IN FOCUS INTERVIEW WITH THE EDITOR:
Paul Friend, Principal, North London Collegiate School (Singapore)
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Our teachers, as with any school, are our most valuable resource. In my opinion, you can’t have an outstanding school without outstanding teachers. I find the NLCS ethos hugely compelling and inspirational and that ethos is brought to life by our teachers. It is not me and the leadership team in the boardroom writing policies and directives that will make our school outstanding, it’s the teachers in the classrooms, corridors and sports fields that really make that ethos meaningful. We look for teachers who are excited by academia, teachers who have retained a connection with their own academic subject and really love their discipline, as subject-specialism is very important to us. We want our students to be excited and inspired in every single lesson and that will only happen if our teachers are excited and passionate about what they are teaching. We also require our teachers to be fully committed to our philosophy of pastoral care. At NLCS, we often remind our teachers that no teacher in our school is either just academic or just pastoral. We require every member of academic staff, regardless of their role in the school, to be equally committed to both areas.
Your previous roles have taken you around the world, in particular Asia. How has this experience enhanced your career in education?
My international experience has certainly helped me to grow as an educator and as a leader. I remember teaching in the UK and talking to students about diversity and celebrating different values, but that can become quite an abstract subject when you are living in a broadly monocultural community. On the international circuit, the mix of different cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds provide a deeply enriching experience for the children and it has also been incredibly rewarding for me. When you feel, as an educator, that your own thinking, perspectives and attitudes are being broadened, it is a really fulfilling and enlightening journey to be on, and I think it can only benefit the students when teachers are going through that journey.
The point where you realise there are other perspectives and attitudes in the world is significant. The framework of beliefs and perspectives that you have built up because of your culture and your context is not the only way; there are alternatives. And when you reach that sweet spot of real open-mindedness and embracing not just other cultures but other attitudes, perspectives and ways of viewing the world, I think that is incredibly enriching.
We want our
students to be excited and inspired in every single lesson and that will only happen if our teachers are excited and passionate about what they are teaching.