by andrew@learnedleadership.org | Aug 20, 2012 | The Leadership Project, TLP EARCOS
One of the benefits of working in education is the opportunity to work near artists everyday. Whether in the ELC or the upper school, it seems like most schools are always filled with student art. For an art novice like myself, it’s hard to describe what makes a piece of art great; it just is. Although I have little artistic ability myself, I can relate with the process of creation that drives an artist. It may not feel like it all the time but in many ways administrators are like artists with schools as their canvas. I spoke with Dr. Don Bergman, Head of School at Nido de Aguilas in Santiago, Chile, who used this analogy to describe his work in schools. Like great artists, great administrators often get that way through experience, something Dr. Bergman has no shortage of. Dr. Bergman has worked in some of the best schools in international education including Cairo American College, Jakarta International School, Singapore American School, and International School of Manila, among others. When asked how he knew what to add or subtract to the school’s canvas at Nido he explained,” I don’t think it’s a unique talent, it’s more a combination of experience and having kind of a gut feeling about what building blocks are necessary to help that occur in very diverse setting.” Although I think he’s right in describing the value of experience, I argue that having that “gut feeling” is often what separates the good artists/administrators from the great ones. (If not specifically quoted, Dr. Bergman’s responses to these questions have been paraphrased) You’ve worked continuously overseas for...
by andrew@learnedleadership.org | Aug 18, 2012 | Teacher's Corner, Uncategorized
Earlier this year Teresa Sullivan, President of the University of Virginia, was forced to resign because some on the school’s board felt she hadn’t capitalized on the online learning market. Whether or not her dismal was justified (she was reinstated only 2 weeks later), it’s not uncommon for the education industry at all levels to be behind the curve on innovations in technology. It seems that even when schools take a brave step towards engaging technology, they can be ineffective at accomplishing their main objectives. An example of this is the constant monitoring and blocking schools attempt to do to deter students from misusing their access to the internet. Of course some form of monitoring is acceptable and needed, but it seems that most of the time the only people schools effectively ban from Facebook are the teachers. Hopefully by now the conversations in your school has shifted from what technology should we allow in the classroom, to how can we use technology to reach our communities better. Over the past few years I’ve been experimenting with using a class website to distribute materials, keep students informed on class assignments, and among many other things to give parents a window into the classroom. Rejuvenated by the summer and a late start to the year because of monsoon flooding, I took sometime to update my weebly.com based class website (take a peek if your curious). In addition to adding various calendars and schoology.com for online grade reporting, I’ve tried to use the website to give students better access to materials that I’d generally print for the classroom. I’ve wanted to...
by andrew@learnedleadership.org | Aug 9, 2012 | The Leadership Project
Few schools around the world have gained a reputation for excellence like Hong Kong International School. Situated in the hub of commerce between east and west, it’s not surprising that the residents of Hong Kong would demand such a school. Unless you have experience running a school similar in size to HKIS, it’s not easy to contemplate the complexity that comes with just making everyday decisions. With enrollment over 2600 students and over 500 faculty and staff at two campuses, just scheduling facilities can become a very intricate task. Yet this is simple in comparison to overseeing the hiring process, developing a new primary building, keeping academic excellence high, not to mention working with Hong Kong government officials. Obviously it takes a special kind of leader to step into a headship at HKIS, this might be why Head of School, Kevin Dunning described it as a “calling.” I had the chance to interview Mr. Dunning at the end of his first year and just days before the commencement ceremony. New to international education, he had some thoughtful insights on our industry and honest reflections on his performance this year. (If not specifically quoted, Mr. Dunning’s responses to these questions have been paraphrased) You’ve had a lot of experience working within the Lutheran private school network in the US, why did you decide to make the jump to international education? “[When the position opened up] I had been at my previous school in the United States for 13 years and the school had grown from about 450 kids when I got there to about 1325 when I left. Four building...
by andrew@learnedleadership.org | Aug 9, 2012 | Blog, The Leadership Project
For many of us in international education the new school year is already upon us. For some of you diehard holiday lovers this might come with a little dread, but hopefully as an educator you feel at least a little excitement at the beginning of a new school year. Like most summers I planned to do much more then I ever accomplished, which was compounded this year as it was my first time chasing after a 1-year old all day. It really is amazing how little one gets done in a day when it’s spent chasing after a small child. So now that I’ve taken a little break from the blog and the Leadership Project, I thought it might be nice to reflect on what I’ve learned from the many great leaders I’ve had a chance to connect with this year. So I’ve compiled a few of my favorite quotes and words of advice below. Click on the name of the person to go directly to their interview. Advice: “If you’re interested in leadership, then raise your hand for anything that would constitute leadership, even if [it’s not your specialty]…[and] make yourself indispensable.” Tim Carr, Jakarta International School “Trust takes a long time to develop and can be lost in a sentence, so be scrupulously honest with people.” Bill Gerritz, International School Bangkok I think it’s important to always focus on excellence and to never be satisfied with the status quo. Similar to Philippians 4:8 which says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is...
by andrew@learnedleadership.org | Jul 28, 2012 | The Leadership Project
“Why did you choose to step into leadership?” I’ve asked this question many times throughout my interviews, but maybe this question is too presumptuous. Do we choose to step into leadership or does it choose us? Is effective leadership part nature or mostly nurture? These are some heady questions, and at the end of the day, might make little difference in how effective we are as leaders. Yet, when I asked this question to Jim Koerschen, Head of School at Concordia International School Shanghai, he explained, “I’ve come to the conclusion that there is something innate about somebody’s DNA, that gives them this passion that they’re going to be in a leadership role…and then you learn to become a good leader through experience or education.” In many ways this idea resonates with me. Whether it’s nature or nurture is beyond me, but if the idea of staying within the boundaries of your official job description and avoiding leadership opportunities sounds like torture, then you might be experiencing the passion Dr. Koerschen is describing. Unlike some of his counterparts in international education, this is Dr. Koerschen’s first time as the head of an international school. In fact much of his career has been in higher education within the United States. It was perhaps this unique experience that has helped transform Concordia from a school of 22 in 1998 when it was founded, to over 1200 this year. Through Dr. Koerschen’s leadership at Concordia, the school has experienced constant growth, become a leader in tech-integration in the classroom, and built a new campus, all the while keeping the goal of being...
![Learn[ed]Leadership Pages](http://redesign.learnedleadership.org/divi/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Logo3.jpg){kind=logo}
Recent Comments