The reward of seeing students grow and develop in every sense and the chance to play a part in that exciting journey is what attracts many of us to the teaching profession. Many things can be said about the teaching profession but one thing is for sure and that is it is never boring. Every day is different even though the overall goals and the vision may be the same. My day last Thursday will perhaps give you an insight into the role of the Principal at KIS and perhaps explain why and I and many others do what we do......
My day in school started at 5.30am when I took the chance afforded by my quiet surroundings to catch up with paperwork, prepare lessons, mark books, read reports and review and respond to a myriad of e-mail communications that are a reflection, not just on the role of the modern Principal, but of the changes in education management and society since I began my teaching career. (In those days of course e-mail had not been invented and floppy discs were just that!) Last Thursday was a quiet start to the day, but sometimes my early morning routine can be broken by unexpected events – one morning earlier this term I arrived to find the school entrance blocked by a fallen tree after a heavy storm which had to be cleared by myself and our grounds staff before staff, parents and students started arriving to begin their day!
At 7.30am I left my office and stood by the gate to welcome students and parents at the beginning of their school day. A cheery ‘Good Morning’ and a reciprocal smile always ensures a positive start to the day and for me it is always twenty minutes well spent until the bell at 7.50am signals the formal start of the school day. The next hour of my day thereafter was spent observing a Year 11 Chemistry lesson in one of our Science Labs. For this small group of KIS students every lesson is another step towards their IGCSE exams in six months time that will conclude the first part of their schooling that started in many cases some twelve or thirteen years ago. It is always refreshing to see not just their understanding of what may appear to some to be complex scientific theory, but also their focus on the tasks in hand. As the teacher made her way individually from student to student during the lesson, acting as a catalyst for discussion and offering words of guidance and reassurance where necessary, it struck me that whilst there are advantages and disadvantages to small class sizes, here was a case where the students were benefitting enormously from a significant amount of individual attention that simply would not be possible in other circumstances with larger classes.
Moving on from Year 11, I just had time to collect my camera from my office before I was heading to the school field for the opening events of our Primary Sports Day. The day itself is the culmination of a lot of hard work and preparation that goes into such an event beforehand to ensure that we create the right environment for our younger students to demonstrate the skills, techniques, effort and enthusiasm that is central to the PE curriculum throughout the school. The huge satisfaction I gained from being a part of this event came mainly from seeing our Primary students enjoy a couple of hours of friendly competition and fun in a genuine community atmosphere. It was fantastic to see teachers, teaching assistants, office staff, grounds staff, parents, PTA members and Secondary School Sports Leaders combining to ensure a successful event. The role of our Secondary Sports Leaders is one that gave me particular satisfaction as I witnessed their mature and supportive attitude – their presence being another positive reflection of having our Primary and Secondary sections on the same site. With over sixty individual events taking place and with as many as three taking place concurrently, it required all our helpers and coordinators to be on top of their games, but the winning smiles of everyone involved convinced me that we had succeeded in our aims.
Whilst Primary students made their way home with some well-deserved ice creams, I returned to my office for a meeting with some overseas ‘volunteers’ who were staying briefly here in Borneo and were keen to offer their skills and experience to help the school. I always take it as a compliment to the school when visitors to Kota Kinabalu ask to come into school or volunteer some help – I am constantly reminded that there are so many skills and so much experience in our parent community and indeed beyond and it is always a pleasure to try to utilise these skills for the benefits of our students. Only a few days earlier I had spoken to a local artist about the potential of a residency for a week at KIS next term – this incredible lady was approaching her 90th birthday having been ’posted’ to Borneo by the Colonial Office in London in the late1940’s and had enjoyed her new surroundings so much that she has never left! As well as being an accomplished artist she was a fascinating piece of living history who I hope to introduce to our community in the none-too-distant future.
My school day concluded with another meeting – this time with a potential sponsor for our forthcoming Primary FOIBISSEA Games which we are proud to be hosting next May in Kota Kinabalu. I should add that this was a meeting with a difference as it was conducted on the run whilst doing multiple laps of Likas Lake. Conducting meetings on the run was something I started doing in my previous school when I discovered one of my senior colleagues was also a runner. Running and keeping an agenda in your head is a challenge but maintaining a reasonable degree of fitness makes concluding business deals a little easier if you can run your partner into submission!
As I said, every day is different........and every day has its own rewards!
Stuart McLay
Principal
Kinabalu International School
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