From the Principal’s Desk – 08 March, 2018 – Reflect

Dear Parents,

This week we welcomed the International Baccalaureate Organization’s Evaluation Team for our Primary Years Programme (PYP). Every 5 years each of our IB programmes (PYP, DP and soon to add MYP) have to be re-evaluated. As a school we get the opportunity to reflect on our delivery of these programmes to celebrate what we are doing well and see where we can make improvements.

This self-study process is the epitome of the REFLECTION attribute of the IB Learner profile. We are constantly asking our students to reflect on their work and their actions.  As role models for them we need to be sure that we also model the expected behaviour ourselves.

It is always surprising to me how fearful some of us adults can sometimes be when called upon to self-reflect. Many often see it as an intrusion and questioning of their professional roles and view it as a “witch hunt” trying to find fault with them and their jobs. This is so not the case.

I personally believe that a person who can incorporate self-reflection into their daily routine will be able to “make sense of their day; make better decisions, set a course of action; step away from their habitual way of doing and thinking to discover new freedoms and opportunities”. As such we need to see the positive side of reflection. We need to be comfortable with receiving feedback on how we are doing and see the opportunities for personal growth and improvements. The best part of embracing this is that our children will see that self-reflection can be a powerful tool for all of us to be better in our jobs, our relationships and our personal lives.

So, as we host the PYP Evaluation Team, I (and the School) welcome feedback on how we are doing and how we can improve. In doing so will not only enrich the learning experience for our children but also the educational experience for all our teachers and parents.

I share this wonderful article with you all entitled “Time to reflect – why does it matter in the workplace?” by Karen Liebenguth
Kind regards,

Grant Ruskovich