{"id":1978,"date":"2013-06-24T14:31:11","date_gmt":"2013-06-24T14:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=1978"},"modified":"2013-06-24T14:33:00","modified_gmt":"2013-06-24T14:33:00","slug":"international-school-community-member-spotlight-25-an-intl-school-director-working-at","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-member-spotlight-25-an-intl-school-director-working-at\/","title":{"rendered":"International School Community Member Spotlight #25: Laura Swash (A veteran int\u2019l school educator currently working at Pajoma Education)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every 1-2 months\u00a0International School Community<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0will highlight one of our members in our\u00a0Member Spotlight<\/a>\u00a0feature.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Laura Swash<\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/a>Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am originally from England, from Colchester in Essex.\u00a0 Just under twenty years ago, I was teaching Sociology and History at The Sixth Form College in Colchester. I took my BA and did my doctorate at Essex University and my PGCE at the Institute of Education in London.<\/p>\n

How did you get started in the international teaching community?<\/strong>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

A friend of mine moved in 1994 to Oman, and invited me to visit her. While I was out there I met an international teacher. Before that, I thought you could only teach ESL overseas. I had no idea that international schools even existed. A tiny seed lodged in my brain, and two years later I set out to teach Humanities in Thailand.<\/p>\n

Which international schools have you worked at?\u00a0 Please share some aspects of the schools that made them unique and fun places in which to work.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I started at TCIS (Thai-Chinese Int’l School Bangkok<\/a>) in Bangkok, in 1996.\u00a0 It had only been open for two years then, and was a very exciting place to work. The students were wonderful, and all of the teachers were thrilled to be in at the start of something big. Since then I have worked at several international schools, the most memorable of which were AIS (the American International School in Cairo<\/a>) and the International School of Tanganyika<\/a>, in Dar es Salaam. I now teach IB Diploma Psychology online for Pamoja Education<\/a>, and write materials for MYP and DP.<\/p>\n

What made these schools unique was the nature of the students: in these years I was teaching firstly a mixture of Thai and Taiwanese students \u2013 extremely polite and charming and in general very keen to learn, but often afraid to admit to not understanding; then the Egyptian students \u2013 much more challenging when it came to classroom management, but very warm and humorous with some great characters in the classes; finally, at IST in Dar es Salaam, there was quite an international mix of students and a huge opportunity to learn about many different cultures in a wonderful location.<\/p>\n

In all of the international schools in which I have worked, the teachers have also been sometimes crazy, always interesting and always committed to education in its broadest sense.<\/p>\n

Describe your latest cultural encounter (or reverse cultural encounter) in your current placement, one that put a smile on your face.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am a little puzzled by the term \u2018reverse cultural encounter\u2019 \u2013 they are all just cultural encounters, I think. There have been several memorable ones.\u00a0 The earliest (rather than the latest) is one of the funniest. TCIS In Bangkok supplied a white minibus to take the teachers from the housing compound where most of us lived to the school. It used to pick us up outside the small launderette on the compound.\u00a0 During our first week, several of us new teachers were waiting for the bus. It came, and the driver popped into the shop with his washing, while we got in. When he came out, he did not seem to know the way to the school, so we assumed he was a new driver, and showed him with a map, as our Thai was as non-existent as his English. On arrival at the school, the security guards would not let him in: it seems he was a driver just dropping off his washing, and nothing to do with the school. He had been startled by the five foreigners sitting in his bus and thought it was best to do what they asked! Poor man\u2026and a real introduction to the warmth of the Thai people.<\/p>\n

A more recent example happened at IST in Dar es Salaam. We had a severe water shortage and a message was sent around asking us all to conserve water at school.\u00a0 The school gardener immediately turned on the hosepipe. When we asked him what he was doing, his reply was that he needed to water the garden before the water ran out.\u00a0 An example of the different ways of thinking that are possible.<\/p>\n

What are some important things that you look for when you are searching for a new position at an international school?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am past that now, but important things that I used to look for were the educational philosophy and curriculum (preference given to IB); quality of the training given to teachers; the health care package; the location of the school; the teachers\u2019 housing; the attitude of the local community to women; and nature of the social and sporting life outside the school; the profile of the students and teaching staff.<\/p>\n

It sounds like a lot, and none of these was a real \u2018deal breaker\u2019 but together they make the experience.<\/p>\n

In exactly 5 words, how would you describe the international school teaching experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eye-opening, educational, humbling, challenging, fulfilling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Thanks Laura!<\/p>\n

If you are a member of\u00a0International School Community<\/a>\u00a0and would like to be our next member spotlight,\u00a0contact us here<\/a>.\u00a0 If we choose to highlight you, you will get a coupon code to receive 6 months free of premium access to our website!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every 1-2 months\u00a0International School Community\u00a0will highlight one of our members in our\u00a0Member Spotlight\u00a0feature.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Laura Swash: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? I am originally from England, from Colchester in Essex.\u00a0 Just under twenty years ago, I was teaching Sociology and History at The Sixth Form College in Colchester. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[19],"tags":[1715,434,30,187,1716,186,184,32,539,530,267,1717,209,1718,1719,198],"class_list":["post-1978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-member-spotlights","tag-american-international-school-in-cairo","tag-international-education","tag-international-school-community","tag-international-school-educator","tag-international-school-of-tanganyika","tag-international-school-teacher","tag-international-school-teachers","tag-international-schools","tag-job-search","tag-life-as-an-expat","tag-member-spotlight","tag-pamoja-education","tag-teaching-in-bangkok","tag-teaching-in-cairo","tag-teaching-in-dar-es-salaam","tag-thai-chinese-intl-school-bangkok"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2flVT-vU","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1616,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-member-spotlight-21-eugenia-papadaki-an-intl-school-director-currently-working-at-the-bilingual-school-of-monza\/","url_meta":{"origin":1978,"position":0},"title":"International School Community Member Spotlight #21: Eugenia Papadaki (An int\u2019l school director currently working at The Bilingual School of Monza)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"February 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Every 1-2 months\u00a0International School Community\u00a0will highlight one of our members in our\u00a0Member Spotlight\u00a0feature.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Eugenia Papadaki: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? I am from Greece, have carried out all my higher education studies in England where I gained a BA in Foreign Modern\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Member Spotlights"","block_context":{"text":"Member Spotlights","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/member-spotlights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Screen Shot 2013-01-27 at 1.59.40 PM","src":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/01\/screen-shot-2013-01-27-at-1-59-40-pm.png?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6056,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/member-spotlights-summary-35-highlighted-members-far\/","url_meta":{"origin":1978,"position":1},"title":"A Member Spotlights Summary: We have had 35 highlighted members so far!","author":"ISCommunity","date":"March 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Since we started our website back in February 2011, we have had a total of 35 member spotlight articles highlighted on our blog. Thanks to all 35 members who have participated so far! Learning more about our fellow international school teachers can be very enlightening, inspiring and also quite interesting!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Information for Members"","block_context":{"text":"Information for Members","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/information-for-members\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Screenshot-2017-03-26-10.08.11.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Screenshot-2017-03-26-10.08.11.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Screenshot-2017-03-26-10.08.11.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Screenshot-2017-03-26-10.08.11.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Screenshot-2017-03-26-10.08.11.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3834,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-member-spotlight-32-david-walters-teacher\/","url_meta":{"origin":1978,"position":2},"title":"International School Community Member Spotlight #32: David Walters (A director at an international school in Bangkok)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"September 24, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Every so often\u00a0International School Community\u00a0will highlight one of our members in our\u00a0Member Spotlight\u00a0feature.\u00a0 This month we interviewed\u00a0David Walters: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? My name is David and I have been working abroad since 2005. I am originally from an area just South of London. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Member Spotlights"","block_context":{"text":"Member Spotlights","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/member-spotlights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"6239_unnamed","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/6239_unnamed.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4705,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-member-spotlight-33-tchialian-hong-a-former-student-at-an-international-school-in-greece\/","url_meta":{"origin":1978,"position":3},"title":"International School Community Member Spotlight #33: Tchialian Hong (A former student at an international school in Greece)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"September 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Every so often\u00a0International School Community\u00a0will highlight one of our members in our\u00a0Member Spotlight\u00a0feature.\u00a0 This month we interviewed\u00a0Tchialian Hong: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? 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Greece and China: Two cultures both with ancient civilizations dating back, since\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Member Spotlights"","block_context":{"text":"Member Spotlights","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/member-spotlights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/DSCN05791.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/DSCN05791.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/DSCN05791.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/DSCN05791.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/DSCN05791.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1773,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-member-spotlight-23-kerry-tyler-pascoe-an-intl-school-teacher-working-at-the-british-school-quito\/","url_meta":{"origin":1978,"position":4},"title":"International School Community Member Spotlight #23: Kerry Tyler Pascoe (An int\u2019l school director working at The British School Quito)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"March 29, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Every 1-2 months\u00a0International School Community\u00a0will highlight one of our members in our\u00a0Member Spotlight\u00a0feature.\u00a0 This month we interviewed\u00a0Kerry Tyler Pascoe: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? I am an Australian who calls Brisbane her hometown but I currently resides in Quito, Ecuador where I am the Director of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Member Spotlights"","block_context":{"text":"Member Spotlights","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/member-spotlights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Screen Shot 2013-03-29 at 10.03.39 AM","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Screen-Shot-2013-03-29-at-10.03.39-AM.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1982,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-member-spotlight-24-cherry-doromal-an-intl-school-educator-working-at-mahatma-gandhi-international-school-manila\/","url_meta":{"origin":1978,"position":5},"title":"International School Community Member Spotlight #24: Cherry Doromal (An int\u2019l school educator working at Mahatma Gandhi International School Manila)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"May 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Every 1-2 months\u00a0International School Community\u00a0will highlight one of our members in our\u00a0Member Spotlight\u00a0feature.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Cherry Doromal: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? 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