New Challenges: Director of Curriculum & PD [for 2015-2017]

Taylor Family at Shichi-Go-San (7-5-3) Ceremony in Kobe. Anya had a big say in our decision to stay this year – she knows a great lifestyle and education when she sees it!

In the exciting time of year where international school friends and colleagues are making decisions about their futures – stay or go, which fair, which country, which school – we feel some relief at having made the decision to stay. We’re happy here, the school is great, Japan is brilliant and we have a good life. There’s a lot to be thankful for. But there will be some change…

Just before the Autumn break (it was lovely), I signed on as Director of Curriculum and Professional Development* for the next two years. I’ll keep one teaching block and the MYPCo role, but will be looking at things from a more whole-school perspective, following in the footsteps of the super-capable Tony. They’re big shoes to fill, but I’m proud of the work we’ve done together over the last few years, and I think the school is in a strong place for moving forward (and for the first PYP and MYP programme evaluations). There is an excellent leadership team in PYP, an experienced DPCo coming in and a strong set of Principals. We’ve established a good direction as a school, so I hope that the new Head (to be hired) is a great fit.

So over the remainder of this year we want to make sure everyone is on the same page with MYP: Now Chapter, developing curriculum and classroom practices, establishing protocols for strong IDU’s, gathering evidence for the review and preparing for next year’s PD. It’s going to be a busy few years, but this is the right place to take the next step.

Rock on.

……….o0O0o……….

*Does Director of Curriculum & Professional Learning sound more ‘now’? Or even just Director of Learning?