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Discussion Topic: Things I (an international school teacher) Have Not Done in a Year

After living abroad for so many years, I have forgotten all the things that you don’t do anymore. We used to have a different life, didn’t we? But now that you are living abroad, many of your routines have changed. Being that these changes have now become your new routines, you tend to forget about the things you used to do!

Inspired by this blog entry by the Kirby Family, Things I Have Not Done in a Year, we invite our readers and members to discuss their list of things that they haven’t done in a year (or more for that matter).

The following is the list from the Kirby Family blog:

In the past year I have not . . .

1) Driven a car.

2) Worn a seatbelt while riding in a car.

3) Used a vacuum.

4) Used a dishwasher.

5) Used a dryer.

6) Cooked anything in an oven.

7) Said “it’s cold” except when I was in an overly air conditioned movie theater, bus, restaurant ect.

8) Eaten steak, or really any form of beef.

9) Gone a day without eating rice.

10) Walked anywhere without carefully watching where I step so I can avoid the many creepy crawlies and the occasional elephant poop.

11) Walked into a public restroom expecting to find any of the following: a western toilet, toilet paper, soap or paper towels or any means of drying your hands.

12) I have not flushed toilet paper down the toilet.

13) Gone a day without smiling and laughing.

It has been a great year and I will miss so many things about Thailand and I am looking forward to the day I get to come back again.

If you are living in a “developing country” or a more “tropical climate” country like Thailand, you might be able to related to some of these statements for your past year or two. Teaching abroad at international schools can really change one’s life from your diet (eating more like the locals and not like the people from your home country) to your daily trips to the bathroom (quite important for some people, a bit of a culture shock when you are not supposed to flush toilet paper down the toilet).

Just want to mention about number 13…it is a great reminder to stay positive and keep your sense of humor with your chosen life abroad. It directly relates to our latest 10 commandments of living overseas post topic: TEN COMMANDMENTS OF RELOCATING OVERSEAS: #9 – Maintain a sense of humor, but most importantly be ready to laugh at yourself.

Currently there are 37 international schools listed in Thailand on our website: International School Community. Check out the latest comments and information that have been submitted about them here. Who knows where you might be teaching next?!

ISCommunity
February 28, 2012

Member Spotlights

International School Community Member Spotlight #10: Beverley Bibby (Seisen International School)

Every 1-2 months International School Community will highlight one of our members in our Member Spotlight feature. This month we interviewed Beverley Bibby:

Tell us about your background. Where are you from?

Auckland, New Zealand

How did you get started in the international teaching community?

My husband died and I decided to register with Search Associates with another couple who I taught with in Auckland – we decided we wanted to teach abroad in an internationals school, so we registered with Search Associates. We attended a fair in Sydney – initially on registration we had all been approached by a Principal from a school in the Middle East but decided to attend the Fair before making a decision. At the Fair, they were offered (and accepted) jobs in the Middle East, and I returned to NZ . I declined the job in the Middle East and was later offered a position in Tokyo, which I accepted, to start in August 2008.

Which international schools have you worked at? Please share some aspects of the schools that made them unique and fun places in which to work.

I have only worked at the one international school – Seisen International School from 2008. I am in my 4th year of teaching at Seisen. Seisen was my first experience in a PYP school. It was a new learning curve, but one which I was happy to engage in and has been a great experience. I love teaching the PYP programme and consider my years have been both personally enriching and intellectually and professionally very exciting. I love my profession and delight in seeing and sharing in my students learning. I see teaching as a holistic profession and never cease to be amazed with my students.

Describe your latest cultural encounter in your current placement, one that put a smile on your face.

I recently traveled to Yudanaka, up north, to see the snow monkeys. The town was a winter wonderland: gigantic icicles that sparkled like jewels, snow drifts as pristine as one would imagine, powder snow that wafted into space when one took a handful and blew on it, and monkeys that romped in the snow, rolled up snow balls and threw them at each other and dive bombed their elders in the hot pool. Those in the pool wore faces of absolute contentment and relaxation, as the hot water warmed their bodies, and all this midst a constant fall of gentle snow flakes. From there to Zao, to freezing temperatures and white out. Huge trees covered in snow that had frozen to give them the look of ‘snow monsters’ – and all this in sub zero temperatures at the top of the mountain where one couldn’t stay up there for too long coz of the sheer rawness and frigid temperatures. Nature in the raw! Magic!! and such a contrast from the concrete and human jungle of Tokyo! Japan – a country of contrasts – from ancient tradition and human culture, to the raw beauty of nature.

Solemn contrast to our school trip to Ichniomake – where we saw the negative power of nature – the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and the Tsunami, as we worked throughout the days to support those clearing up the aftermath. The sheer magnitude of the destruction was almost beyond comprehension, and has left memories that quell the heart and leave one reminded that we are at the mercy of nature, despite our human progress! Left me feeling so humbled by the courage and fortitude of those who survived the disaster. Their tenacity, courage was living testimony to the frailty and yet strength of the human will to survive!

What are some important things that you look for when you are searching for a new position at an international school?

Personal health and well being – the social support system, the medical system and insurance, the political stability, an income that allows one to live and travel to see the culture and history of the country, and personal freedom.

In exactly 5 words, how would you describe the international school teaching experience?

Challenging, invigorating, demanding, breathtaking , fun!

Thanks Beverley! If you are a member of International School Community and would like to be our next member spotlight, contact us here. If we choose to highlight you, you will get a coupon code to receive 6 months free of premium access to our website!

Want to teach at an international school in Japan like Beverley? Currently, we have 34 international schools list in Japan on International School Community. Some of our members have left comments and information on the following schools in Japan:

ISCommunity
February 26, 2012

Highlighted Year for Int’l Schools

International schools that were founded in 1947 (New York, Cali, Medellin, Rome, and Sao Paolo)

Random year for international schools around the world: 1947

There is much history in the international teaching community. We have international schools with founding dates of 1838 and 1854 and we also have many, many international schools with founding dates in the 21st century. The numbers are increasing for sure.

Utilizing the database of the 1111 (25 February, 2012) international schools currently listed on International School Community, we found 5 international schools that were founded in 1947 (excepts about their founding are taken from the schools’ websites):

United Nations International School (New York City, USA)

“The United Nations International School (UNIS) was established in 1947 by a group of United Nations Parents to provide an international education for their children, while preserving their diverse cultural heritages. What began as a nursery school for 20 children quickly grew, adding grades, students and faculty. The rapid growth of the School demanded new and larger facilities. By the late 1950’s, the School had campuses in Queens and in Manhattan, and broadened it student base to include the UN community, the Diplomatic Corps, the non-governmental international sector, and local New York Families.”

St. Francis College (Sao Paolo, Brazil)

Colegio Bolivar (Cali,Colombia)

“In 1944, Mrs. Gladys Bryson, foreigners residing in Cali and educator by profession, became a room of his home in San Fernando, in a classroom, the College was born Anglo – American Cali. In 1947 the school already had up to 8 th grade students and tuition had cost $ 20 pesos from first to eighth grade and $ 15 pesos for kindergarten. As the name of Colegio Anglo Americano in Cali was very similar to the American College, was officially changed to Colegio Bolivar in 1950. In 1955, each student had his own desk. Also built a kiosk for the students to use during the lunch break and, years later, he built a larger one, and as the school grew to nearly 300 students, the kiosks were first used as classrooms.”

The Colombus School (Medellin, Colombia)

“In 1947 a small group of American and Colombian businessmen founded The Columbus School in order to provide a U.S. style education for expatriate children and Colombian children who sought an alternative to the predominantly parochial education that was prevalent in the mid 20^th century. Our founding fathers envisioned the need to prepare their children for a world that would be increasingly “internationalizing” and pledged to prepare students to achieve academic excellence through critical and creative thinking, global mindedness and bilingualism.”

American Overseas School of Rome (Rome, Italy)

“For the first half of its existence the school was called the Overseas School of Rome. There actually was an OSR before 1947, but not the same school that was incorporated in that year. It was a little US Army school bearing the same title, located near Ponte Milvio started in September, 1946. We are greatly indebted to them for both starting the idea of our school and for their help when the school had to move at the end of its first year.

When news came that the allied troops were being moved to Trieste, five American and five British mothers (some from the original Ponte Milvio school) got together and decided to form a school which should be nondenominational and international, combining the best of the British and American systems. This group is responsible for the organization of the official corporation that became our school.

Next they had to find a place for the school. They managed to get the British and American Ambassadors, as patrons of the school, to put pressure on the Torlonia family to rent the palazzetto of Villa Torlonia on Via Nomentana as our first home. The school opened its doors to the public on October 16, 1947, with a grand total of 60 students.”

Check out the rest of the international schools listed on International School Community and check out their histories as well! We have over 1110 international schools that have profile pages on our website.

ISCommunity
February 25, 2012

International School Community Blog

Discussion Topic: Things I (an international school teacher) Have Not Done in a Year

International School Community Member Spotlight #10: Beverley Bibby (Seisen International School)

International schools that were founded in 1947 (New York, Cali, Medellin, Rome, and Sao Paolo)

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