I’m convinced that the question of “what can we take away” has been a priority for school leaders since (at least) the Industrial Age. It has been a central theme in all my time in education, and I imagine it transcends many other work sectors too. How do we find ourselves constantly in this situation? […]
Only when I started my holiday did I realise how much I needed it. “Not cool, dad” Waiting patiently for a ride on the bumper cars with the kids, I noticed a group of young teenagers jumping the queue ahead of us and then being allowed to get away with it by the clearly intimidated […]
I picked up my son’s (Grade 6) school bag this morning and nearly pulled my arm out of its socket! I said something along these lines: “Flipping ‘ek. That’s a heavy bag. What on earth is in there?” He said something along these lines: “Yeah, it’s heavy, but I’ve been training since Grade 1 and […]
When I graduated from school, there was no graduation ceremony, no wise words to never remember, and no fanfare. We finished our exams and that was that. We parted ways, got merry (some more than others), and then we got on with the summer holidays and waited forlornly for our exam results to come in. […]
This week, I overheard an expression I hadn’t heard before. One lady was talking to another about the “strawberry” generation. I was at the supermarket (in Singapore), so I assumed something was afoot in the fruit and vegetable aisle. Curious, I walked around the aisle for a look. But there was nothing to see besides […]
The special ones Recently, I was asked to nominate a student to support a high-profile event. Even at short notice, she absolutely crushed it. I knew she would. She deserved the feedback and accolades she received afterwards…they said she was inspiring, articulate, responsive, and confident. If humanity manages to save itself from itself, it will […]
According to ISC Research, there were about 8,000 international schools ten years ago. Today, that number stands close to 13,000. The growth is staggering. Indeed, a recent (illuminating and challenging) Bloomberg article postulates that two new international schools open each day on average. It has become an incredibly competitive market as more and more families […]
Be honest. You assumed the boy was stealing a cookie, didn’t you? You probably did it all the time when you were his age, and we all know it takes a thief to catch a thief! But what if….he’d been told he could take that cookie? Or if he was actually putting them out on […]
“Which came first: the chicken or the egg?” Who hasn’t explored this age-old debate with little kids? I know I have. Ask any other person you know how the discussion went. I am sure they will all agree that the kids loved the inquiry and the opportunity to explore theories and develop some spectacularly […]
This week, we kicked off Writers’ Fortnight in school. Incredible speakers, including many extraordinary parents, are being invited to speak to our students to share how particular books have inspired them or how they are involved in literature in some way. As a result, our students have been awed by poets, journalists, diplomats, artists, and […]
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