The International Principal

The Interview.  This is one of the things that many of my colleagues from the States wanted to know about.  What was it like?  Did I have to fly out to Barcelona for the interview?  Who was on the interview committee?  Depending on the school, I'm sure the answer to these questions are wide and varied, however, I wanted to take a moment to highlight the interview process that I was a part of in hopes that it may help you if you are beginning your search. I first received an e-mail from the human resources office at the school in mid-January asking if I'd be interested in interviewing for the position.  In this e-mail they included a detailed school profile and asked me to respond with a few dates/times in which I would be able to connect with the current elementary school principal.  I immediately responded and within about a week, I was speaking with her.  Due to the time difference, I remember waking up at 4:30 in the morning to show...

One of the concerns I had regarding moving overseas was how I would stay up-to-date with current practices and continue to grow professionally.  Gone are the days of driving 30 minutes away to join area educators for a workshop in a hotel banquet hall (you know, the "sit and get" kind).. What can I do while living and working in Barcelona?  Of course, one thing I could do is hop on a plane and go to a regional conference, but that could get quite pricey and who really wants to wait around for those once-a-year gatherings?  I need continuous growth and development!  With that being said, I've recognized the need to up my game in the digital world.  Over the last few years, I've tinkered with Twitter and have sung its praises as a platform for professional development for educators however, given that the Internet is really all I have, I need to make the best of it! This weekend, while scrolling through my Twitter feed, I came across a post about an upcoming vir...

I  feel a good place to start talking about this journey is from the very beginning. So many people are asking how and why I became interested in international schools. It all started after my attendance at workshop during the National Association of Elementary School Principals annual conference in Long Beach last summer. I was invited to attend the conference by myON after our district was selected to be spotlighted in a series called The Principal’s Perspective . Just as your typical conference is structured, this conference had a series of keynote speakers followed by mini workshops throughout the day. During the last day, there was very little on the agenda that I found applicable to what I do, however, there was a session on international schools. I figured I’d check it out, not having a clue what an international school was. The session was co-facilitated by a senior associate from Search Associates and a Regional Education Officer with the Office of Overseas Scho...