Above: Students from Sotogrande International School C
hoosing the right school, whether it is an international school, one based in the UK, or a local school in a new geographical location, is one of the biggest decisions that a relocating family has to make. It can be daunting when faced with the myriad of different choices – single sex or co-ed? Boarding or day school? International or local?
CREATING A SCHOOL COMMUNITY Clarissa Farr was eloquent on how schools created and nurtured communities, and talked about the shared memory of our school days and how education is “part of us”.
“Schools are important as living communities,
and may be the last community we experience,” she said. It is within this community that we learn to collaborate, empathise, disagree politely, and understand different viewpoints.”
For international children, the challenge is to make education feel settled enough, she said. The workplace is now radically different and young people will not be in one career for their entire working life. Twenty somethings are now more entrepreneurial, they touch down more lightly in their jobs and have branching careers rather than a linear pattern. “They are growing up to be less risk averse, more versatile and more resilient,” she said. “We are learning from the younger generation in many ways. It is now not just older people handing down knowledge to those who know less.”
Therefore, the challenge for schools is to keep up and to equip young people who are facing a world that has much greater uncertainty and multiple opportunities.
The skills they will need in this world are self-
management, good judgement and independence of mind in order to lead fulfilling lives, she explains. The gap between generations is now greater because technology has accelerated.
“Choose a school where the values are aligned
with yours. You have to feel that you have made the right choice.”
Central to the formation of good school relationships is the triangle of trust between school, student and parent. “Your skill as a parent is gradually letting go and that can be difficult. As parents we have to accept a degree of stepping back as our children grow. Schools want to encourage children in that independence of mind,” she said.
Her tips for parents of young people were:
• Don’t rubbish the school in front of your child – it upsets them. Keep that respect and trust between home and school.
• Help children to learn to come back from failure.
•
Dealing with disappointment and coming back from it is an important part of education and we should not be protecting children from it.
• During the Covid-19 pandemic, young people have had to get used to the terms “might” and “possibly” and in time this will build resilience.
• As a working mother, there are extra pressure and women should not be under pressure to make it look effortless.
• It is about team work and not holding women to unreachable standards.
| Think Global People & Relocate Magazine |
relocateglobal.com | 11
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