
come to appreciate when they’re at university, that the skills they
learned are very transferable. John elaborates that, “a professor at
the University of British Columbia told me that when she begins
an undergraduate class, she asks a few questions and she can
immediately tell who did the IB Diploma, because of the TOK
way they answer that question.”
Keith Sykes, IB Coordinator at Collège Champittet, also finds
that many students have a tendency to shove TOK to the side to
concentrate on their 6 subjects, especially because if they intend to
study in Switzerland, The Core is not accepted by universities here.
So he takes the following approach to get students to understand
how truly valuable TOK can be, even in this scenario. “I always
start asking them, ‘What is TOK worth?’ And they’ll say, ‘A point,
one and a half points, three points max.’ And I will always say to
them, “Well, what if I tell you that TOK is potentially seven and a
half points? Because what you learn in there, if you’ve got the right
mind to apply to everything, can add a point on to every single
subject. It can turn 32’s, 33’s into 36’s, 37’s.”
The hidden value of the Extended Essay
It can also befuddle many students how such an extended piece
of work as the Extended Essay can be apparently worth so little.
However, the value of the EE is many-fold: in the opportunity it
gives for students to explore an area of their choice and passion;
in practising demonstrating knowledge in a way that facilitates
earning points in their final exams, and in preparing students for
all the extended pieces of researched and referenced work that they
will have to prepare at university.
Kate Bradley, Head of Secondary at La Côte International
School emphasises that this is a major strength of the Diploma
Programme, that other programmes simply don’t prepare students
for currently. “I think some parents say, ‘Oh, well, it’s only worth
some bonus points. We’re not going to give our time to that.’ But
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 40
it’s actually worth two years’ time into university when you’ve got a
thesis to write, and you’ve got no idea how to do it. This, combined
with TOK which explores ways of knowing and ways of thinking,
which are completely different to anything in any other curriculum,
the strength of the DP Core.”
Both John and Joseph at ISZ agree that it’s a first attempt at a
university level research paper and even if students have a hard
time, or even if it’s an utter disaster, they’ve learned what they need
to do to make it better next time, without it impacting their overall
score too much.
But as for the immediate benefits, it’s a joy for many teachers to
see how many students just come alive throughout the Extended
Essay, simply because of the freedom it gives them to explore
a passion or interest that is theirs and even theirs alone. It is
sometimes the aspect that brings about a joy of learning and
confirms the direction that a student wishes to take in the future.
Keith Sykes (Champittet) has fresh in his mind just one such
student: “The opportunity the EE gave him to explore cultural
identity in post-Soviet Central Asia – where he’s from - has
been the thing that has changed his approach to his studies. He
originally had a very fixed view, and I’d play Devil’s advocate and
ask, ‘How do you know that?’ ‘But what would this group say
about that?’ And from that he’s got a passion for it as well as a wellargued
essay now. The best piece of work he’s ever done. It sparked
such an interest, that on the back of this, he’s now organising a
debate club in school as part of CAS and will be our guy to go to
the Model United Nations.”
CAS keeps you happy, healthy and motivated throughout your
studies
The example above, is typical of how Creativity, Action, Service is
intended to be interwoven into a student’s learning experience. It
shouldn’t be thought about as something extra that you HAVE to
do, but rather an opportunity to integrate activities and passions
you already have into the Diploma, or apply what you’re learning
in a creative way or an activity that benefits the community.
Kate Bradley (LCIS) says that’s where the magic of the Diploma
Programme is. “If you break it down, it isn’t about the fact you
could do Chemistry at High Level and Physics at High Level,
because you could do that in any curriculum. It’s about the fact
that you have to think about who you are in the world, and do you
add value or do you take it away? And if we all thought that, the
world would be a much better place”. She emphasises the Service
aspect of CAS in particular helps many students to experience
life outside their bubble which prepares them for living in a place
that could be very different to all they’ve ever known, and see how
societies function in ways they had never thought of.
Not only does CAS serve to keep students balanced and
physically and mentally healthy, but in a very practical sense,
it helps them enhance their university applications. Andrew
McLachlan, Deputy Head of Curriculum at LCIS, sees this
advantage of the IB DP as compared to A-Levels, for example: “In
the A level, pupils really have to think about what they’re doing as
extracurricular activities to enhance their personal statements, and
letters of recommendation, references, what have you. However,
the CAS is very much embedded in that holistic approach to
ensure that they’ve got the Creativity, Action and Service covered.”
So, don’t let your child be fooled into thinking the Diploma Core
isn’t worth a lot.
It is the heart and soul of the IB Diploma programme and its
value goes far beyond the mere three points that it appears to
weigh at first glance. If you have more questions about Theory
of Knowledge, the Extended Essay, or the Creativity, Action,
Service programme, get in touch with your school’s IB Diploma
Coordinator and we’re certain they’ll be thrilled to tell you more
about it and give you advice how to keep it at the centre of your
child’s IB experience.
By Sandra Steiger - Academic Support Manager at TutorsPlus
Sandra Steiger has over 10 years’ experience teaching English
at various schools in Switzerland. She now works as Academic
Support Manager at TutorsPlus. During her 6 years at the
International School of Geneva, she was also the Service
Learning programme Coordinator, International Award Supervisor,
a Homeroom Mentor and Head of Year 8.
TutorsPlus can provide specialist IB Diploma tutors, experienced
with the curriculum and exam preparation. If you feel your child
has any gaps ahead of moving into the IB DP, we’d be happy
to match them with an experienced tutor who will ensure
they move forward with confidence and solid foundations.
Additionally, if you have questions regarding school choice or
the best curriculum to suit your child, TutorsPlus’ Education
Consultants would be happy to guide you. You can reach
TutorsPlus at 022 731 8148 or info@tutorsplus.com
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 41
Autumn
RECIPES
The autumn store cupboard has so much to celebrate. The end of summer heralds
the arrival of punchy root vegetables like celeriac, squash, Jerusalem artichokes
and beetroot, while shrubs and orchards groan with blackberries, quinces, apples &
pears. These recipes are designed primarily with comfort in mind, and to highlight
how eating seasonally can brighten up those darkening days…
Warm Autumn salad
The perfect nutrient-dense heart warmer for lazy weekend lunches, this salad is
always a winner among friends. It’s an extremely good natured dish, meaning you
can prepare all the ingredients in advance, then re-heat the roasted vegetables
and throw it all together at the last minute. Omitting the pancetta for a vegetarian
version works well, too.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
Place the apples, onion, squash and garlic clove in a bowl and toss with the sage, pumpkin
seed oil and a generous pinch of sea salt and pepper. Once each piece is coated, transfer to
a foil lined baking tray and roast for 35-45 minutes, or until the pieces are lightly brown and
soft, giving them a mix every 15 minutes or so. Remove the skin of the garlic and mash the
clove until smooth (this will be added to the dressing).
Fry or grill the pancetta strips until golden brown and set aside. Once cooled, chop finely until
you have a crumb-like texture and reserve.
Make the dressing: combine all the ingredients in a jar, add the mashed roasted garlic and
shake together until homogenous. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Combine the raw cavolo nero, roasted vegetables, cannellini beans and feta in a serving bowl,
toss with the dressing and sprinkle over the pancetta crumb.
SERVES 4:
1 red onion, sliced into rings
1 apple, chopped
½ small butternut squash, peeled
& diced
2 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil (or
olive oil)
Handful fresh sage, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, whole with skin on
150g cavolo nero, tough ribs
removed and finely julienned
1 x 400g tin cannellini beans,
strained & rinsed
100g feta or goats cheese,
crumbled
8 strips thinly sliced pancetta
DRESSING:
4 tablespoons good quality
olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ tablespoon lemon juice
Salt & pepper
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 42
Spatchcock chicken with pinenuts, raisins & Marsala
SERVES 4:
1.6kg chicken
80g raisins
400ml Marsala
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
30g pinenuts
A delicious, low-hassle dinner. Serve with
celeriac mash or bulgar wheat and an autumn
green.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the Marsala
and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave
to swell for half an hour.
Place the pinenuts in a small saucepan over a low heat,
moving continuously, until they are lightly browned.
To spatchcock the chicken, place it breast side down
on a board. Use kitchen scissors to cut along either side
of the spine to remove it completely. Flip the bird over
and press down firmly on the breasts until you have
flattened it.
Place the chicken in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil
and season generously with sea salt and black pepper.
Roast the bird for 20 minutes, then spoon the raisins
& Marsala over the chicken and roast for a further 20
minutes. Check the juices run clear, not bloody, from
the thigh or leg, then remove from the oven and allow
to rest for 10 minutes under a tea towel.
Cut the chicken into pieces, transfer to a warm serving
dish and drizzle over the cooking juices and raisins
Serve scattered with the toasted pinenuts.
A note on spatchcocking:
Spatchcock chicken cooks much more
evenly than a normal roast as the thickest
parts of the bird - the legs - are exposed,
and therefore cook at the same rate as the
breasts. This simple butchery technique
also drastically reduces the cooking time
down from over an hour to 35-45 minutes
and produces a perfectly tender result
with crispy skin. See above on how to
spatchcock the bird, or ask your
butcher nicely to do it
for you!
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 43
Baked autumn
fruit with boozy
clementine cream
There is something so comforting
about a bowl of baked fruits,
and autumnal pears and plums
are best showcased this way.
Just make sure you start off
with marginally under-ripe
fruit (except the blackberries),
otherwise it will fall apart on
cooking.
SERVES 6:
3 conference pears, cored and
quartered (unpeeled)
6 plums, halved and pitted
125g blackberries
Juice and zest of two clementines
75g honey
2 tablespoons whisky, brandy or sherry
1 handful crushed amaretti biscuits
(optional, to serve)
FOR THE CLEMENTINE CREAM:
200g mascarpone
Grated zest of two clementines
1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
Cointreau, as desired!
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas
mark 5.
Place the fruit in a large ovenproof
dish. Whisk together the clementine
juice, honey and alcohol and pour
over the fruit. Bake in the oven for 40
minutes, or until the fruit is soft.
Combine the mascarpone, clementine
zest and sugar in a bowl and gradually
whisk in the Cointreau.
Serve the warm fruit with the cream
and crushed amaretti biscuits, if using.
FICO By Betty is a London based
catering company, serving delicious
Mediterranean food around the UK
and Europe. Betty also runs cookery
and yoga retreats in Crete and her
custom made ceramics from Puglia
are available to buy through her
website www.ficobybetty.com
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 44
Helping teenagers argue…
effectively!
I
have little doubt that a number of readers will feel that
teenagers argue too much. However, I wish to put the case for
the opposite! So let me begin by clarifying what I am talking
about in this article when I refer to the ability to argue. I am not
talking about those times when teenagers make unrealistic demands
of their parents, or when a discussion passes boiling point and
ends with the stomp of feet up the stairs and the slamming of a
bedroom door. Nor am I talking about those times when parents
pass the point of frustration with what seems like the innate ability
of some teenagers to question absolutely any request, however
small and reasonable it might seem to their parents. Rather, I am
talking about the ability to present a point of view in a thoughtful
way, whilst showing respect to those who hold a different opinion. I
am talking about constructing an argument using a logical thought
process, while taking account of the bigger picture that provides
the context for whatever is under discussion. I am talking about
the ability to listen to those with whom one disagrees, taking on
board points made by others, but nevertheless holding firm to
important principles. I am talking about developing negotiation
skills and ultimately reaching a level of maturity that understands
that arguments are often about clarifying and learning; not about
winning.
The ability to argue effectively is an important skill for teenagers
to develop as they approach adulthood 1 . It is a skill that will make
them more marketable to potential employers; it will help them
build stable adult relationships; it will help them in situations where
they need to be able to listen to, and negotiate with, others. But this
is not a case of developing a life skill, all of whose benefits lie at
some stage in an uncertain future. In the shorter term, those who
have begun to learn the skills of arguing effectively in their early
teenage years are better equipped for some aspects of their ongoing
education as well as being armed with a powerful weapon to help
them resist some of the negative peer pressures with which they
might be faced in their later teenage years.
As indicated above, there are a number of aspects to arguing
effectively. As with any complex skill, time and practice are essential
to its successful development. One of the ways that human beings
learn is through their mistakes, and learning to argue effectively
is no exception. At times, teenagers get it wrong: their frustration
may take over, they may shout and become disrespectful, but when
1 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/200908/arguing-your-adolescent
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 45
“Parents who have developed the ability to understand what is happening
even in the midst of a simmering situation, and who can answer arguments
calmly, clearly and logically, do the most in such situations to foster learning. ”
these things happen, they rely on the significant adults in their lives
to help them learn from their mistakes. The important question for
parents, then, is not how to prevent teenagers arguing, but how to
best help them develop their argumentative tendencies in a way that
will equip them for the adult world to which they are headed.
Advice for Parents
Try to keep calm. Parents, of course, can bear the brunt of
it when teenagers are going through the learning process, and
especially when they get things wrong. However, responding with
the same type of broken behaviour pattern that is being portrayed
by the teenager is not helpful in moving the situation forward.
Shouting over your teenager to stop them shouting, or becoming
aggressive in response to perceived teenage aggression, both
represent a knee-jerk reaction to a crisis situation that may bring
some momentary emotional relief, but neither lays the groundwork
for a constructive way forward. Similarly, trying to demonstrate
that you can be even more stubborn and unreasonable than your
teenager, may feel in the heat of the moment like a way to win an
argument. However, it will likely also fuel longer-term bitterness and
relationship breakdown. All these approaches really only end up
with two people behaving badly. Consequently, the teenager learns
nothing about arguing effectively. If a situation becomes heated,
be ready to walk away until the temperature has cooled sufficiently
for you both to be able to return and address the topic in a more
rational way.
Distinguish between disrespect and argument. Even a
cursory glance at websites on the subject of teenage behaviour
will show that argument and disrespect are frequently linked.
However, this is not a necessary link. Teenagers often ask questions
by arguing. Parents who have developed the ability to understand
what is happening even in the midst of a simmering situation, and
who can answer arguments calmly, clearly and logically, do the most
in such situations to foster learning. Teenagers benefit most from
parents who can model appropriate ways to disagree and good
argumentation skills, enabling them to learn more about the issue
under discussion and also about the good use of argument as a
learning tool.
Promote the ability to construct logical argument. Teenage
brain development starts at the back of the brain and moves
forward 2 . This means that teenage responses are governed more by
the amygdala, situated at the back of the brain and triggering strong
emotions, than by the pre-frontal cortex, which is at the front,
develops later, and governs logical thought. As most of us have
observed, teenagers often respond to situations emotionally and
need help if they are to develop the skills of making a considered
and logical response. Teenagers are often told of the need for a wellconstructed
argument without anyone ever really explaining what
that is or how it can be developed. Helping teenagers understand
how to develop good argumentation skills and to put them to use is
an important factor in their preparation for adult life.
Model respect and good argumentation skills. The best
way to help your teenager understand the need for respect, even
when they disagree with someone’s viewpoint, is to model it in
your dealings with them. Good parents take time to listen to their
teenager’s point of view and to consider their arguments. They
ask questions and seek clarification when they do not understand.
They value good points made during the course of an argument
and remain polite even when provoked. They demonstrate empathy
for their teenager and their situation, and explain their decisions
carefully. Adopting such approaches as a parent both models
respect and demonstrates some of the important skills for arguing
effectively. The teenager who knows how it feels to be respected
is far more likely to respect others, and the teenager who has
experienced significant adults in their life arguing effectively is far
more likely to seek to develop similar techniques.
Keep the bigger picture of parenting in mind. It is important
for parents to keep in mind the overall goal in parenting a teenager
– to help the teenager reach the point where they can enter the
adult world successfully. For the parent, winning an argument
with their teenager is not the ultimate goal. Sure, it may give a
short-term feeling of satisfaction, but especially if the argument
has been won through the use of bullying tactics, or by sacrificing
truth for expediency, the overall goal will have been set back. This
is not to say the parent should always give in, or should sacrifice
their fundamental principles. However, wise parents will look for
opportunities to give ground when their teenager argues effectively,
admitting that the teenager has explained a perspective they (the
parent) had not previously understood or appreciated. Through
such comments, the teenager “feels” the value of arguing effectively
and is more likely to press on with the development of this
important life skill.
The tendency for teenagers to argue is, of course, part of their
natural development. They test their boundaries by arguing
as they strive for independence. Rather than something to
be avoided, tolerated, or “squashed”, this natural element of
human development contains considerable potential for personal
empowerment in those who can be helped to develop the skill to
argue effectively.
Dr Steve Sims is author of the blog Regarding Teenagers and
Director of the Basel Learning Hub in Switzerland.
https://regardingteenagers.com
2 https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/development/understanding-your-pre-teen/brain-development-teens
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 46
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 47
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 48
Understanding
GENDER
IDENTITY
in the World of
Global Nomad Families
Imagine your son beaming with joy about wearing his
bright purple dress to Kindergarten, his first week in a new
international school, in a very socially conservative region
of the world. Does your gut clench? You aren’t alone if it does.
Even the most open-minded people understand that our world is
still heavily gendered, and that there are consequences for kids who
don’t play by the spoken and unspoken rules about how boys and
girls “should” act. There are also consequences for the parents
of kids who behave in gender expansive ways, and it is the fear of
the consequences for ourselves as parents and for our kids that lead
lots of parents to worry and wonder quietly: “What is all this new
gender stuff?”
A gender expansive child is a child whose clothing, toy, game,
and/or friend choices is different from what is expected of them
based on the sex they were assigned at birth. In a nutshell, their
interests and tendencies expand beyond the limited “boys do this”
and “girls do that” boxes. As you set out to read this, maybe you
are a parent whose child is somewhat (or very) gender expansive.
Maybe this doesn’t apply to your family at all, but you know other
families on this journey and you’d like to learn to be a good ally.
Maybe you are admittedly suspicious of this seemingly new trend,
and you are uncomfortable with something that seems unnatural.
Statistically speaking, odds are very good that there are gender
expansive and/or transgender children in your communities right
now. In this Part One of a Two-Part series I hope to shed some
light on “this gender stuff.”
First, some definitions:
Sex Assigned At Birth: The way the doctors labeled you (most
often male or female) after a peek at your outwardly visible body
parts.
Gender Identity: Your internal, personal, heart-and-head-felt
sense of how male, female, both or neither you are.
Cisgender: Refers to the identity of a person whose body parts
(Sex assigned at birth) are aligned with their internal heart/head felt
sense of gender (Gender Identity).
Transgender: Someone for whom their body parts (sex assigned at
birth) are different from their internal felt sense of gender (gender
identity).
Gender expression: How we express our internal felt sense of
gender to the world.
Parents often have questions as they begin to understand that body
parts do not determine gender, and that gender is broader than two
simple categories.
1Is it normal for kids to be curious and “try on” other
gender identities?
It is absolutely a healthy part of child development to explore
a wide range of interests and clothing. Why else would preschools
have such wonderful costume/dress-up sections? But trying on
clothes or finger nail polish or playing with toys (gender expression)
usually associated with “the other gender” is not the same thing
as trying on gender identities. We know from research and clinical
experience that of the children who behave in gender expansive
ways, some grow up to be cisgender, heterosexual adults. Others
grow up and identify as cisgender and gay, lesbian, bisexual or
pansexual. Yet others grow up identify as non-binary or transgender
(Ehrensaft, 2016).
2How will I know if my child is transgender?
As you can see above, just because your child is gender
expansive in early childhood, it doesn’t mean that they
will inevitably identify as a transgender child/teen. Dr. Diane
Ehrensaft (of the UCSF Gender Clinic and The Gender Affirmative
Model) notes that when children are insistent, persistent and
consistent about their transgender identities than it is an indicator
that their internal felt sense of gender is different from the way the
world expects them to be. We know that many children whose body
parts are different from their internal sense of gender feel increasing
dysphoria (upset) as their body develops and/or as the world
around them treats them as if they are their sex assigned at birth
rather than in alignment with their felt sense of gender. Children
who are merely experimenting with gender expression (trying on
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 49
clothes- wanting to be “like daddy”) generally do not experience
upset when the world treats them as expected based on their sex
assigned at birth. Insistence, consistence, and persistence about
their gender identity, as well as increasing discomfort when asked to
behave or present in ways that match their sex assigned at birth can
be indicators of an underlying gender identity journey. Ultimately,
though, there is no single sentence answer to this question. If your
child is persistent about their gender identity, and/or expresses upset
consistently about being treated as their sex assigned at birth, it is
recommended that a gender specialist and/or gender specialty clinic
be consulted to help understand the child’s behavior and gender
presentation.
3What is a gender specialist, and won’t they have an
agenda?
A gender specialist is a professional with a mental health
or a medical background who understands the complex nature
of gender identity development and who has developed a
specialization area in the assessment and support of gender
expansive kids, teens and their families. In some cases, gender
specialists work in private practice, and in others, there are multidisciplinary
teams collaborating in medical centers. An ethical
responsible gender specialist’s only “agenda” will be to understand
the child’s gender presentation in the context of their development.
A gender specialist works with kids and families to clarify what kinds
of support the child and their parents need while the whole family
navigates the gender journey. An ethical gender specialist will not
steer the child or outcome in any certain direction and will help
families understand gender, communicate with each other and make
relevant decisions together (Keo-Meier, Ehrensaft 2018).
4How old does a child need to be to know they are
transgender?
Research and clinical practice suggest that by ages 3-4, most
children can answer questions about their gender identity. This may
seem young, but I always encourage parents to try to remember
the exact time they knew they were a boy or a girl. Most of us
say, “ I just knew.” The same is true for many transgender kids.
At the same time, just because a child hasn’t been announcing it
since preschool, doesn’t mean their preteen or teenage transgender
identity isn’t real. Preschool/Kindergarten is an age by which many
children are articulating that they are on a gender journey. It is also
true that the onset of puberty is another time when preteens and
teens report a clear sense that their changing/developing body parts
are not in alignment with their internal felt sense of gender (Keo-
Meyer, Ehrensaft 2018).
5Lately, everywhere I look there is more talk about
transgender kids. Its almost as if it is a fad. Aren’t
kids just using this as a form of rebellion?
Parents almost always find a way to ask, “What causes” gender
expansive behavior. The best answer at this point in time is that
gender identity is formed through a complex interaction of genetics,
biology and social environment. Although gender expression
choices (clothing, hair, interests) can be influenced by peers, there is
no indication that our internal gender identities can be changed or
created by another’s influence. To suggest that gender identities are
fads indicates that kids and teens simply choose to be transgender
when they so wish. Data is beginning to suggest some brain and
behavior connections related to gender, but it is too early discuss
those trends clearly (Keo-Meier, Ehrensaft 2018). Most parents of
children who are gender expansive report that their children have
been naturally drawn to their interests well before peer influence
would have kicked in. Furthermore, research shows that gender
expansive and transgender kids and teens are likely to be ostracized
socially, and targeted for teasing (Pepper, Brill 2008), rather than
heralded as Avant guard trendsetters. Considering gender identity a
choice also discounts the clear data related to gender dysphoria and
the tremendous discomfort that preteen and teenage transgender
youth often experience as they navigate their gender journeys.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 50
6It just doesn’t seem “natural.”
Actually, there is evidence in nature that gender diversity is
naturally occurring in plants, animals and humans. Gender
identity variation can be viewed as another natural expression of
science, genetics, biology and environment.
7Why is it happening so much more now?
There is evidence that for centuries, people in cultures
around the world (Native American, Thai, Nepalese, Indian,
Samoan, Hawaiian, various African tribes) demonstrated gender
diversity and/or “two-spirit” concepts in which people were
recognized to have a balance of male and female energies and to be
respected for their related knowledge and skills (Brown, Mar 2018).
It is true that gender diversity has gotten more media attention in
the past decade or so, but the concept of gender diversity is not new.
8What is the connection between gender identity and
sexual orientation?
The answer to this question is: There isn’t necessarily a
connection. It is important to understand that gender identity,
gender expression and sexual orientation are three very different
things that often get tangled when we speak about gender. As noted
earlier, although there are some gender expansive children who
later identify as gay, there are also many gender expansive children
who identify as heterosexual. Being transgender has nothing to
do with to whom you are romantically and sexually attracted. As
someone once explained to me (in an admittedly oversimplified way)
“Sexual orientation is whom you would like to go to bed WITH;
Gender identity is whom you would like to go to bed AS.” Those
are two totally separate things. The LGB and TQ communities
have worked together to help advocate for one another and may
fall under the same umbrella in organizations. But in reality your
internal felt sense of gender is totally separate from your patterns in
romantic attraction.
9I read somewhere that transgender kids have a lot of
mental health problems. Is this true?
It is true that many children and teens who are gender
expansive experience greater levels of anxiety and depression
than children who more easily land in our traditional gender
boxes. There is a social cost to pay for being different from others
and behaving in ways that are unexpected for teachers, parents
and other adults. Most of the available research is related to gay
children and teens and the statistics for them are startling. Dr.
Caitlin Ryan did research in 2010 that suggested: without parent
support (this is critical), lesbian and gay teens and young adults are
8 times more likely to attempt suicide. They are 6 times more likely
to experience anxiety and depression. They are 3 times more likely
to develop a substance abuse problem. Additionally, according to
research, they struggle to imagine that they can have happy healthy
lives as gay or lesbian young adults. However, research suggests
that with family support gay and lesbian teens are not at greater
risk for mental health problems than other teens (Ryan, C., 2010,
Le et.al, 2016, Travers, R., 2012, Wilson et.al., 2016). Clinical
experience suggests that gender expansive and transgender kids
are at greater risk for mental health problems (anxiety, depression,
attention concerns) especially if they do not have the support of
their parents and community. It’s the alienation, judgment and
questioning that takes it toll on a child’s wellness (Barrow, Apostle
2018). In a nutshell, there is no clear evidence that gender identity
concerns are always indicative of mental health concerns.
One of the many things we know about being part of the global
nomad community is that we find ourselves faced with learning
new things and understanding there are a myriad of ways to honor
others’ identities. We are often challenged to rethink what we used
to view as “normal” and we are skilled at respecting differences
within and among people.
Because of the above, global nomad parents have an advantage
making sense of the shifting public dialogue about gender identity,
and how these concepts relate to our kids. Part Two of this series
will specifically address how to support the gender expansive and
transgender children in your lives. There are fairly clear “do’s” and
“don’ts” with the kids in our communities, and we will discuss them
fully in Part Two.
Barrow, K., Apostle, D., (2018). Addressing Mental Health Conditions Often Experienced
by Transgender and Gender Expansive Children. The Gender Affirmative Model: An
Interdisciplinary Approach to Supporting Transgender and Gender Expansive Children, pp.
71-84.
Brown, E., Mar, K., (2018) Culturally Responsive Practice With Children of Color. The
Gender Affirmative Model: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Supporting Transgender and
Gender Expansive Children, pp. 55-70.
Ehrensaft, D. 2016. The Gender Creative Child: Pathways for Nurturing and Supporting
Children Who Live Outside Gender Boxes.
Keo-Meyer, C., Ehrensaft D., (Editors) The Gender Affirmative Model; An Interdisciplinary
Approach to Supporting Transgender and Gender Expansive Children. (2018).
Pepper, R., Brill, S. 2008. The Transgender Child. A Handbook for Families and
Professionals.
Ryan, C, Rusell, ST, Huebner, D Diaz, R, Sanchez, J. Family Acceptance in Adolescence
and the Health of LGBT Young Adults. Journal of Psychiatric Child and Adolescent Nursing.
2010; 23(4): 205-213
Dr. Laura Anderson has been a licensed child and
family psychologist for nearly twenty years. For
most of her career, Dr. Anderson ‘s offices have
been primarily based in school settings. She
has worked in public, private, international and
charter preschools, elementary, middle and high
schools. Dr. Anderson has expertise in learning and
behavioral assessments, emotional/behavioral interventions in
classrooms, working with adoptive families and working with genderexpansive
children and their families. Dr. Anderson is currently based in
Oakland California, and she provides national and international training
on a variety of child psychology topics. Dr. Anderson is a founding
member Parenting-in-the-Gap, a group under the umbrella of UCSF
Mind-the-Gap that focuses on training therapists to work effectively
with family members of gender expansive youth. In the past year, Dr.
Anderson has done presentations related to supporting LGBTQ youth
and their families at the Gender Spectrum Conference, the Hawaii
Psychological Association Annual Convention, the California Adoption
Connection conference and the Families In Global Transition conference
in Amsterdam. For both personal and professional reasons, Dr. Anderson
is passionate about supporting global nomad gender expansive, nonbinary,
and transgender youth and their families.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 51
ADVERTORIAL
Hoher Kasten:
Family Friendly Hiking In
The Appenzell Alps
The Hoher Kasten is a mountain located in the Appenzell Alps with a 360 degrees unlimited
panoramic view over six countries. It is located on the border between the cantons of
Appenzell Innerrhoden and St. Gallen.
Lush mountainsides quickly descend into teardrop lakes
of the most vibrant blues, gabled houses sprout from
cobbled villages and drastic slopes mark the ridges of the
Rhine Valley. From here, the rugged tor of the Appenzell Alps,
it’s possible to see the breathtaking panoramic landscapes of 6
European countries.
To reach the top, take the scenic cable car from Brülisau. Watch
as bucolic meadows adorned with traditional farmhouses and
colourful flora become little more than a natural patchwork of
distant greens as you ascend 1794 metres to reach the summit of
iconic Hoher Kasten.
Beyond Hoher Kasten
From Hoher Kasten, the eastern gateway to the Alpsteins hiking
area, it’s possible to embark on a diverse itinerary of hikes that
span 400 kilometres of trails with no less than 6 cable cars and a
delightful collection of mountain inns, perfect overnight options for
even the most frugal of families Whilst planning your hike, make
sure that you check the weather conditions and dress appropriately
as it can snow even as early as September.
The best walking option for families is the family trail Hoher
Kasten – Kamor – Forstseeli - Brülisau, which begins at the cable
car and takes hikers along the mountain ridge Kamor before
descending through a peaceful pine forest, where you can either
continue to the idyllic Forstseeli Lake for a waterside picnic or
to the mountain inn Ruhesitz where it’s possible to rent scooters
to ride back into Brülisau for a slightly more energetic end to the
trail.
The easiest route, accessible all year round, even with a buggy or
a wheelchair, is the Europa-Rundweg Circular Trail. A 259-meter
trail that waltzes around the entire summit of Hoher Kasten, the
trail provides views of Europe’s incredible mountain scenery -
including the Rhine Valley, Appenzellerland and Lake Constance.
Along the route you’ll find immersive viewing platforms that
reach out over the mountain peak, a revolving restaurant, benches
and free-to-use telescopes with educational integrated peak
identification systems, and there’s a surprising alpine garden filled
with rare plants. On a clear day it’s possible to lookout to Germany,
France, Liechtenstein, Austria and Italy’s Monte di Zocca.
Another option is to hike to the dreamy Fählensee lake. This one
is a little trickier but it’s still accessible for families during Autumn
before the snow falls. Follow the Geological Trail directly from
the summit of Hoher Kasten and hike along the edge of the lake
to find a dairy farm, home to a herd of Appenzeller goats. Back
on the opposite end of the lake you’ll find the quaint mountain
inn Bollenwees nestled into a pastoral saddle in the mountain,
complete with inspiring views of the lake and surrounding
countryside. From there you can continue to hike back down into
Brülisau through spectacular forests, cow pastures and stunning
nature trails alive with distinctive flora and fauna.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 52
ADVERTORIAL
Top tip for families,
exploring the Appenzell Alps has
never been easier or more affordable.
Children up to 15 years of age can
travel free of charge on the Hoher
Kasten cable car throughout 2019 as
long as they are accompanied by at
least one adult. And the offer is
open to school groups too!
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 53
MARCH
THURSDAY
20TH AND
FRIDAY 21ST,
2020
SGIS Annual Conference 2020,
Institut Florimont, Geneva
‘20-20 Vision’
Preparing the ‘students of today for the challenges of
tomorrow’ has long been a central tenet for educators. Yet,
it seems to be more crucial now than at any other time.
How can we best support our multilingual learners, and provide
for their success?
How can we ensure that our children develop the skills and
attitudes to ensure their full and meaningful participation in
society?
How can we fully plan for and utilize the range of learning
environments to ensure the learning spaces within and beyond our
school’s walls are organized, positive and safe?
These questions and many more like them will be addressed
at the upcoming SGIS Annual Conference, which takes place at
Institut Florimont, in March 2020.
Chairman of the SGIS, and Head of Leysin American School,
Marc Ott said, ‘The goal of the conference is for all participants
to learn from one another. In addition, we hope we can continue
strengthening the relationships between the international Englishspeaking
and French-speaking communities in education’.
The SGIS is proud of its reputation as a prominent contributor
to continuous professional development in education. Its Annual
Conference represents a close collaboration with the hosting
school, in this case Institut Florimont, and colleagues across its
member schools. Teachers, educationalists, educators and parents
of international, private and public education establishments will
most certainly enjoy a rich two-day professional development
opportunity, under the meticulous planning of the Swiss Group of
International Schools.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 54
Michael
Thompson
Fred
Genesee
Jean-Marc
Dewaele
Rosan
Bosch
Furthermore, the wide range of seminars will be offered in
French and English, to member and non-member schools. This
marks the second bilingual conference in recent years, covering the
majority of curricula offered in Switzerland.
Sean Power, Director General of the Institut Florimont has been
very proactive in bringing the conference to his school. He said,
‘“We were delighted to have been asked to host the 2020 SGIS
Annual Conference. It gives us a great opportunity to open our
doors to anglophone and francophone delegates and visitors, who
will be able to experience at first hand the warm welcome which
Institut Florimont is known for. We look forward to a rich and
rewarding two days next March”.
The conference promises to have something for everyone – from
specialist second language teachers, to well-being and pastoral
coordinators, Middle and Senior leaders and School Boards.
The conference will introduce internationally reputed speakers
such as Michael Thompson, Fred Genesee, Jean-Marc Dewaele
and the innovative Rosan Bosch.
Michael Thompson, New York Times best-selling author and
clinical psychologist, will share his research findings which focus on
the social, emotional and psychological wellbeing of children and
adolescents. He will also highlight how teachers and parents can
best support the children in their care.
Fred Genesee, author and a professor at McGill University will
present a number of workshops which explore language teaching
and learning. His research looks at bilingualism and the early
stages of assimilating two languages.
At the same time, Jean-Marc Dewaele, Professor in Applied
Linguistics and Multilingualism will share his research findings,
which look at the link between emotional wellbeing and second
language learning.
Rosan Bosch is internationally renowned for her innovative
designs of workspaces, which question and re-write the age-old
design theories of schools and classrooms. In her book ‘Designing
a Better World Starts at School’ Bosch presents a new, exciting and
alternative framework for inspiring and imaginative learning areas.
Her keynote and workshops at the 2020 SGIS Conference will
address these points and are guaranteed to make delegates think
again.
Finally, the conference will also offer opportunities for colleagues
to share their good practice and action research, in a series of
Teacher Presentation sessions.
The SGIS Annual Conference promises to offer a ‘20-20
vision’ by providing a rich, rewarding and topical insight into the
challenges facing educators and parents now and most importantly
in the future.
For more information about the upcoming conference, please
click on the following link:- http://www.sgischools.com/cms/, and
look out for further features in the ISP magazine and online version
over the next 6 months.
The Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS) exists to
support international schools in Switzerland and neighbouring
countries in achieving their educational goals and to provide
representation on issues of common interest.
Alison Piguet (Vice-Chair, SGIS)
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 55
Children
(up to 15 yrs)
ride along
for free!
TOP OF APPENZELL
• Even more impressive, with new Europa
Rundweg Circular Trail: observation
terraces, rocky track, benches, telescopes,
wheelchair-accessible
• Unforgettable 360° panorama at 1794 m
above sea level
• Eastern Switzerland panoramic summit
in the Alpstein hiking region
• Familyfriendly hiking tours
• Unique revolving restaurant
Hoher Kasten cableway
Dorf 22, 9058 Brülisau
Tel +41 71 799 13 22
www.hoherkasten.ch #hoherkasten #topofappenzell
CREATING A CULTURE OF CARING –
Why developing empathy is a
vital part of education
Every parent wants to see their child
succeed. That’s why investing in
a great education is a top priority
for parents of children of all ages. For
some parents, they imagine their child
succeeding in a professional sphere, perhaps
leading a company or performing a surgery.
For others, they imagine their children
succeeding socially and developing the skills
to communicate well with others and get
ahead.
But what if the first thing that came
to our minds when we dreamed of our
children’s futures was less measurable than
grades, accolades or social currency? What
if instead, we imagined them as young
adults walking into their futures carrying
two very important tools: a global mind and
a generous heart. How would this shape
their future and opportunities? How would
it impact our world?
What is a culture of caring and why does
it matter?
A culture of caring is a learning
environment that upholds the dignity
of all and emphasises the development
of empathy for others. It creates space
for different experiences and sees these
differences as opportunities to help one
another reach their potential. Developing a
culture of caring in our schools is both an
opportunity and a necessity.
“A completely reasonable question is
to ask what education is for,” says Frazer
Cairns, Director of International School of
Lausanne. “And if we do, we need to think
about the kind of future society we want
to live in and the kind of values we want
people to uphold.
“Seen in this light, the purpose of an
education is not to prepare young people
to join the workforce or to prepare them
for university. These are just steps along the
way rather than a destination in themselves.
The ultimate purpose of an education is
to help them become wiser, and better,
individuals. We certainly need society to be
creative and innovative but we also need
it — or rather the people that make up
society — to have a sense of responsibility
for others and a sense of duty.”
How a culture of caring can impact
children’s futures and the future of our
world
Most of the cultural messages we receive
1 https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2018/09/10/generosity-isnt-just-about-doing-good-its-also-good-for-our-mental-health-suggests-new-study/#34ed6d555286
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 57
“When young minds are exposed through
education to the needs of others in our
world, both near and far, we can expect
them to become more globally-minded
and well-rounded thinkers and feelers.”
today centre around one theme — us. What
can simplify our lives? How can we improve
our lives? How can we achieve success?
While there is nothing wrong with pursuing
self-improvement or setting and achieving
individual goals, we often lack messages that
encourage the extension of empathy, love,
or service to one another. This messaging,
or lack thereof, has an effect on our young
people and what they learn to believe as
valuable pursuits in life.
Frazer Cairns continues, “If young people
do not learn to respect and actively support
the dignity of others, then the future of our
planet is, in my opinion, very bleak and
chaotic. A core aspect of education is to
help young people develop the confidence
and the energy to work towards what they
have recognised to be right.
“Clearly I hope that schools will help
produce extraordinary people; people who
will take an issue by the horns and shake
up the world. However, I hope too that
those same schools and colleges will help
to produce a far greater number of nurses,
carers in old people’s homes, loving parents,
and supportive friends who recognise that
their collective compassionate acts could
have a far greater and much longer-lasting
effect.”
When young minds are exposed through
education to the needs of others in our
world, both near and far, we can expect
them to become more globally-minded and
well-rounded thinkers and feelers. What we
may not consider, is how it can help them to
actually find their unique place in it.
American writer Frederick Buechner
defines vocation as, “the place where your
deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger
meet.” Instilling a sense of empathy in
our students sets them on a path to pursue
vocation rather than merely occupation. It
reframes the question passed down from
generations: “What will you be when you
grow up?” to, “What problem do you wish
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 58
to solve in the future?” When students
are free to pursue vocation rather than
occupation, they develop a deep sense of
purpose in their work and private life and
learn to take delight in being generous with
the time and talents. More so, developing
an empathetic and caring character is
also proven to improve health and selfconfidence
and reduce anxiety 1 ; issues many
parents are concerned about today.
Opening young eyes to the world
For more than five years, the Swiss
humanitarian organisation, Medair, has
been partnering with international schools
in Switzerland to help educate young minds
about the needs of people affected by
natural disaster and armed conflict in some
of the world’s most isolated and vulnerable
places. Based near Lausanne, Medair has
been welcomed into international schools,
including Zurich International School,
St. George’s International School, GEMS
World Academy, The International School
of Zug and Luzern, La Côte International
School and International School of
Lausanne to facilitate real-life learning
activities that bring world issues right into
the classroom.
Lorretta Cuff, Medair’s Educational
Community and Outreach Officer for
French-speaking Switzerland, explains,
“Our goal is to encourage students to be
more aware and empathetic to the needs
of others and take positive action to help
through fundraising and awareness raising.
“To achieve this, we offer turn-key
programmes ranging from classroom-based
activities to student-driven projects from
the primary to diploma level. We provide
resources for teacher-led sessions and offer
classroom visits to schools interested in
becoming more involved in a wide range
of global topics affecting our world’s
poorest and most vulnerable people. These
resources help make these topics come to
life and help to educate and engage students
with social causes.”
Through these resources, students across
Switzerland have learned about the plight
of refugees through a simulated learning
experience, exposing students to the same
difficult decisions refugees must make daily
to survive. Other students have benefited
from lectures by humanitarian workers
working on the frontlines of crises such as
the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. More
students have learned how their talents
can intersect with social justice, as was the
case for art students from the International
School of Zug and Luzern who created
a class project that advocated and raised
funds for global issues including povertyalleviation
and food scarcity.
“We help students realise that they can
harness their skills and talents for the good
of others, which is ultimately good for
them too,” adds Manon Blaufelder, Deputy
Manager of Medair’s Zurich office.
Barry Dequanne, Director of
International School of Zug and
Luzern, found the immersion activities
particularly meaningful to his students.
“The opportunity to involve students in
a simulation event rather than simply
presenting to them was extremely powerful
as a learning experience. Feeling what
a refugee would feel and walking in
someone else’s shoes enabled the students
to better understand what refugees have
to go through and helped them to develop
a deeper sense of empathy. Such an
experiential learning opportunity enriched
the discussions about migration that had
been going on within our classrooms and
helped our students to understand and
empathise, and in turn, serve as stepping
stones to taking action.”
Equipping students to be change-makers
“I believe there is a yearning for purpose
among young people — an eagerness to
know what they can do to help tackle the
issues they see in the world around them,”
says Medair CEO, David Verboom. “We
are grateful to have the opportunity to
encourage this global mindset and offer
them tangible and simple solutions to
making a difference in their world.”
With a great education, it’s safe to assume
that our young people will be equipped
with the skills need to be great teachers and
lawyers and parents and leaders. But if we
assist them in developing a generous heart
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 59
and a globally minded worldview, they can
have great with great impact too.
For more information or to bring these lifechanging
resources to your school or service
group, please contact: info.school@medair.
org or learn more at: https://www.medair.
org/schools/.
If you are interested in building your
child’s empathy right at home, consider the
Refugee Box – a card-based activity, which
can be easily set up around your kitchen
table. Through stories, videos and role
playing, the whole family can gain a deeper
understanding of the plight of refugees in
under 45 minutes.
WHO IS MEDAIR?
Medair is a Swiss humanitarian
organisation inspired by Christian
faith to relieve human suffering in
some of the world’s most remote
and devastated places. www.
medair.org
WHAT DO THEY DO?
Medair sends experts in health,
shelter, and water to help families
meet their most urgent needs
quickly during emergencies. They
then stay to help people recover
and safeguard against future
disasters.
WHERE DO THEY WORK?
Medair is active in 12 countries
responding to major disease
outbreaks, aiding survivors of
natural disasters, and helping
refugees affected by on-going
conflict.
ADVERTORIAL
International families
on the move
Transitions, no matter what kind, are at the best of times challenging. Leaving what you are
familiar with and stepping into the unknown can be overwhelming.
Recognising and responding to the challenges families face
when moving from one home to another led the Inter-
Community School Zurich to develop a comprehensive
Transition Programme for international families.
This programme was created to make new families part of the
school’s community as quickly as possible as a way to optimise
academic performance. “This is what we excel at,” says Mrs
Campbell, Head of School. “We take a strategic and systematic
approach to making the experience of ‘joining and leaving the
school’ as successful as possible to ensure a smooth and stress-free
transition for both children and their parents.”
Developing a personalised learning pathway
Preparing to welcome a student to a new school is a process of
sequential steps that starts well before the child’s first day. The
Admissions Department provides parents with resources and crucial
information while educational specialists make the appropriate
age-level preparations to develop a personalised learning pathway,
including specialised support for non-native English speakers.
Support for students
School counsellors also get in touch with families to answer
questions, discuss Secondary students’ subject choices, or simply to
allay any fears or anxieties. Student Ambassadors also reach out to
Secondary students, often during the holidays, to answer questions
or just be a friend. A Buddy Programme will go into action to
support Primary School children from their very first day at school.
Year-round support
International moves don’t necessarily coincide with school terms.
A transition programme that can quickly be put into place makes
entry possible throughout the year and helps families to quickly
adjust to the new situation.
Support for parents: ICS parents’ association
When it comes to settling down in the new community, an active
and engaged Parents’ Association is crucial to help parents cope
with the unique challenges of settling into a new culture. At ICS,
in addition to a number of welcome events, parents can sign up
for activities and clubs throughout the year and take advantage of
a network of country representatives to meet others with similar
backgrounds.
Preparation is key to success
Moving? Then, preparation is the key to success; a well organised
Transition Programme plays a role.
For ICS, the Transition Programme has proven to be vital. It not
only helps families cope with the inevitable sense of loss but also
helps them to explore and prepare for a new chapter in their lives.
www.icsz.ch
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT SPRING 2019 | 60
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT SPRING 2019 | 61
ADVERTORIAL
LIFE CHANGING
EVENTS
Dealing with the consequences and implications
Important, difficult financial decisions often have to be made
following life changing events which effect both yourself and
your family. These are often made with little time to consider
the potential long-term consequences. It is essential that these
decisions are made after having considered the implications.
Below are some events which you may encounter in the future.
Divorce
This can be a very emotional time. Two individuals having been
together in partnership, over perhaps a long period of time, will
have brought together existing individual assets and purchased new
ones together. These will now have to be returned to individual
ownership.
To minimise the costs involved with the process, do not allow the
taxman or lawyers to excessively benefit from the separation!
Consider the longer-term implications on both parties and any
children. What are the likely consequences in the future? How can
unexpected implications be avoided later?
Planning and saving for long-term care
Parents or other relatives may at some time require more care than
the family can provide. This will likely result in arranging for care
at home or a move to a care home.
It is important to consider saving to provide for long term care.
Review the cost of care homes and how these can be paid for. You
need to ensure these are affordable when being added to other
current outgoings.
Receiving a large sum of money
You may receive a large sum of money from one of many sources.
An inheritance, sale of a business, compensation claim or lottery
win! This should be an exciting time. However, it can also be
considered daunting, especially if this is the money you plan to live
off for the rest of your life. In these circumstances extra care needs
to be taken in actions agreed.
Do you want an income from the money, to simply let it grow
or a balance of each? Consider required returns. Do you want the
money to just provide for yourself or for your children and future
generations later?
Dementia, disabilities and life-limiting illness
What will be the effect on the diagnosis of a life shortening illness,
disability or mental illness such as dementia on you and your
family. What will be the effect on the family finances to provide
for the care required? Quick actions are necessary at this time
especially if the illness will cause a loss of self-capacity.
Enjoying as much time as possible with loved ones will be very
important You will not wish to get overrun with administration.
Discuss with the whole family the situation. Ensure everybody
understands big decisions made now, will be difficult to change
later. Ensure all the legal requirements are covered. Respect the
needs and wishes of the party who is suffering, even after their
subsequent death.
Death and bereavement
Death of a loved one, causes great uncertainty as to how the
future will look. You will have to take many actions and make
many decisions which you have probably previously had little
experience.
In addition, you will be under pressure to make quick decisions.
However, it is important you understand the longer-term
implications. Make sure things are done on a gradual basis and
that you understand each stage of the process before taking action.
Ensure you understand what impact decisions made now will
impact on the future.
Richard has over 40 years of experience within the Financial industry. His extensive knowledge of underlying financial
services and products made him one of the most recognized financial planners in the French-speaking area of Switzerland,
where he advises clients on investments, retirement planning, estate planning and many more financial milestones.
He would be delighted to undertake a confidential review and assessment of your individual circumstances. For more
advice please contact Richard Heath, Financial Planner at Blackden Financial based in Geneva.
Telephone +41 22 755 08 00 | Email rheath@blackdenfinancial.com | Website: www.blackdenfinancial.com
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 62
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2019 | 63
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Write for us
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International School Parent Magazine was created to inform, inspire, and engage the
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quality content with actionable advice that readers can apply in their own lives.
What kind of content do we publish?
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may have missed.
Compelling title: Your title should reflect the content of the article and tell readers why they
must read the article.
Tell us a little about yourself and what you do, which topic areas you have expertise in, and
point us towards some of your existing written work.
If you think this is for you, then contact us today: content@internationalschoolparent.com
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