Barry Dequanne

Principled In Character

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

After a yearlong review process, involving regular feedback and contributions from parents, students, and teachers through surveys, retreats, and focus group meetings, the school’s new mission statement was officially introduced at the start of this school year.

Learners inspiring learners to be inquisitive in life, principled in character, and bold in vision.

As part of an ongoing analysis of EAB’s new mission statement, this week’s post looks at the third element of the mission: “Principled in Character”.

The American School of Brasilia builds its educational program around the ideal of a whole child education that includes a focus on five pillars: academics, activities, arts, leadership, and service. Within this context, character education plays a critical role towards whole child development.

By way of example, EAB’s Character Counts! program has become a deeply integrated part of the Lower School, which also includes a monthly assembly led by students and regularly attended by over one hundred parents. The program is framed by six ethical values – Trustworthiness; Respect; Responsibility; Fairness; Caring; and Citizenship – which are used to further develop a positive school culture where students feel safe in their learning environment. The program also works to develop a culture of kindness in addition to addressing issues associated with bullying.

The Upper School recently engaged in a collective process, led by students, to establish a student honor code, which was approved and is now a essential part of the school’s culture. EAB’s student honor code reads as follows:

We, as students of the American School of Brasilia, give our pledge to live by the guiding principles of responsibility and respect in all that we say and do, understand that these values carry far beyond the classroom environment, affecting not only our peers and the activities we participate in, but who we are and who we will become, we commit to treat all people with compassion, be engaged and collaborative in all aspects of our education, and in all cases act with honor and integrity. We will uphold these values as the core of our identity, hence becoming principled individuals and contributing citizens to society.

EAB’s efforts in the area of “Principled in Character” are guided by our school’s Student Learner Profile (see below), which highlights how learners are Engaged, Collaborative, Contributing, and Principled. The Learner Profile further emphasizes the “principled” focus with the following statement: “As an EAB Learner, I am responsible for my learning, my actions, and their consequences.” This statement is then articulated with additional and more specific assertions:

I am responsible and do my best when assigned a task.
I persevere even when something is difficult.
I meet deadlines.
I come ready to learn with the materials and mindset needed for school each day.
I approach problems respectfully and ethically and work hard to solve them.
I know the difference between right and wrong and accept consequences for my actions.
I look for opportunities to learn and grow beyond what is expected of me by my teacher.

Perhaps the best way to summarize EAB’s work with respect to the “principled in character” aspect of the school’s mission statement is to refer to a comment made during a professional development session. Dr. Michael Thompson, a renowned child psychologist, was asked to define a “moral school”. He responded by quoting another author (whose name I cannot recall), who stated, “A moral school is a school that is always talking about what it means to be a moral school.” This is a profound statement in how it highlights the importance of process and focus, rather than one definition that would inevitability lead to an oversimplification of a deeply complex issue.

It would be an act of hubris for EAB to claim, as a school, that it always has all of the right answers for all situations in relation to character and education. It certainly does not and nor does any school. However, what is important is to be always engaging in a collective conversation about character, in the context of programs such as Character Counts!, and working with guiding principles, as found in the Student Honor Code and Learner Profile.

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Inquisitive in Life

“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” ~Jiddu Krishnamurti

This quote highlights the spirit of EAB’s educational philosophy and mission statement:

Learners inspiring learners to be inquisitive in life, principled in character, and bold in vision.

The Inquisitive in Life focus of the mission statement speaks to the ideal of supporting students to develop a lifelong love of learning. It also emphasizes the important role adults play in the lives of students in terms of modeling this lifelong focus on learning, a process that wonderfully embodies an infinity of possibilities.

The old adage “the more I learn, the less I know” articulates how many of us feel as we continue to learn about the world within and around us. It is tantamount to accepting the premise of another adage: “I often don’t even know what I don’t know.” In an essay entitled, The Big Test, David Brooks coins a term that highlights these adages and may capture the the spirit associated with an “inquisitive in life” approach to our learning: epistemological modesty. Brooks uses the term in reference to the writings associated with important historical philosophers and their own sense of epistemological modesty:

“They knew how little we can know. They understood that we are strangers to ourselves and society is an immeasurably complex organism.”

This concept can naturally be extended beyond ourselves and our society to the world and universe beyond us. It therefore seems appropriate for an individual to approach this branch of philosophy called epistemology – the theory of knowing that investigates the origins, nature, and limits of human knowledge – with at least some degree of modesty.

While the “immeasurable complexity” associated with everything to learn can feel overwhelming, this is not the point. When considering our own learning and the role of schools, what is important is the degree to which a lifelong love of learning is instilled in students and modeled in our communities. Through an “inquisitive in life” approach to learning, it is hoped that our students will learn enough about the world around them to be in a position to identify their individual passions, which will further focus their lifelong learning.

There is indeed no end to education and the process of learning and it is this process that can enrich our lives in immeasurable ways.

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Learners Inspiring Learners

The first three words of the American School of Brasilia’s (EAB) new mission statement – Learners inspiring learners to be inquisitive in life, principled in character, and bold in vision – were on full display this week. In the Lower School, approximately 300 parents participated in workshops focusing on several different aspects of the learning process. Through the act of working in the classrooms with teachers, parents were modeling the learning process for students and inspiring our students to make the most of their own learning. To further highlight this ideal, students, parents, and teachers were also meeting and working together during the Welcome Back BBQ and the Middle School trips planning meetings.

Looking ahead to the coming weeks, parents and teachers are invited to attend the Family Education Workshop with Dr. Gini Rojas, the Upper School Open House , and the Environmental Stewards Sábado Legal at Brasilia’s Botanical Gardens.

Teachers have also been modeling the ideal associated with “learners inspiring learners” in several different ways. In addition to engaging in professional development opportunities during the school break and Professional Wednesdays, EAB’s teachers have been working together during professional days to collaboratively improve their practices. Teachers will also be spending several days next week, including Saturday and Sunday, working with Dr. Gini Rojas, who is a specialist in differentiation. Looking ahead to the following week, several faculty and staff members will be taking CPR and First Aid classes as part of EAB’s ongoing effort to ensure the highest levels of safety and wellbeing at the school. Other teachers will be working with another external consultant, Erma Anderson, with a focus on assessment using Common Core math. Teachers will also be attending a retreat with IB students to collectively continue to learn about the International Baccalaureate diploma program and plan for the year ahead.

These are a few of the examples from the month of August in which teachers are bringing to life the idea of “learners inspiring learners”. EAB is committed to working as partners towards to education of our students, which includes an expectation that all members of our community are active and continuous learners. Given the rate of change in today’s society, in conjunction with technological advancements, we all havean obligation to be active and continuous learners, inspiring and inspired by other learners.

EAB’s new Technology Director, Mr. Rod Narayan, shared a quote from a former student that provides for a thoughtful summary of these ideas and the expectations for adults in support of student learning:

“Educate me for my future, not your past.”

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More Than Words

Learners inspiring learners to be inquisitive in life, principled in character, and bold in vision.

A little over a year ago, our community embarked on a journey of reflection and self-examination as we conducted a review of our school’s mission statement and associated core documents. As with most meaningful endeavors, it was recognized at the start that the learning from this process was arguably as important, if not more important, than the final product. To that end, the yearlong review included the involvement of parents, students, and teachers through surveys, focus group discussions, retreats, review committees, and a school improvement team. At the end of this process, the American School of Brasilia’s (EAB) Board of Directors, who were also active participants, were presented with a proposed new mission statement, which was approved. As we look to the current year and years ahead, there is excitement surrounding the opportunity and challenge to make the new mission statement come alive.

Process

To avoid lengthy discussions and potential misunderstands regarding terminology, our School Improvement Team (SIT) agreed to not let the strict definitions and debates associated with the words mission and vision take way from the review process. SIT agreed on a basic definition of mission as “who we are” and vision, with an emphasis on the future, as “where we are going” and, more subtly, “how we will get there”. While not perfect, this was enough to move us forward.

As part of the reflection process, we literally reviewed hundreds of mission statements from schools around the world, fortune 500 companies, and internationally recognized not-for-profit organizations, with the goal of establishing criteria associated with an ideal mission statement structure. This process was helpful and led us to the following criteria:

Accurately reflect our community and school
Be short and concise, such that it could be easily memorized
Avoid lofty language that sounds impressive but has little practicality
Avoid a statement that encompasses everything but says very little
Provide a framework to clarify who we are and what we value
A blend of realism and optimism
Strive for language that is accessible to all student ages in addition to community members whose first language is not English.

It was also agreed that the descriptor statement about the school would be removed from the mission and listed as a separate statement called “Our School”.

Our School: We are a diverse community that provides an English-language based pre-K through Grade 12 education. We are an International Baccalaureate World School with U.S. and Brazilian accreditation.

The remainder of the process focused on identifying and articulating the key components associated with our school’s identity. As those who have participated in similar processes, this is not an easy task but is at the very heart of establishing a new mission statement.

Looking back on the process, a key moment in the discussions occurred during the review of mission statements from other organizations, when someone highlighted the Ritz-Carlton motto:

We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.

This statement is not only elegant in its simplicity and content and easy to remember, but also acts as an effective and inspiring guide for everyone who works at the Ritz-Carlton.

New Mission Statement

There is no doubt that the Ritz-Carlton motto influenced the key aspect of EAB’s new mission statement, which articulates that we are a community of learners, adults and students alike, working together on an educational journey. It is EAB’s conviction that student learning is only maximized when all members of our community are also engaged in the learning process. It is this focus which led to the first words in EAB’s new mission and also serves as the new motto:

Learners inspiring learners

Education has fundamentally changed and continues to change, specifically in terms of who controls the flow of information. It is, therefore, of fundamental importance that schools be designed in an adaptable manner, such that they are positioned to take advantage of the current and future changes associated with learning. It was hoped that the concept of “learners inspiring learners” would capture these concepts in terms of how everyone in our community is always learning, adapting, and growing. Given that the control of information has shifted from teachers to students, we must then expect that parents, teachers, and school communities must also be continuous learners or we risk becoming irrelevant in the learning process.

With the first three words of the new mission statement established, the remaining parts of the mission emerged quickly, with the following result:

PREVIOUS Mission Statement:

The American School of Brasilia serves the International and Brazilian communities by providing a U.S. and Brazilian accredited pre-K through 12th grade program and International Baccalaureate Diploma in a culturally diverse atmosphere. Our English- language school develops and supports the whole child in achieving his or her own potential. Through a differentiated, innovative learning experience, we cultivate responsible and contributing citizens, leaders, and environmental stewards with a strong foundation of academic excellence.

NEW Mission Statement:

Learners inspiring learners to be inquisitive in life, principled in character, and bold in vision.

As stated, “Learners Inspiring Learners” highlights that we are all life long learners, learning together. “Inquisitive in Life” is about a focus on academic learning. However, learning should always take pace within the framework of character, ethics, and acceptable values. It is this belief in a whole child approach to learning that resulted in an emphasis on character: “Principled in Character” is about being a good person and making good decisions. Yet, it can then be argued that we have a moral imperative to use our learning and character to make a positive difference: “Bold in Vision” is focused on channeling our creative and innovative energies towards making a positive difference in the world.

In summary, after a yearlong review process, it is believed that the new mission meets the criteria set at the start of the process. The statement accurately reflects our community’s beliefs, is sufficiently short and concise such that it can be memorized, and avoids lofty language and jargon. It is also believed that the statement further articulates our values within the context of a blend of realism and optimism for the future.

We are excited to officially introduce EAB’s new mission statement. The next step is to ensure that the mission guides everything we do in addition to finding ways to make the mission come alive at our school.

Mais do que palavras

Learners inspiring learners to be inquisitive in life, principled in character, and bold in vision.

Há pouco mais de um ano, a nossa comunidade embarcou em uma jornada de reflexão e autoexame ao conduzirmos uma revisão da missão da nossa escola e documentos associados. Como na maioria dos empreendimentos, concluímos desde o início que o aprendizado, resultado desse processo, seria sem dúvida, tão importante ou mais que o produto final. Sendo assim, a revisão ao longo do ano contou com o envolvimento dos pais, alunos e professores, através de pesquisa, discussões em grupo, retiros, comitês e uma equipe de melhoria da escola. Ao final desse processo, os membros do conselho da Escola Americana de Brasília (EAB), que também participaram ativamente do processo, receberam uma proposta para a nova missão, a qual foi aprovada. A olharmos para o ano em curso e os anos à frente, sentimos um enorme entusiasmo em torno da oportunidade e desafio de transformarmos a nova missão em realidade.

Processo

Para evitar longas discussões e potenciais equívocos sobre a terminologia, a nossa equipe de melhoria da escola concordou em não permitir que definições rigorosas e debates relacionados com a palavra missão e visão participassem do processo de revisão. Concordou-se com uma definição básica da missão, “quem somos”, e da visão com ênfase no futuro, “pra onde vamos”, e de forma subjetiva, “como chegaremos lá”.

Como parte do processo de reflexão nós, literalmente, revisamos centenas de missões de escolas ao redor do mundo, de 500 empresas bem sucedidas e organizações sem fins lucrativos, reconhecidas internacionalmente, com objetivo de estabelecer um critério associado a uma estrutura de missão ideal. Esse processo foi muito útil e nos levou aos seguintes critérios:

Refletir com precisão a nossa comunidade e escola;
Ser breve e concisa, de modo que possa ser memorizada facilmente;
Evitar uma linguagem rebuscada e pouco prática;
Evitar uma declaração que engloba tudo, mas que diz pouco;
Fornecer uma estrutura que diga quem somos e quais são os nossos valores;
Uma mistura de realismo e otimismo;
Usar uma linguagem que seja acessível para todas as idades, tanto dos alunos como dos membros da comunidade, cuja língua materna não é o Inglês.

Além disso, nós também concordamos que a declaração descritora sobre a escola seria removida da nossa missão e usada como uma declaração a parte, chamada: “Our School”:

O restante do processo teve como foco identificar e articular os principais componentes associados com a identidade da nossa escola. Para os que participaram em processos similares, esta não é uma tarefa fácil, mas é o cerne da criação de uma nova missão.

Voltando ao processo de criação, um dos momentos chave nas discussões ocorridas durante a revisão da missão de outras empresas, foi quando alguém destacou o lema do Ritz-Carlton (http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Corporate/GoldStandards/Default.htm):

Nós somos senhores e senhoras servindo senhores e senhoras.

Esta afirmação, além de ser elegante em sua simplicidade e conteúdo, também é fácil de ser lembrada e atua como um guia eficaz e inspirador para todos que trabalham no Ritz-Carlton.

Nova Declaração de Missão

Não há dúvidas de que o lema do Ritz-Carlton influenciou o aspecto fundamental da nova missão da EAB, que expressa que somos uma comunidade de aprendizes, alunos e adultos, trabalhando em conjunto durante essa jornada educacional. A EAB está convicta que o aprendizado do aluno só é maximizado quando todos os membros da nossa comunidade estão envolvidos no processo de aprendizagem. Esse é o foco que levou as primeiras palavras da nova missão da EAB, e também serve como novo lema:

Learners inspiring learners

A educação mudou fundamentalmente e, continua a mudar, especialmente em termos de quem controla o fluxo de informações. Portanto, é fundamental que as escolas sejam projetadas de forma flexível, de modo que estejam posicionadas para tirar vantagens das mudanças ligadas a aprendizagem, atuais e futuras. Criou-se uma expectativa de que o conceito de “learners inspiring learners” iria capturar essas idéias, já que todos na nossa comunidade estão em constante aprendizado, adaptação e crescimento. Tendo em vista de que o controle das informações passou dos professores para os alunos, nós devemos esperar que os pais, professores e a comunidade da escola sejam aprendizes contínuos, ou corremos o risco de nos tornarmos irrelevantes no processo de aprendizagem.

Com as três primeiras palavras da nova missão estabelecidas, o restante da missão saiu rapidamente com o seguinte resultado:

Missão Antiga:

Nova Missão:

Learners inspiring learners to be inquisitive in life, principled in character, and bold in vision.

Conforme declarado, “Learners inspiring learners”, destaca que nós somos aprendizes ao longo da vida, aprendendo juntos. “Inquisitive in life” está relacionado ao foco no aprendizado acadêmico. No entanto, a aprendizagem deve sempre ter lugar no âmbito do caráter, ética e valores aceitáveis. É através da crença na abordagem do aprendizado da criança como um todo, que resultou em ênfase ao caráter. “Principled in Character” trata-se sobre ser uma boa pessoa e em tomar boas decisões. Além disso, podemos argumentar que temos uma moral imperativa para usarmos o nosso aprendizado e caráter com o intuito de fazermos uma diferença positiva: “Bold in Vision” foca em canalizar a nossa criatividade e a nossa energia inovadora para fazer uma diferença positiva no mundo.

Resumindo, após um longo ano em um processo de revisão, acredita-se que a nova missão atende ao critério estabelecido no início do processo. A declaração reflete com precisão as crenças da nossa comunidade, é curta e concisa, tanto que pode ser memorizada e evita uma linguagem rebuscada ou gírias. Acredita-se também, que a declaração articula ainda mais os nossos valores dentro do contexto de uma mistura de realismo e otimismo para o futuro.

Estamos muito animados para apresentar oficialmente a nova missão da EAB. O próximo passo é garantir que a missão irá guiar tudo o que fizermos além de encontrar formas para trazermos a missão à vida na nossa escola.

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Culture and Learning

Imagine being part of a large family whose members are from fifty different countries and with each member’s unique experiences, norms, and value systems contributing to form a rich cultural tapestry. While there is no doubt that this family will likely face some significant challenges and conflicts due to their inherent differences, a diverse family of this nature also represents a special opportunity to learn from other cultures and expand our understanding of ourselves, our communities, and the world around us. How fortunate we are then to be part of an extended family like the American School of Brasilia where this hypothetical family structure is a reality.

In the landmark book, Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, culture is defined as the, “collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another” (Hofstede, Hofstede, & Minkov, 2010, p. 6). A less academic definition may be to view culture as consisting of the, “unwritten rules of the social game” (Hofstede, Hofstede, & Minkov, 2010, p. 6). In what is arguably one of the most comprehensive studies of culture ever conducted, the authors go on to highlight the statistical analysis of responses to questions in the GLOBE project about values, which revealed how countries used different solutions to address similar problems. Specifically, the data revealed differences in the areas of social inequality and authority (power distance), the relationship between the individual and the group (individualism vs. collectivism), the social implications of having been born as a boy or a girl (femininity and masculinity), and how people deal with uncertainty (uncertainty avoidance) (Hofstede, Hofstede, & Minkov, 2010).

The statistical data from the study resulted in a set of indices for each country linking the focus areas mentioned above. This data has since been proven to be statistically valid and, perhaps more importantly, to be very helpful in understanding differences among cultures. By way of example, we can examine Uncertainty Avoidance in more detail. The authors of Cultures and Organization define Uncertainty Avoidance as, “the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations and try to avoid such situations. This feeling is, among other things, expressed through nervous stress and in a need for predictability: a need for written and unwritten rules” (Hofstede, Hofstede, & Minkov, 2010, p. 191). The indices associated with Uncertainty Avoidance range from a rating of 112 for Greece, where uncertainty is more of an accepted part of life, to a rating of 8 for Singapore, where uncertainty is a cause of stress and subjective feelings of anxiety. The rating for Brazil is 76 while the USA received a rating of 46, representing a fairly significant difference in how the two countries view uncertainty. Translating this into education, the study implies that teachers in countries with a high uncertainty rating are more likely to feel comfortable saying, “I don’t know,” in response to student questions, as compared to a low uncertainty rating country where teachers are expected to have all of the answers.

The data for individualism and collectivism was particularly interesting. Again, the authors define Individualism as pertaining to, “societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family. Collectivism as its opposite pertains to societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, which throughout people’s lifetime continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty” (Hofstede, Hofstede, & Minkov, 2010, p. 92).

On the scale of indices associated with individualism ranging from a high of 91 to a low of 6, Brazil has a rating of 38, while the USA has the highest rating of all participating countries at 91. Translating this data back to schools, the authors state that students in a collectivist tend to learn to think more in terms of “we”, as compared to students in an individualist society who tend to learn to think more in terms of “I”. This may be a little contentious but is, nevertheless, an important focus for debate and reflection.

So, what should parents and educators take away from this research? If culture is learned from our social environment and is not inherited, then what is the impact on the cultural development of students who are raised in an American-international school environment? Values, which are directly linked to culture, are among the first things children implicitly learn. If it is true that most children have their value systems firmly in place by the age of ten, as is the belief of development psychologists, then how does living in a multicultural environment influence the values of children (recognizing that values are usually primarily established in the home)? While these are, undoubtedly, difficult questions to answer, though there does seem to be agreement that living in an international, multicultural setting offers students substantial and important developmental benefits.

As we reflect on the American School of Brasilia’s Character Counts week and this Saturday’s culminating Sábado Legal event, it is important to consider EAB’s core values. Specifically, it is essential to remind ourselves of how we – students, faculty, staff, and parents – are all responsible for doing our best to live up to the ideals associated with EAB’s core values of caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility, and trustworthiness. It is also important to remember how cultural norms, such as individualism and uncertainty avoidance, represent important factors, which are connected to these values, and that it is normal to experience some level of culture shock when encountering other cultures. The authors of Cultures and Organizations state that, “studying culture without experiencing culture shock is like practicing swimming without water” (Hofstede, Hofstede, & Minkov, 2010, p. XIV).

There are indeed challenging but important issues for schools and communities. While clear answers may not be readily available, Dr. Michael Thompson once shared some helpful advice. During a professional development session, Dr. Thompson was asked to define a “moral school”. He responded by quoting another author (whose name I cannot recall) who stated something to the effect of, “a moral school is a school that is always talking about what it means to be a moral school.” It is an accepted fact that we do not have all of the answers all of the time but what we do have is the opportunity to always engage in deep and meaningful conversations about key issues that will hopefully make a difference in the lives of our students, our families, and our communities.

Please join us for tomorrow’s Character Counts Sábado Legal event, from 10:00-12:00.

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Cultura e Aprendizagem

Imagine fazer parte de uma grande família cujos membros são de cinquenta países diferentes, com experiências exclusivas, normas e sistemas de valores que contribuem para formar um rico mosaico cultural. Enquanto não há dúvida de que essa família provavelmente enfrentará alguns desafios e conflitos significativos devido às suas diferenças inerentes, uma família diversa, desta natureza, também representa uma oportunidade especial para aprender com outras culturas e expandir a nossa compreensão sobre nós mesmos, nossas comunidades e do mundo que nos rodeia. Quão felizes nós somos ao fazermos parte de uma família extensa como a Escola Americana de Brasília, onde esta estrutura hipotética de família é uma realidade.

No livro, Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mindque, a cultura é definida como: “programação coletiva da mente, que distingue os membros de um grupo ou categoria de pessoas das outras.” Uma definição menos acadêmica pode ver a cultura como a consistência das “regras não escritas em um jogo social”. Sem dúvida, um dos estudos mais abrangentes da cultura já realizados, os autores passam a destacar a análise estatística das respostas às perguntas sobre valores, que revelaram como os países utilizaram soluções diferentes para resolver problemas semelhantes. Especificamente, os dados revelaram uma diferença significativa nas áreas de desigualdade social e autoridade (distância do poder) da relação entre o indivíduo e o grupo (individualismo vs. coletivismo), das implicações sociais de terem nascido menino ou menina (feminilidade e masculinidade) e, como as pessoas lidam com a incerteza (aversão à incerteza).

Os dados estatísticos do estudo resultaram em um conjunto de índices associados a cada país e as áreas de foco mencionadas acima. Esses dados já foram provados serem estatisticamente válidos e o mais importante, são muito úteis para compreender as diferenças entre as culturas. Por exemplo, podemos examinar a Aversão à Incerteza de forma mais detalhada. Os autores de Cultures and Organizations definem Aversão à Incerteza como “a intensidade em que os membros de uma cultura se sentem ameaçados por situações incertas ou desconhecidas e tentam evitar essas situações. Essa sensação é, entre outras, expressa por situações de estresse e em necessidade de previsibilidade: necessidade de regras por escrito ou não.” Os índices associados a Aversão à Incerteza variam sua classificação de acordo com o local, de 112 para a Grécia, onde a incerteza é mais aceita como parte da vida, para 8 em Singapura, onde a incerteza é uma causa de estresse, sentimentos de subjetividade e ansiedade. A classificação no Brasil é de 76, enquanto que nos Estados Unidos a nota é 46, o que representa uma diferença bastante significativa na forma em que os dois países lidam com a incerteza. Traduzindo isso para a educação, o estudo constata que os professores em países com um alto índice de incerteza, têm uma probabilidade maior de se sentir confortável em usar “Eu não sei” como resposta aos questionamentos dos alunos, comparado com países que têm um baixo nível de incertezas, no qual existe a expectativa dos professores terem todas as respostas.

Os dados para o individualismo e coletivismo foram, particularmente, interessantes. Mais uma vez, os autores definem individualismo como pertencentes às sociedades em que os laços entre os indivíduos são mais soltos: espera-se que todos cuidem de si mesmos e de suas famílias imediatas. O coletivismo, por outro lado, pertence a sociedades onde as pessoas, desde o seu nascimento, estão integradas em grupos coesos, fortes, onde ao longo da vida das pessoas, estes continuam a protegê-las em troca de lealdade inquestionável.

Em uma escala de índices associados ao individualismo, que varia entre um máximo de 91 e um mínimo de 6, o Brasil tem uma classificação de 38, enquanto os EUA tem a mais alta classificação de todos os países participantes, 91. Traduzindo esses dados de volta para as escolas, os autores afirmam que os alunos em uma sociedade coletivista tendem a aprender a pensar mais como “nós”, se comparados com os alunos em uma sociedade individualista, que tendem a aprender a pensar mais como “Eu”.

Então, o que os pais e educadores devem tirar dessa pesquisa? Se a cultura é aprendida no nosso ambiente social e não herdada, qual é o impacto no desenvolvimento cultural dos alunos que foram educados na Escola Americana de Brasília? Os valores que estão diretamente ligados à cultura estão entre as primeiras coisas que as crianças aprendem implicitamente. Se considerarmos verdade que a maioria das crianças tem os seus valores definidos até os 10 anos de idade, conforme a crença de psicólogos especialistas em desenvolvimento, então, como viver em um ambiente multicultural influencia nos valores de crianças (levando em consideração que valores são, geralmente, primariamente estabelecidos em casa)? Essas são, sem dúvida, perguntas difíceis de serem respondidas, no entanto, parece haver um consenso de que viver em um ambiente internacional e multicultural oferece aos alunos benefícios substanciais e importantes para o desenvolvimento.

Ao refletirmos sobre a semana do Character Counts, na Escola Americana de Brasília, culminando com o Sábado Legal dessa semana, é importante considerarmos os valores fundamentais da EAB. Especificamente, é essencial lembrarmos que – alunos, corpo docente, funcionários e pais – somos todos responsáveis por dar o nosso melhor para vivermos de acordo com os ideais associados aos valores da EAB de: confiança, respeito, responsabilidade, justiça, cuidado e cidadania. Para isso, também é importante lembramos como as normas culturais, assim como individualismo e aversão à incerteza, representam fatores importantes que estão conectados a esses valores e que é normal haverem choques culturais quando nos deparamos com outras culturas. Os autores de Cultures and Organizations, afirmam que “o estudo da cultura sem a experiência do choque cultural é como uma aula de natação sem água”.

De fato, existem questões difíceis, mas importantes para escolas e comunidades. Enquanto ainda não temos respostas claras disponíveis, o Dr. Michael Thompson uma vez compartilhou alguns conselhos úteis. Durante uma sessão de desenvolvimento profissional, o Dr. Thompson foi convidado a definir uma “escola moral”. Ele respondeu citando outro autor (cujo nome não me lembro), que declarou: “uma escola moral é uma escola que está sempre falando sobre o que significa ser uma escola moral”. É um fato aceitável que nós não temos todas as respostas em todos os momentos, mas o que temos é a oportunidade de estarmos sempre envolvidos em conversas significativas sobre pontos-chave que venham a fazer diferença na vida dos nossos alunos, nossas famílias e nossas comunidades.

Bibliography:
Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind : Intercultural Cooperation and its Importance for Survival (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Featured image: cc licensed (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) flickr photo by Fredrik Alpstedt https://www.flickr.com/photos/alpstedt/13339786034

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 colleagues and internationally renowned educational specialists. Two of the specialists, Dr. Michael Thompson and Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair, both highly recommended authors, have offered insights towards answering this question.

The psychologist, Michael Thompson, challenges adults to remember what school is actually like to better understand the psychological journey that students experience during their K3-12 school years. Thompson argues that children are constantly searching for three things: connection, recognition, and a sense of power and highlights that children are able to find these three needs in a variety of ways within the life of a school.

Thompson further describes the different student needs by elaborating on the “three types of children in school:
I. those whose journeys are characterized mostly by success,
II. those whose journeys are characterized by a chronic but manageable struggle,
III. those whose journeys are characterized by fury and despair.
Each journey has its own different pressures. Every child is constantly developing strategies for coping with the pressures that he or she feels.”

Thompson uses the metaphor of a person preparing for a long hike and the importance of finding just the right shoe “fit” to facilitate the hike and avoid painful blisters. While there is an important element of resilience and persistence associated with the learning process, the shoe metaphor challenges schools to find the right educational program to “fit” student needs so that the three types of children in schools are not subject to unnecessary “blisters” and are able to achieve personal success.

Returning to the need of children for connection, recognition, and a sense of power, Catherine Steiner-Adair’s book, The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age, addresses the impact technology has on the relationships between children and adults. While Steiner-Adair advocates for the use of technology and the benefits to be gained, she also shares research findings that highlight how the ubiquitous presence of technology in our lives can result in serious negative implications for our relationships. Steiner-Adair offers insights and advice that can help parents and educators to determine how best to integrate technology in our daily lives without diminishing our personal connections. She asks us to question how we interact with technology when engaging with children (e.g. Do we give children our undivided attention when they are speaking with us or are we continuously looking at our cell phones?) and how our need to access technological devices frames our days and lives.

If we are to respond to each child’s need for connection, recognition, and a sense of power, then we must not only question how well our educational program is addressing these needs, but also review the degree to which technology may be adversely affecting our relationships with students and adults alike. The further integration of technology into our lives is a reality that will not go away. Therefore, it is our responsibility to control how technology affects our lives to ensure that we are taking advantage of the tremendous benefits and available opportunities that technology provides, while also addressing the inherent challenges to our relationships and overall wellbeing.

Featured image: cc licensed (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) flickr photo by Matt https://www.flickr.com/photos/d35ign/9580068088

The Hero’s Journey

“Heroes didn’t leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an outstretched hand; they didn’t wear boots and capes. They bled, and they bruised, and their superpowers were as simple as listening, or loving. Heroes were ordinary people who knew that even if their own lives were impossibly knotted, they could untangle someone else’s. And maybe that one act could lead someone to rescue you right back.” ~ Jodi Picoult

It was a typical beautiful and sunny morning in Brasilia. Teachers from the American School of Brasilia were preparing a churrasco, a Brazilian barbecue, to show their appreciation to the maintenance, cleaning, security, and support staffs for their daily contributions in support of the work of teachers, students, and our school’s educational program. This special day was filled with family activities, games of futebal, food, conversation, laughter, and relationship building.

It is days like this that we are reminded of the importance of community and the difference a positive and supportive culture can make in the lives of all members, particularly students and their education. With all due respect to Joseph Campbell’s seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, perhaps we can redefine the meaning of the Hero’s Journey to one more representative of Jodi Picoult’s vision where heroes are everyday people making a positive difference in the lives of others. Whether it is an act of kindness, a sacrifice for a stranger, a demonstration of empathy, or to simply listen, the seemingly small gestures of everyday heroes often lead to significant and meaningful differences in the lives of others.

Each morning, I see our guards welcoming every student by name, personalizing the start of their day and making our students feel special. I see the cleaning staff cleaning the walkway in the courtyard, seeing to every detail and taking pride in the appearance of the school. A few weeks ago, members of the maintenance department and support staff were on their way home after a long day when they heard that a water pipe had burst in the chemistry class and, without hesitation, dropped everything to return to school to spent three hours of their evening to ensure class could resume as normal the next day. Schools the world over can share similar stories about those special people whose daily actions, which often go unnoticed, make a difference in the lives of others. It is this ideal of daily contributions towards community building and the development of relationships that makes a school special.

The French existentialist, Simone de Beauvior, touches on this subject in her book, All Men are Mortal. In the 13th century, the main character of the novel, Fosca, attains the status of immortality. For several centuries, he travels the world, reads countless books, meets fascinating people and falls in love many times. Fosca has a life that a mortal human could only dream of. He has the opportunity to achieve anything a person could wish to attain.

But, there is a problem. Fosca’s immortality becomes burdensome as he is unable to find happiness, an idea further explored by Derek de Lint in his film about the novel: “Fosca is haunted by events from past centuries, living with the same mistakes over and over again, with war, cruelty and injustice. He must question whether immortality and love can exist at the same time or whether true love and commitment are only possible through the limitations of life. He eventually begins to desire mortality as a basic necessity for human happiness.”

Fosca desperately searches for meaning in his life but his immortality robs him of it. What he finally understands is that it is the finiteness of the human condition that forces us to embrace our lives and to live each moment with passion. And where is meaning to be found? This is a seemingly difficult question to answer. Fosca does not find meaning through power, studying, reading, position in society, travel, or the accumulation of wealth. Madame Beauvoir leaves the reader with the notion that everything in our lives, everything we strive for, everything we accumulate is meaningless with one exception: the relationships we have with others, the lives we touch and the lives we are touched by.

If a meaningful life is defined through relationships and our efforts to make a even a small and positive difference in the lives of others, then it is fitting to confer the title of “hero” to those dedicated support staff members working in all schools. Through small acts of kindness, our colleagues attain what Fosca desperately failed to achieve through immortality. Through their commitment to support the work of teachers, students, and parents each and every day, those individuals who oversee security, maintenance, cleaning, technology, business and secretarial affairs, contribute to building community and enhancing the lives of others in essential and significant ways. They are our everyday heroes.

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A Jornada de um Herói

“Heróis não são capazes de saltar por cima de prédios altos com um único impulso ou parar balas com uma mão; eles não usam botas ou capas. Eles sangram, se ferem e seus superpoderes são tão simples como ouvir ou amar. Os heróis são pessoas comuns e sabem que, mesmo que suas próprias vidas estejam cheia de nós, eles podem ajudar a quem precisa. E aquela única ajuda é capaz de te resgatar “ Jodi Picoult

Em uma típica bonita e ensolarada manhã em Brasília, os professores da Escola Americana de Brasília estavam preparando um churrasco para mostrar o seu apreço as equipes de manutenção, limpeza, segurança e apoio, pela sua contribuição diária em apoiar o trabalho dos professores, alunos e o programa educacional da escola. Esse dia especial foi preenchido com atividades para a família, futebol, comidas, conversas, risadas e construção das relações.

São em dias como esses que nós nos lembramos da importância da comunidade e da diferença que um apoio cultural positivo pode fazer na vida dos membros, em particular dos alunos e da sua educação. Com todo respeito ao trabalho pioneiro de Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, talvez possamos redefinir o significado da Jornada de um Herói a uma visão mais representativa de Jodi Picoult, onde os heróis são pessoas do nosso cotidiano, fazendo uma diferença positiva na vida de terceiros. Se é um gesto de carinho, um sacrifício para um estranho, uma demonstração de empatia ou simplesmente ouvir alguém, os gestos significativos dos heróis do nosso cotidiano, geralmente causam diferenças na vida dos outros.

A cada manhã, eu vejo os nossos guardas dando as boas-vindas para cada aluno, os chamando pelo nome, personalizando o início do dia deles e fazendo com que eles se sintam especiais. Eu vejo a equipe de limpeza limpando a calçada do pátio na frente da escola, cuidado de cada detalhe e se orgulhando da aparência da escola. Há algumas semanas, os membros do departamento de manutenção e apoio estavam a caminho de casa, depois de um longo dia, ouviram que um cano de água havia estourado na sala de química e, sem hesitarem, largaram tudo, voltaram para a escola e passaram mais 3 horas para garantir que tudo voltaria ao normal no dia seguinte. Escolas do mundo inteiro podem ter compartilhado histórias semelhantes sobre esse grupo de pessoas especiais, cujas ações diárias que, geralmente não são compartilhadas, fazem a diferença na vida dos outros. É esse tipo de contribuição diária para a construção da nossa comunidade e o desenvolvimento das relações que tornam uma escola especial.

O existencialista francês, Simone de Beauvior, aborda este assunto em seu livro, Todos os homens são mortais. No século 13, o personagem principal do romance, Fosca, alcança o status de imortalidade. Durante vários séculos, ele viaja pelo mundo, lê inúmeros livros, atende pessoas fascinantes e apaixona-se muitas vezes. Fosca tem uma vida que qualquer ser humano mortal sonha em ter. Ele tem a oportunidade de conseguir qualquer coisa que uma pessoa pode desejar alcançar.

Mas existe um problema. A imortalidade de Fosca se torna difícil, já que ele é incapaz de encontrar a felicidade, uma ideia mais explorada por Derek de Lint, em seu filme sobre o romance. “Fosca é assombrado por acontecimentos de séculos passados, pela convivência com os mesmos erros, com a guerra, a crueldade e injustiça. Ele deve questionar se: a imortalidade e o amor podem existir ao mesmo tempo ou se o verdadeiro amor e compromisso só são possíveis através das limitações da vida. Ele finalmente começa a desejar a mortalidade como uma necessidade básica para a felicidade humana.”

Fosca procura desesperadamente um sentido para a sua vida, mas a sua imortalidade lhe rouba isso. O que ele finalmente entende é que a finitude da condição humana é que nos obriga a abraçar nossas vidas e viver cada momento com paixão. E onde podemos encontrar o significado disso? Esta é uma pergunta aparentemente difícil de responder. O Fosca não encontra sentido através do poder, do estudo, da leitura, posição na sociedade, viagens, ou acumulando riquezas. Madame Beauvoir deixa o leitor com a noção de que tudo em nossas vidas, tudo o que nos esforçamos para conseguir, tudo o que acumulamos não tem significado, com uma exceção: as relações que temos com os outros, das vidas que tocamos e das vidas que nos tocam.

Se uma vida, significativa, é definida através de relacionamentos e dos nossos esforços para fazermos uma diferença pequena e positiva na vida dos outros, então é apropriado conferirmos o título de “heróis” as dedicadas equipes de apoio de todas as escolas. Através de pequenos atos de bondade, os nossos colegas atingiriam o que Fosca desesperadamente não conseguiu alcançar através da imortalidade. Através do seu compromisso em apoiar o trabalho dos professores, alunos e pais a cada dia, essas pessoas que cuidam da segurança, manutenção, limpeza, tecnologia, negócios e assuntos de secretariado, contribuem para a construção da comunidade e melhoraria da vida dos outros de maneira essencial e significativa. Eles são nossos heróis do cotidiano.

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, the challenge with the follow-up is to determine how best to consolidate and apply the essential outcomes within the context of our school’s ongoing growth and development strategies. To that end, the concepts of creativity and innovation, among several other resulting focus areas, emerged as one of the dominant themes of this trip.

During a retreat hosted by the Academy for International School Heads, the school directors in attendance agreed to the American School of Bombay’s (ASB) proposed working definition for the word innovation:

Innovation: an idea, practice, or object perceived as new by an individual, team, organization, or community.

Equipped with this definition, the directors were then asked by Craig Johnson, ASB’s Director, to rank the following industries from the most innovative and relevant to the least:

Agriculture, Communications, Education, Entertainment, Medicine, and Military.

While a debate about the ranking order ensued, there was a general consensus that education was the least innovative among this list of industries. While the reasons for this are varied and complex, it is clear that inhibitors to innovation in education can be attributed to two key areas: (i) the challenge of teaching in a manner that is different from how teachers were taught; (ii) overcoming the adult expectation for children to learn in a manner that is similar to how these same adults learned as students.

David Burkus’ book, The Myths of Creativity, presents the metaphor of a mousetrap, which may be used to better understand the challenge of innovation in schools. While the catchphrase, “If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door,” may be widely believed as a fact, is not necessarily true. Our initial reaction to an innovative idea is usually to reject or ignore the idea. Burkus emphasizes, “Creative ideas, by their very nature, invite judgment. People need to know if the value promised by the new idea is worth the abandonment of the old.”

Since the original and current version of the spring-loaded mousetrap was patented in 1899, over forty-four hundred new versions of a mousetrap have been patented, with several identified as more effective than the original. Yet, it is the original model that continues to be the most popular. Why? Burkus highlights several other examples of resistance to key innovative ideas, such as Kodak’s rejection of their own digital camera invention in 1975, as Kodak did not believe people would prefer digital to film pictures. Sony, in contrast, is now a digital photography industry leader, and has been a key benefactor of Kodak’s inability to embrace its own innovation.

According to Burkus, our natural tendency is to inherently reject innovation, resist change, and act with bias against new ideas, the later of which has been established through validated psychological research. Based on these arguments and the deep, personal nature of education, it is easy to see why education is ranked as one of the least innovative industries. So, how do we move forward in the face of these challenges? Burkus again provides us with helpful advice:

“It’s not enough to merely generate great ideas. Though we live in a world of complex challenges and our organizations need innovative solutions, we also live in a world biased against creative ideas. It’s not enough for an organization to have creative people; it has to develop a culture that doesn’t reject great ideas. It’s not enough for people to learn how to be more creative; they also need to be persistent through the rejection they might face.”

I am not alone in my belief that education is currently undergoing a transformative change process representative of an inflection point in the history of educational reform. While we can speculate, no one can be certain about where this change process will eventually lead us. Only time will determine which of the current innovations in the world of education will prove to be highly effective and become standard practice. EAB is no exception to facing this challenge. However, there are innovative approaches, such as EAB’s new assessment policy, the focus on collaborative learning and associated learning spaces, like the iCommons, that educational research has established and validated as best practices.

Like other industries, education will continue to face challenges associated with establishing and embracing an effective culture of creativity and innovation. Based on Burkus’ work, it is probable that several key innovations, which would likely lead to significant improvements in education, may not come to fruition in the near future. However, we also know that some innovative ideas will be accepted and will soon be recognized as standard practice. By way of example, it is predicted that, in the near future, the pervasive use of technology in learning environments will be second nature, rather than new and innovative.

As I submit this note for publication from seat 44G, I can’t help but reflect on Burkus’ theories about our inherent nature to reject innovation in the context of my current travels. How outlandish it must have seemed when someone first proposed the idea of passengers sending email messages from their airplane seats while jetting across the sky.

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Reference: Burkus, D. (2013). The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas. John Wiley & Sons.

Featured image: cc licensed (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) flickr photo by Morten F
Flying from Copenhagen to Oslo https://www.flickr.com/photos/glimt1916/15506061634

Serendipitous Connections

We all experience those days when our schedules seem to demand more of our time than hours are available in the day. It is often these same days when we feel most focused, effective, and efficient, especially in terms of completing our “to do” lists. It is also common during these times to engage in seemingly countless brief conversations with friends, families, colleagues, and strangers. While these ephemeral conversations may be lost and forgotten in the shuffle of a frenetic day, it is these same conversations that may represent, for example, a critically important moment for an individual, the idea for a transformative project, or a fundamental change in personal circumstances. While it is easy to dismiss these brief conversations while in the process of fulfilling a busy agenda, these same conversations may result in being the most important outcome of our day.

In his book, Triumph of the City, Zappos’ CEO Tony Hsieh refers to the brief meetings with others that lead to significant outcomes as “serendipitous encounters.” Hsieh extends this idea with the statement:

“Research has shown that most innovation actually happens from something outside your industry being applied to your own. And those are the results of random conversations at …coffee shops or just when you have collisions with other people.”

Hsieh’s thoughts were not on my mind during a typical busy day when I was quickly introduced to the conductor of the National Theater Symphonic Orchestra. While this chance encounter lasted no more than forty-five seconds, it would lead to one of the most memorable evenings in our community’s recent history. Through the work of our leadership team, it was only a few weeks later when one of Brazil’s top orchestras spent a full day at our school educating and rehearsing with students. The evening performance took place in our auditorium in front of a capacity audience that was fully representative of our diverse community. The performance was moving and inspirational. Brazil’s Rede Globo network covered the performance and shared the following video clip during the station’s news broadcast.

On another occasion, a member of the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) briefly shared, in passing, the idea to host at our school a public display of one of Brasilia’s most famous artists. This brief encounter led to a very special community evening vernissage to celebrate the work of Athos Bulcão, which included several original works displayed at our school for several weeks (Link to Virtual GalleryLink to Virtual Gallery).

“Artista eu era. Pioneiro eu fiz-me. Devo a Brasília esse sofrido privilégio. Realmente um privilégio: ser pioneiro. Dureza que gera espírito. Um prêmio moral“.
~ Athos Bulcão

A third brief encounter led to the University of Brasilia’s Opera Studio presenting at our school an outstanding performance of Gaetano Donizetti ‘s opera Don Pasquale. Two EAB students were invited to perform with the orchestra, representing a special and unique experience for our student musicians.

These serendipitous encounters led to innovative enhancements associated with the appreciation of the arts and a better understanding of Brasilia’s cultural heritage. Reflecting on key events and the innovative changes implemented at our school in recent years, many of these outcomes can be traced back to a serendipitous encounter that could have easily been missed if those involved were not paying attention or took the time to genuinely listen to others.

As educators, we tend to fiercely protect our schools and domains as teachers and school leaders. However, we may be guilty, at times, of responding in a seemingly defensive manner to different ideas and perspectives offered by those not associated with education. There is much to learn from others, especially those who see schools through a different lens, and it is our responsibility to not only embrace and explore new ideas, but to model for our students the ideals related to the process of continuous growth and development.

Serendipitous encounters are not limited to institutional events but also include those daily encounters with friends, family, colleagues and students. While a thirty-second encounter with a student, for example, may seem to carry little weight from an adult’s perspective, to the student, the encounter may represent a significant moment that will be internalized for years to come.

Whether our brief meetings with others lead to the innovative institutional changes highlighted by Tony Hsieh or make a real difference in the life of a student, we have a responsibility to remind ourselves of the importance of our interactions with others and the possible far-reaching implications that may result from these brief encounters.

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Conexões Afortunadas

Todos nós passamos por dias em que nossas agendas parecem exigir mais do nosso tempo do que as horas disponíveis no dia. Geralmente, nesses mesmos dias, nos sentimos mais focados, eficazes e eficientes, especialmente quando falamos em completar nossas listas de “afazeres”. Também é comum nessas épocas, nos envolvermos em inúmeras, aparentemente rápidas, conversas com amigos, familiares, colegas e estranhos. Enquanto essas rápidas conversas podem se perder ou ser esquecidas no meio da confusão de um dia frenético, elas também podem representar, por exemplo, um momento extremamente importante para uma pessoa, ou uma idéia de um projeto transformador, ou uma mudança fundamental na circunstância em questão. Embora seja fácil ficar livre dessas breves conversas, já que estamos tentando nos ajustar a uma agenda cheia, essas mesmas conversas podem resultar no ponto mais importante do nosso dia.

Em seu livro, Triumph of the City, o diretor executivo da Zappos, Tony Hsieh, refere-se aos breves encontros que resultam em algo significativo como: “encontros afortunados”. Hsieh estende essa idéia com a seguinte declaração:

““Pesquisas mostraram que a maioria das novidades acontece fora da sua indústria e então são aplicadas dentro dela. E esses são os resultados das conversas aleatórias que acontecem em cafés, ou apenas por esbarrar com outras pessoas“.

Os pensamentos de Hsieh não estavam na minha mente no dia em que eu fui rapidamente apresentado ao maestro da Orquestra Sinfônica do Teatro Nacional. Apesar desse encontro casual não ter durado mais do que 45 segundos, ele levou a uma das noites mais memoráveis na história da nossa comunidade. Através do trabalho da nossa equipe de liderança, poucas semanas depois, uma das melhores orquestras do Brasil passou um dia inteiro na nossa escola, ensinando e ensaiando com os alunos. A apresentação naquela noite aconteceu no nosso auditório, em frente a uma platéia repleta da nossa comunidade tão diversificada. A apresentação foi comovente e inspiradora. A Rede Globo (uma emissora de TV brasileira) cobriu o evento e compartilhou as imagens na transmissão das notícias.

Em outra ocasião, um membro do PTO, compartilhou rapidamente comigo a idéia de fazermos na nossa escola uma exposição de um dos artistas plásticos mais famosos de Brasília. Esse rápido encontro levou a uma noite de vernissage para comemorarmos o trabalho de Athos Bulcão, que incluiu a mostra de vários painéis do artista na nossa escola por várias semanas. (Link to Virtual Gallery)

“Artista eu era. Pioneiro eu fiz-me. Devo a Brasília esse sofrido privilégio. Realmente um privilégio: ser pioneiro. Dureza que gera espírito. Um prêmio moral“.
~ Athos Bulcão

Um terceiro breve encontro levou a apresentação da Ópera Studio, da Universidade de Brasília, na nossa escola. Foi um excelente desempenho da ópera de Gaetano Donizzeti, a ópera Don Pasquale. Dois dos nossos alunos foram convidados para tocar junto com a orquestra, representando uma experiência única e especial para os nossos alunos músicos.

Esses encontros afortunados levaram a melhorias inovadoras associadas à apreciação das artes e a uma melhor compreensão da herança cultural de Brasília. Ao refletir sobre os principais eventos e sobre as mudanças inovadoras desenvolvidas na nossa escola nos últimos anos, muitos desses resultados podem ter sido causados por encontros afortunados que, poderiam ter sido perdidos caso os envolvidos não estivessem atentos ou com tempo para realmente ouvir outras pessoas.

Como educadores, temos a tendência de protegermos ferozmente as nossas escolas e domínios como professores e dirigentes escolares. No entanto, podemos ser culpados, às vezes, por reagirmos de uma forma, aparentemente, defensiva a diversas idéias e perspectivas oferecidas por pessoas que não estão ligadas a educação. Há muito que aprender com os outros, especialmente aqueles que vêem as escolas através de outra visão. É nossa responsabilidade, não só abraçar e explorar novas idéias, mas modelar nossos alunos aos ideais relacionados ao processo de crescimento e desenvolvimento contínuo.

Encontros afortunados não se limitam a eventos institucionais, mas também incluem os encontros diários com amigos, familiares, colegas e alunos. Enquanto um encontro de 30 segundos com um aluno, por exemplo, pode parecer ter pouco peso a partir da perspectiva de um adulto, para esse aluno, pode representar um momento significativo que será internalizado pelos próximos anos.

Se os nossos breves encontros com outras pessoas levarem às mudanças institucionais inovadoras destacadas por Tony Hsieh ou se fizerem uma diferença real na vida de um aluno, então temos a responsabilidade de nos lembrar da importância de nossas interações com as outras pessoas e com as possíveis implicações que esses rápidos encontros possam trazer.
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Featured image: cc licensed (CC BY-NA 2.0) flickr photo by Marcos Molina – Tocando el violín https://www.flickr.com/photos/larou/3462594915

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 very same impermanence inevitably leads to our esteemed colleagues and beloved friends taking leave of our community as they seek to embrace new adventures and experiences. The reasons that some teachers take leave of our schools each year varies, from the need to return to their home country or the desire to work and live in a different part of the world, for example.

While the inevitable June 2015 departure of some colleagues is again a reality at the American School of Brasilia (EAB), we can take solace in the fact that personal and professional relationships will assuredly endure far beyond the end of this school year. Although there will be occasions next semester to formally recognize those who will be leaving EAB, the focus of this note is on the present and the importance of appreciating and making the most of the time we have today and in the near future with our very special colleagues and friends.

2015-2016 Recruitment Process: To date, ten EAB faculty will be leaving the school in June 2015 to pursue other interests. In terms of comparisons with past years, the number of departing teachers this year is lower that any of the past years on record. Looking ahead to recruitment for 2015-2016 and beyond, please note that, when EAB is recruiting candidates for positions, the openings are always posted in the EMPLOYMENT section of EAB’s website.

The hiring of teachers is arguable the most important element of my work as the Head of School. To that end, one of my main focus areas during the coming months will be the recruitment of teachers, which will include attendance at international recruitment fairs. The fact that EAB received well over 2,500 applications for employment last year is a very positive sign in terms of how our school is regarded in both the local and international communities.

I am often asked what we look for when hiring teachers. First and foremost, we are seeking to hire the best available teachers, regardless of nationality, who possess outstanding qualifications in their academic area, deep levels of relevant experience, leadership capacity, resilience, flexibility, and, of course, a passion for working with students and the learning process. An additional characteristic that is among the highest on our priority list is that of a positive disposition. The nature of effective teaching necessitates the ideal that teachers are eternal optimists, especially in terms of their belief that all students can reach their respective potentials. Furthermore, we owe it to our students to ensure a school setting that is comprised of people who are positive and optimistic, who see problems as opportunities, and who see the proverbial glass as always being half full. At the same, we cannot be Pollyannaish with respect to teaching and learning as teachers are needed to directly address the inherent challenges associated with student growth and program development, in a professional, effective, and empathetic manner.

Each year, EAB continues to further articulate and refine the EAB Teacher Profile, which is a document that outlines a set of guiding principles that are used to guide all hiring processes. In addition, EAB’s Leadership Team also examines the hiring, development, and retainment practices of highly successful organizations to determine what can be translated to a school setting. By way of example, we are currently studying Netflix’s human resource policy, called Freedom and Responsibility, which provides for engaging and reflective reading.

As EAB moves forward with all hiring processes using the guiding principles shared above, please feel free to review the EMPLOYMENT section of EAB’s website and forward job postings to anyone who may be interested in applying for one or more positions. All applicants are asked to submit a letter of interest and a resume to employment@eabdf.br.

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Recrutamento de Professores

Uma característica comum e que define bem as escolas internacionais é a transitoriedade.

A natureza efêmera do mandato de muitos dos membros da nossa comunidade em Brasília exige um gerenciamento contínuo nos processos de mudança. Os aspectos positivos dessa mudança constante são as ricas oportunidades de crescimento pessoal, renovação, enriquecimento e desenvolvimento de novos relacionamentos. No entanto, essa mesma impermanência leva, inevitavelmente, a partida de colegas e amigos queridos da nossa comunidade, já que eles vão em busca de novas aventuras e experiências. A razão pela qual alguns dos professores vão embora da EAB a cada ano, por exemplo, vai desde a necessidade de retornarem ao seu país de origem até o simples desejo de trabalhar e viver em uma parte diferente do mundo.

Enquanto a inevitável partida de alguns colegas em junho de 2015 é, novamente, uma realidade na EAB, é possível usar como consolo o fato de que as relações pessoais e profissionais vão, certamente, durar muito além do fim desse ano letivo. Mesmo com o reconhecimento que faremos no próximo semestre para cada um que está deixando a EAB, o foco dessa nota é sobre o presente e sobre a importância em apreciar e aproveitar ao máximo, o tempo que temos hoje e num futuro próximo com os nossos colegas e amigos tão especiais.

Processo de Recrutamento 2015/2016: Até o momento, dez membros do nosso corpo docente vão deixar a EAB em junho de 2015 para irem em busca de outros interesses. Em termos de comparação com os anos anteriores, esse número diminuiu. Visando o recrutamento de 2015-2016 e para os demais, peço que atentem para as vagas que estão publicadas na sessão de EMPLOYMENT do site da EAB.

A contratação na EAB é, provavelmente, o elemento mais importante do meu trabalho como Diretor Geral. Para esse fim, uma das principais áreas de foco durante os próximos meses será sobre o recrutamento de professores que, incluí a minha participação em feiras internacionais de recrutamento. O fato de a EAB ter recebido mais de 2000 currículos no ano passado é um sinal muito positivo sobre como a nossa escola é considerada tanto nas comunidades locais, como nas internacionais.

Muitas vezes eu sou questionado sobre o que nós buscamos ao contratar um professor. Em primeiro lugar, nós estamos em busca do melhor professor disponível no mercado, independente da sua nacionalidade, com qualificações especiais em sua área acadêmica, níveis profundos e relevantes de experiência, capacidade de liderança, resistência, flexibilidade e, é claro, paixão por trabalhar com os alunos e com o processo de aprendizagem. Uma das características adicionais que está como prioridade em nossa lista é a boa disposição. A natureza de ensino eficaz requer que os professores sejam eternamente otimistas, especialmente em acreditar que todos os alunos podem alcançar seu potencial. Além disso, nós devemos isso aos nossos alunos, visando garantir um ambiente escolar composto por pessoas positivas e otimistas, que vêem os problemas como oportunidades e, que vêem o proverbial copo d’água como se estivesse sempre pela metade. Ao mesmo tempo, não podemos ser ingênuos no que diz respeito ao ensino e aprendizagem, já que os professores são necessários para abordar de forma direta os desafios inerentes ao crescimento do aluno e desenvolvimento de programas, de forma profissional, eficaz e empática.

A cada ano a EAB continua a articular e aperfeiçoar o perfil de seus professores através de um documento(the EAB Teacher Profile,) que articula um conjunto de princípios orientadores que, são usados em todos os processos de contratação. Além disso, a Equipe de Liderança da EAB também analisa a contratação, o desenvolvimento e as práticas de retenção das grandes organizações de sucesso, para determinar o que pode ser usado na configuração de uma escola. Por exemplo, atualmente, estamos estudando a política de recursos humanos da Netflix, chamada de Freedom and Responsibility, que prevê uma leitura envolvente e reflexiva.

Conforme a EAB avança em todos os processos de contratação, usando os princípios orientadores citados acima, por favor, sinta-se livre para rever a seção EMPLOYMENT do nosso site e, passar adiante para qualquer pessoa que possa estar interessada em se candidatar às nossas vagas. Todos os candidatos devem enviar uma carta de interesse e o seu currículo para employment@eabdf.br.

Featured image: cc licensed (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 ) flickr photo by Dieter Drescher: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmosfan/14628522324