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Success in School & Life
How would you answer the following question: What are the factors that most influence how children achieve success in school and life? Several EAB teachers are currently attending the annual AASSA teachers’ conference with a focus, in part, on answering this essential question. To that end, our teachers are spending three days engaging with professional…
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Innovation and Creativity
I am writing this week’s article from 44G, my assigned seat on the plane returning me to Brasilia. It has been nearly two weeks since I departed from Brazil to attend a series of international teacher recruitment fairs, planning meetings, conferences, professional development workshops, and school visits. As with any professional trip of this nature,…
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Teacher Recruitment
A common and defining characteristic associated with international schools is that of transience. The ephemeral nature of many our community members’ tenures in international schools necessitates the ongoing management of change processes. The positive features of this constant change are the rich opportunities for personal growth, renewal, enrichment, and development of new relationships. However, this…
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Teachers’ Day
“One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.” ~ Carl Jung In Brasilia, Teachers’ Day is commemorated each with…
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Mission-Driven Learning
“Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche. The ‘why’ highlighted by Nietzsche is equated, in schools, to foundational documents, such as mission statements. These essential documents act as guiding principles for all facets of education, ranging from day-to-day instructional approaches, to business office and human resource…
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Professional Learning Community
EAB’s mission statement ends with the phrase, “we cultivate … a strong foundation of academic excellence,“ which serves as a mantra to guide all programmatic decisions, pedagogical approaches, and professional development strategies. Arguably, the professional development component has the strongest correlation with academic excellence and student achievement. To that end, EAB has made a commitment…
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The Power of Habit
The Power of Habit Did you know that we conduct 45% of our daily actions with little to no thought? Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, highlights extensive brain research that explains how nearly half of our actions are habitual and not necessarily…
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Kindness
During my morning arrival to campus earlier this week, I noticed the presence of a woman standing in front of the school carefully scrutinizing everyone entering EAB. Since I did not recognize the woman and with an obvious concern for security, I approached her and inquired about her presence at the school’s entrance. The woman’s…
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Opportunities and Challenges
It is not hyperbole to state that educational systems and pedagogical approaches are in the throes of a revolution. While most of us accept the premise that we are in the midst of a historical transformation in education, the challenge is to make sense of these changes while also seeking to find our own footing…
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Learning Mathematics
Erma Anderson’s professional development work with our faculty this week left me with three reflections about the learning of mathematics and the Common Core. Number Sense Let us start with a quick math quiz. Quickly answer the following question relying only on your sense of numbers (i.e. do not calculate the exact value): If you…