Message from the Head of Secondary: Getting the job done...

In recent months I have heard several conversations between teachers which have gone something like this…

"I have had a great idea"
"But it will be hard, there are lots of obstacles"
"What should we do then?"

Then there is some thinking time before eventually someone shouts out the answer.

"Why don’t we get the students to do this…?"

Students in our school are familiar with this situation. We throw possibilities at them all the time and ask them to solve the problems and ‘get it done,’ which they generally do with great aplomb, and that is no accident.

Building a culture in which it is normal for young people to collaborate and to serve others takes time and effort. In over ten years that our school has been open, that culture has grown and grown. The notion of having students leading projects, organising events and ‘making exciting things happen’ is an essential element of our status as an International Baccalaureate School, and the IB culture seeps down into every corner of this place.  

I have been thrilled in recent weeks to see students leading projects such as our recent shoe box appeal, organising guest speakers in our Economics curriculum, growing our Model United Nations programme and organising an international cook book. In these cases and many more, the students involved needed only the slightest ‘prod’ from their teachers, perhaps a little guidance at difficult moments, but for the most part, these young people ‘got on and did it’ by themselves. In doing so, they learned a whole range of skills that will stay with them as they progress into the wider world and they had an experience which they will remember for a long time. Crucially, they served their community and made things a little better for the people around them.

So, you know that old saying  - ‘if you want a job doing well, do it yourself…’? Well I can assure you that if you really want a job done well – get a BIS Abu Dhabi student to do it.

Chris Lowe