As Christmas Approaches it's an Unexpected Time for Change

The past year of my life has been a wonderfully  rewarding  professional learning journey, especially since moving over to my new consulting role. I have had the chance to work with loads of teachers in  many different schools around various parts of  the world.  Much of the work that I've done has led  me outside of PE itself and into general education which has also been extremely rewarding. 

When I left teaching in June of 2015, I had made it a goal to devote two years to my consulting and then reassess  where I am at  within this role.  Since that time I have travelled and worked in Vietnam, South Korea, Hong Kong, Germany, Shanghai, America, and Australia.  I have seen some excellent teachers in action and  great schools. I've learned during this time that working with teachers, helping them to  improve their practice and to better their best is work well worth doing.   I feel extremely lucky and fortunate to have had these wonderful opportunities.  

Now for the big curveball........

An excellent opportunity has come my way, one that would see me  end my consulting  and move back to a school. I certainly didn't plan for this to happen, but as they say, when life throws us curveballs, we need to swing for the fences and swing for the fences I did. 

As of August 2016, I will have a new leadership position at the King Abdul University of Science and Technology in their established PYP school.  It is kind of a dream job in a way as the position itself will have me coaching/mentoring teachers. It is a non-teaching administrative position that will give me a great leadership opportunity  with  excellent potential for  professional learning  and growth. 

Of course, I never make big decisions on my own but  constantly work together with the love of my life, Neila Steele, at defining what is best for each of us and for our 2 boys, Eli and Tai. Both Eli and Tai are very excited about moving to a new school and are completely open to this new  journey.  Neila has also been offered a position in the elementary school.

I must admit that I have worked so hard on my teaching and consulting over the years, I cannot tell you the amount of time, energy, and commitment that it has taken to be able to do the things that I have.  It's all been well worth  it.  Although I will miss my life as a consultant and working with loads of teachers and schools, I feel that this opportunity is a blessing really as it will allow me to continue to do what I love and to focus all of my time and energy on one group of teachers in one school.  I will stay closely connected to my passion of PE as well and will work very closely with the teachers in this department among other departments. 

I'd like to thank the administrative team at Nanjing International School  for the last 5 years. Working at NIS has been a richly rewarding experience for Neila and I, but even more importantly, for Eli and Tai.  NIS will remain a very special place in our hearts for years to come. 

I've got 6 more months to consult and work with schools and  I'm going to enjoy every minute of it before heading off on our new adventure to Saudi Arabia.  Thanks for reading!