International School Community Member Spotlight #8: Gloria Hewitt

Each month International School Community will highlight one of our members.  This month we interviewed Gloria Hewitt:

Tell us about your background.  Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Spain, attending international schools in Barcelona and Madrid.  My father’s American  and my mom is Spanish, so I was always considered ½ and ½ .  I went to college in the U.S. and got a B.F.A. (Fine Arts) from Otis College in Los Angeles.  I started teaching at a public school in L.A. in 1998 and never looked back.

How did you get started in the international teaching community?

In 2006 I made the decision to move back to my “home town” and applied for a job at my old school, The American School of Barcelona.  I worked there for 4 years where I shared students and classrooms with some of the elementary school teachers from my childhood.  My experience at ASB was a wonderful experience.  Once I had those years under my belt…I was hooked on the International School life-style.  Our initial idea was to move to Argentina, where my husband is from, but when the opportunity came up to move to Brazil and teach at Graded, my family and I were thrilled to take on the challenge.

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.

The American School of Barcelona and Graded – The American School of São Paulo.  The best part of ASB was it’s location,  Barcelona.  Graded is challenging in a professional way, but São Paulo is a tough city.

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

Graded is very strong on offering Community Service opportunities in the area.  I am the staff leader for one of those groups, in which a group of high school students fund-raise for and visit a Cancer Shelter close by.  Every time we visit this location I am further impressed by how mature and resilient our students can be.  It’s quite inspiring.

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

Location is key.  I look for a place that I can picture myself living for at least 3-4 years.  In my case, I need to consider my non-teaching spouse.  He can legally work in South America & Europe, so I’m going to be drawn to those areas.  Another really important factor is the true savings potential.  Each school has it, some more than others, and I’m more interested in saving money than traveling.

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

Stimulating,  unpredictable,  addictive,  inspiring, challenging.

Thanks Gloria!  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!

International schools that were founded in 1988 (Budapest, Johor, Berne, Bordeaux, Hanoi, Rome, etc.)

Random year for international schools around the world: 1988

Utilizing the database of the 1018 international schools currently listed on International School Community, we found 10 international schools that were founded in 1988 (excepts about their founding are taken from the schools’ websites):

Koc International School (Istanbul, Turkey)

“Founded in 1988 by the Vehbi Koç Foundation, the Koç School has quickly become one of Turkey’s most selective and competitive university preparatory schools. It attracts an outstanding academic staff of Turkish and foreign teachers, and students who score at the highest levels of entrance examinations. Koç School seeks to be a leader and a pioneer in Turkish education and to set standards for other schools to follow.”

Bordeaux International School  (Bordeaux, France)

“Bordeaux International School, also known as BIS, is a private (fee-paying) international school for ages 3–18 located in Bordeaux, France, established in 1988 by the non-profit making Association Linguistique et Culturelle Internationale. Students are from both France and other countries. The medium of instruction is English and French in the primary streams and mainly English in the secondary school. The school moved to new premises in rue Judaïque in August 2005.”

British School Bern (Berne, Switzerland)

“The British School of Bern is an English-speaking, International day school established in 1988. It is for pupils of all nationalities from the ages of three to twelve years. It is an independent, nonprofit day school located in Gumlingen, a suburb of Bern. The school provides a modern British curriculum. The teaching allows each child to develop to his/her particular need through both same-age and cross-age groupings.”

International School of Budapest (Budapest, Hungary)

International School of Johor (Johor, Malaysia)

United Nations International School (Vietnam) (Hanoi, Vietnam)

“The United Nations International School of Hanoi is an international school in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1988 with the support of the United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam (UNDP) with the aim of providing an education to the children of UN staff and others. It now caters to the children of diplomats, aid workers, businessman, and other expatriates living and working in Hanoi. Classes range from pre-school to high school, and the IB Diploma is available to students in grade 11 and 12.”

Rome International School (Rome, Italy)

“RIS opened its doors to its first elementary school students in September 1988. We offer an international education to children aged 2 to 18. The Middle School opened in September 2001 and the High School in 2007. The school is located in a fully equipped campus comprised of classrooms, ample sports facilities, science labs, music rooms, libraries and computer labs, next to several acres of a public park, Villa Ada.The location is well connected by public transport.”

Khalifa School (Safat, Kuwait)

“Khalifa School, founded in 1988, is recognized as the first private educational institution for special needs students in Kuwait. Motivated by her grandson, Khalifa, Mrs. Lulwa Khalifa Alghanim established Khalifa School with the vision of providing equal opportunities for special needs students. The school combines the latest teaching methods and state of the art technology to provide appropriate educational opportunities for the students. The school is located in the capital area of Kuwait and is accessible from all locations of the country.”

German-American International School (Menlo Park, California, United States)

“The concept of a German-American School in the Bay Area in order to promote the German language and culture started in May 1980, with an ad-hoc committee under the leadership of Dr. Liedkte, Professor of German at the San Francisco State University. He was assisted by a group of dedicated parents and Mr. Rothmann, the German consul at that time and the Swiss consul, Mr. Frey. The result of many years of dedicated work, the German American School (GAS) was created by a small group of parents wanting to provide a good bilingual education for their children.”

Adana Gundogdu College (Adana, Turkey)

“Adana Gündogdu College was founded in 1988 by Mr. Yunus Gündogdu. It started with 88 students and now there are approximate 2000 students. Our school is located in Adana, which is located in southern Turkey. Adana is the city in the south of Turkey and has a university and several colleges. We have many attractions, a lake and not far from the center is the ocean. Our school includes a kindergarten, an elementary school and one comprehensive school.”

Check out the rest of the more than 1018 international schools listed on International School Community here.

Exiting an international school and giving feedback: How honest should you be?

Sometimes things are difficult or slow to change at an international school, especially political things or things connected to the host country/culture.  If a group of teachers is leaving at the end of the same year, sometimes the group would like to take the opportunity to “voice their concerns” to the schools to let them know which school-related things should really change before a new group of teachers comes in and is subjected to those things as well.  Sometimes the feedback is requested, sometimes not.  Also, sometimes your voice has fallen upon deaf ears or is directed to the wrong person when the person with “the power to change things” is not physically at the school on most days.

Excerpts taken from The International School Teacher website:

“Some questions for the IST community about exiting a school and feedback.

Many schools conduct exit interviews for departing staff, and I understand that some could be more productive than others.  What are your experiences with this?

At my school, feedback is not universally accepted, and many staff are nervous about offering constructive feedback for fear of reprisals.  With that said, many board members and administration would like to hear constructive feedback.  Here is what I’m considering: inviting departing staff members to compose an open letter to the board and the administration with specific feedback as to the positive attributes of the school, and those that could be improved.  Feedback to any specific individual would not be part of this letter, that seems inappropriate, that kind of feedback should be asked for specifically from an individual who wants to receive it.  Rather, this letter would focus on policies, programs, etc.

I suppose the idea behind the letter is that it would demonstrate a more unified voice, and would therefore be harder to cast aside at an administrative level.

Is this appropriate?  Am I missing something?

As international teachers, we have a pretty unique situation in the employee-employer world; in most other places, the only time you would have a mass exodus of employees would be when they are being “pink slipped.”  But, as International Teachers, this attrition is normal and natural—speaking as one voice would seem to be an opportunity unique to us.

Hmmm?”

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