International School Parent Magazine - Autumn 2019

“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