by Shaina Neal On Imposter Syndrome and learning the hustle My second year as a school leader, I sat in a room with principals, organizational leaders, and heads of institutions, many of whom had not experienced the same challenges or achieved the same successes I had, yet I still felt small. That dissonance is not […]
Being Excellent Was Never Enough Read More »
by Callum Watt Why Use Data? Qualitative data in primary schools are far more valuable than the quantitative data, which is pulled regularly from summative assessments. The gap analyses we run and feedback from teachers inform our investments and development priorities as a school. The classroom data is often held inside the minds of our
Purposeful Data: Progress in Primary Data Read More »
by Rob Daws In exactly one month, I’ll hit 40 and I’m almost certainly having a midlife crisis… Like many people approaching that milestone, I’ve found myself in a period of deep reflection – I look at my life now as an International School Principal in China and then I look back at where it
by Patrick Rakiro Building Human Connections in Learning As a seasoned educator, I believe that education is more than delivering content. It is about shaping lives. As we begin this academic journey together, I invite you to reflect on what truly makes a classroom thrive. Beyond lesson plans and assessments lies the heartbeat of learning:
Humanize Your Classroom: Teaching Beyond the Curriculum Read More »
by Amulya Malaki Dear Aspiring Leader, If you are preparing to lead an international school today, you are not simply assuming the mantle of academic stewardship. You are stepping into a profoundly moral role – one that will quietly influence how young people decide what kinds of lives are worth living. While recently reading Dutch
What If We Inspire Our Students to Cultivate Moral Ambition? Read More »
by Cassandra Clark There is a moment in almost every school year when someone says, “We should really do something about wellbeing.” It usually comes after a difficult incident, a spike in behaviour data, a staff wellbeing survey, or a tired look exchanged in a leadership meeting. And it is almost always followed by the
Elevate Wellbeing Without Adding More Read More »
by Emmanuel N Barthalomew This reflective piece, as most of my writings tend to be, is a summary of my musings. Between teacher interviews across subjects, phases, and leadership posts, I’m also updating materials for our second Cambridge PDQ in Educational Leadership cohort. I reread Keith Grint’s “The Cuckoo Clock Syndrome” and found myself thinking about
Teacher Recruitment in International Schools: Tame, Critical, or Wicked? Read More »
by Lisa Thorpe With over 20 years in education, including a decade in senior leadership, I have cultivated a leadership style that is uniquely my own, rooted in heart, experience, and authenticity, rather than confined to a textbook definition. As an international school leader and facilitator in a global leadership program, I’ve had the privilege of
Head and Heart – A Balancing Act Read More »
by Rowena Minney Retention. The Real Measure of a Recruiter’s Success? This article has taken me a while to write, and I’m actually glad it has. Although not a complex topic, the many conversations I’ve had since with principals, HR professionals, and teachers have shaped what I’m about to share. The idea first sparked at
Recruitment vs Retention Read More »
by Dr Dan Gilfillen Working in bilingual and international schools around the world for the last 16 years, one area of leadership has become apparent to me as a crucial element of leadership: sustainable change management. While readers of the LYIS Principal’s Blog may be well versed in sustainability (a big term to unpack) related to curriculum,
Sustainable International School Change Management Read More »