TIS Director's Blog

Interculture magazine is published by the Senri International School public relations center. One issue is published every trimester. The articles are in English and Japanese and many feature OIS students and teachers due to our Two Schools Together program. Enjoy reading the spring trimester issue.

 

Read the June issue of Educator, the monthly newsletter of OIS.

 

Here is this week’s issue of the bulletin with events and announcements of the Osaka International School of Kwansei Gakuin.

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Being a head of school at times can be isolating because one does not have colleagues on an equal level on the school hierarchy. Faculty are in “the trenches” together, there are usually principals for elementary and secondary, but there is usually, only one head of school. I’ve always tried to have a collaborative leadership style and really rely on leadership teams, which usually consist of the principals, business manager, tech and admissions director, etc. Hearing others’ opinions and combining ideas to generate an even better model has led to great success for the schools I’ve worked in. A board chair also can serve as a partner, but they are sometimes removed from the daily life of the school.

The Senri and Osaka International Schools have a unique model where I also have a Head of School counterpart. Mayumi Ito, shown above, is the head of the Senri side of the school and we meet daily and help each other lead our respective schools. The Two Schools Together model often means we are working together on joint projects. It is really nice to have someone on my level to work with. We made a combined welcome speech at Tuesday’s music concert, Mayumi in Japanese and my speech in English. I find bouncing ideas of someone with a different perspective, allows me to fine tune initiatives to give them better success.

The Osaka International School of Kwansei Gakuin, as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School tries to live up to lofty mission statement of the IB. The IB “aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world (emphasis is mine) through intercultural understanding and respect. One of the traits I like best about the IB curriculum, is this central focus on improving the world. Is that what we should always be doing, everyday?

In our school’s mission statement, we also have a similar phrase, … contributing to a global community. I define global not only as relating to the whole world, but also to another meaning of the word, relating to the “encompassing the whole of something.” Combining both concepts, our school community should be creating a better and more peaceful world for all members of society. It is especially important to focus on the disadvantaged or those at the margins, who live in precarious circumstances, if we want to be truly “global”.  

Service to the community runs through the three IB curricular programmes in the school. In the elementary, the Primary Years Programme (K-5) features the “Actioneers” a rotating group of students, guided by the coordinator and teachers, lead the students initiating actions in the community. In the Middle Years Programme (6-10) community service is an aspect all students must be a part of, and in the Diploma Programme (grades 11-12) students must complete the requirements in the Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) in order to receive the diploma. The idea is as a student matures and gains experience, they will be more independent in their contributions in this area.

One of the best initiatives we do at OIS is our support of the homeless in Osaka, probably the group most at risk in the community. I was surprised to learn that there are homeless people in Japan, and the neighborhood of Kamagasaki, located in one of the poorest wards in the city, Nishinari-ku, is where many end up. The homeless are mostly elderly males, physical laborers who for common reasons like gambling addiction, alcohol abuse, mental health issues, a tough job market, etc. have come upon tough times and found themselves without a permanent home.

 

Lyn Melville-Rea, a long-time OIS teacher and our current CAS coordinator and service learning coordinator, leads our students in contributing to the work of groups helping the homeless in Kamagasaki. Our students volunteer weekly to go on yamawari, or night patrol, to bring food, blankets toiletries, etc. to homeless men. They work with the Sannoh Children’s Center and other charities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Nishinari-ku, to support the homeless and poor. OIS has worked with these groups since the founding of the school, 25 years ago.

Besides providing the essentials, the students give the homeless something more. They give them recognition and human interaction. They are often ignored and shunned by people passing by, in a hurry to get to and from work or home. Our students stop and talk with them as they are providing them with much needed supplies.

Now you may question the safety of taking students to a ward known for its poverty and red light district (prostitution). Japan is unlike other countries in that the centrality of respect for others in the culture, makes crime rates extremely low. It is quite safe for students to walk at night there. The students find their stereotypes of the homeless are broken and they realize they are ordinary people like everyone else. Establishing relationships with the people of Kamagasaki has given our students self confidence and social skills in working with different types of people.

Our students’ actions with the homeless is certainly living the mission of both the IB and SOIS! On behalf of our students, I would like to thank Lyn for her leadership and dedication to helping the homeless and poor of Osaka. Many students have grown and learned from the experiences.

I accompanied the students on a yamawari last school year and you can read my impressions of the night. You can also listen to Mrs. Melville Rea and students talk about their experiences on the podcast page of our website here. 

 

Osaka International School grade 11 students are helping our sister school in Bali, SMK Payangan high school, promote their Sustainable Tourism & Education Program (STEP). The rural school is next to a hotel that is a training facility for young Balinese to prepare them to work in the tourism field. OIS has made 7 trips to the school and this year’s group is working on their online marketing efforts. Our students get valuable service learning experience while attracting more guests to the hotel school.

 

The International School Consultancy published an article this spring ranking the nations with the most international schools. The demand for international education is exploding! It used to be when I first started my career in international education over 20 years ago, I knew of almost all of the schools and they mostly catered to expatriates. Today, more local families are looking for English-medium international “western” education. I think this reflects globalization of the economy. Many parents feel their children, in order to be successful in business or other fields, need to be fluent in English and have a creative, critical thinking and collaborative skills in this economy. Families recognize the mobility future employees need in this age of rapidly changing work environments.

Japan ranks #6 in the world with 239 international schools. The top country is the United Arab Emirates with 549 schools educating over half a million students. Rounding out the top five is China, Pakistan, India and Spain. I am curious to see where this trend is going. It seems like new schools are popping up all the time, especially here in East Asia.