Q:
How will you monitor, assess and ensure the
quality of Keystone’s Bilingual Immersion
Program?
A:
Trust and good communication with the teachers
is the key – I have to trust the teachers that they are
going to do what they are supposed to do and that they are
communicating with me and among themselves. My work as
an administrator of the primary school is primarily to support
teachers and student learning. I expect teachers to struggle
because of the challenges they will face, but my role is to help
them find a solution so that learning becomes more fun and
meaningful for the students.
The teachers that we are selecting will understand Keystone’s
mission, our vision and that they are a part of it. So I hope that
our teachers will be excited about what we are creating. They
will know, first and foremost, that it is all about the student,
and that we are here for the student, not the individual. This
attitude will shape the way we communicate to each other.
It is critical that teachers are open to receiving advice from
other colleagues, and even students. This is the only way that
we can improve. And even if we think things are well, there is
always room to do better.
It is difficult for me to physically monitor every single teacher.
So the question should not be about whether or not I am
monitoring, it should be more about how can we encourage
our teachers individually, and as a team, to openly welcome
the process of sharing and communicating what is going
on in their own classrooms. This is not easy to accomplish,
but we will set high standards for our teachers from the very
beginning. Teachers should expect that I will be there to
support them if something is not happening in the classroom
the way that they would like and celebrate successes with
them.
Q:
Will primary school students participate
in after-class activities? How will Keystone
optimize its gymnasium, art space, libraries and
other world-class facilities to support a student’s
development?
A:
We will have many activities after school because they
provide excellent opportunities for children to learn
something other than academics, whether it be teamwork,
communication, leadership, or time-management skills.
Participation criteria will depend on age. If a student really
likes martial arts, or playing an instrument, for example, they
can join the school team, or band. Other activities may include
student council, yearbook, debate, drawing, music, swimming,
P.E., track and field, basketball, and soccer. We have afterschool activities every day, and some will depend on students’
interests.
I am also hoping to have project days. We might do a very
detailed project, which takes two months to complete, for
example. When the project is completed we will invite parents
to come listen to the kids explain the projects to them. In the
past, I have done a foundation year class painting project,
which was a mosaic of what the class did. We put that paining
up for auction and it was interesting to see the parents
bidding for it. These types of after school activities can be held
throughout the year.
“Every one of our teachers will be
trained to be a language teacher.”
Q:
Who or what has made a significant impact on
you as an educator?
A:
When I was in grade 6, I have observed situations where
students would come in with limited English and not
receive the same sensitivity as native speakers from the teachers.
The teachers could not communicate with these students and
they were bullied by other classmates. I saw two years of this
behavior. I had a lot of friends who were placed in the Z, lowerlevel, or as they called it back then, dumb-level classes. Some of
them even got dumped into special education classes. One friend
in particular never went to college because she was identified as
special needs up until grade 10. She always thought of herself
as being dumb, even though she was completely capable. I told
myself that I wanted to become a teacher and help these kids.
I did not think about other careers. Their situations and the
treatment they faced st X