My hopes for this Blog

Beste Internationale Collega, I am a Dutch TCK, married to a TCK, raising two TCK's and in my 18th year of teaching and coaching in an International school setting. It is my personal opinion that we, as those who work with International students and colleagues could use some resources in creating world classrooms; be it in Physical Education, a Kindergarten class, or AP Biology.
In my opinion an International classroom is one that has empathy for everyone's International story not only for the TCK but also for the Army kid, the missionary kid, the teacher kid, the navy kid, etc, etc. A classroom that shows who teaches there and who learns there, Internationals. Staff meetings that facilitate awareness around the topic of working and living in a transient culture. In-service sessions that give us hands on opportunities to create toolboxes which will help us connect with our peers better, with our students better and with their parents better; because we are not the same as a school back home. I am generalizing here but we are in schools where mobility and transition impact our climate, our community, our enjoyment of life, our jobs, our students and ourselves all the time. I believe that by being more aware; it will help us be a community of support, ideas, care, empathy, understanding and a willingness to learn from each other; whether you are only starting the international journey now, or whether you have been in it for a long time.
I look forward to sharing your tried and tested tricks and advice right here on The TCK Teacher. Here's to making it a small world, together; by giving ourselves and our students a safe place to call "Home" away from "Home", your classroom, our International schools. Ilse

Friday, July 29, 2016

International educators also struggle with transitions just like the TCK's they teach.

I am an ATCK (adult third culture kid) and as my career has grown, so has my desire to spread awareness on the topics of TCKs, mobility, and transitions in international schools.  I read relevant books that cross my path and I am currently in a Culturally Relevant Teaching course through the University of Northern Iowa . I have volunteered to speak at parent coffee mornings, student assemblies, graduating class workshops, and staff in-service  sessions. When I returned to SAS after ten years and two other schools, I went through a transition myself. I was struggling, and in the end I realized that
  1. International teachers who have been at a school for a long time are not grumpy and against change. They are tired of saying goodbye to close and trusted colleagues and having to work with fresh-faced newbies. They are in self-preservation mode.
  2. New faculty are opinionated, eager, and seem to want to create change. Not because they feel that their way is better but because they are trying to find their footing, to fit in, to create a new professional home. They are in self-preservation mode.
I think that newbies do not mean to be difficult and question things because they don’t like what is going on. They ask things because they  don’t have any knowledge of the school’s history. Newbies are not out to make a mark; they are trying to belong. When they left their schools, not only did they leave a place but they left a name for themselves and a role with clear expectations. At this new school everything is different and few colleagues know who they are, what they stand for, what they’ve been through, and what they’ll bring to the table. So the newbies try to find some common ground quickly and show everyone what they are made of – to feel “at home” in the newness fast.
The stay-ers are not difficult just to be difficult. They are who they are because they think, “Here we go again. Again someone new is joining my department and I have to show them the ropes, I have to explain everything, I need to listen to and work with them – and then they’ll leave in a few years. If I keep my distance, saying goodbye won’t be so difficult; I won’t have to change my ways when this person leaves; it’s easier to keep doing what I have been doing. I don’t mean to be rude and standoffish; my heart just can’t take it anymore. My brain is done bending; I just want to be comfortable.”

Here is the tough news if you are part of an international culture: comfortable is not possible. No matter what time of year it is, there will always be transitions and mobility challenges, not only during the peak months of summer but also in December and then sometimes throughout the year. There really never is a quiet time. As an ATCK teacher who is still learning about her new school, I feel that more teacher in-service should be spent focusing on the challenges that come with the transient lifestyle and mobility of the school community. I believe that if we become more aware of how the aspects of transition affect us, we as educators will be much better equipped to help our students and colleagues come and go, and maybe even help ourselves through these challenging times. Once we take the time to hear each other’s stories we’ll be able to recognize and acknowledge our own feelings better and embrace transitions and the connections they can create.

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