Helping people and organisations thrive

Just like the immense transformation we have experienced over the past 20 years, my teaching philosophy is also something that has continually evolved.  I’d like to share my own personal mission and vision, something I place great value on and revisit frequently, as feel this and my philosophy of education are very connected. Vision:  Be an active member of happier and healthier communities. Mission:  to develop relationships that inspire confidence, compassion, acceptance and open mindedness. Through my career in education I’ve moved from largely teaching content to placing a greater emphasis on skill and concept development.  Skills such as creativity, problem solving, teamwork and adaptability which will better prepare young people for both the world they are about to step out into.  Knowing where they belong in that world and what they care about are aspects of education I see as equally important to knowledge.  A level of knowledge is still important in order to be able to dig further into a subject but it is the application of this knowledge and the methods in which they access it which I find fascinating.  I’ve certainly moved towards being more of a facilitator than a teacher.  What has remained constant in my approach though is to build confidence, motivation and love for learning in my students.  Learning should be a journey in which students are the actors of their own play.  Each student is different but if you can find an area where they thrive, it will usually help them to enjoy the subject and believe they can achieve success through it.     Having been educated in international schools myself, I’m well aware of the immense opportunities that come with such an education but also the challenges.  My own battles with social media, family issues and health have made me much more empathetic towards the challenges that teenagers face.  I’m now much more aware of the importance in the pastoral role a teacher can play.  If a student has significant problems in their own personal life, topics such as calculus and break-even analysis don’t take much of a priority.  Building trust and relationships is something I’ve always emphasized but I now work harder at developing them.  I place great importance in developing communities: both a strong school community but also a connection with the outside world, be it through lessons or co-curricular activities.  I’m a big believer in the value of both experiential and service learning.  If students can see the benefits of their knowledge and skills, often soft skills, they see much more value in their education and purpose. In many ways, my approach when working with adults in education has been similar.  I always try to empower them and help them build their confidence.  I love helping them to develop their spark and desire to do more.   I believe my colleagues would regard me as supportive in helping them to achieve their own goals: both within and just beyond their comfort zone. I remember a colleague, who I highly respected, in his retirement speech stating how lucky we were as educators: we both benefit from the immense energy that young people bring us but also have the fortune of being able to shape that energy, helping identify who they want to become.  I couldn’t agree more.