Winter 2018 / Issue 56
During an admission visit to one
such school you might hear a well-re-
hearsed student guide say – ‘we are
a coeducational day school deeply
rooted in the liberal arts philosophies,
and we nurture experiential learning
through constructivist hands-on
activities designed to develop the
whole child’.
Indeed, many schools are quick to
point out their prevalent educational
beliefs, impressing an instant iden-
tity. Does this distinct identity breed
homogeneity of educational out-
comes over time? In order words, will
students and faculty of this particular
school self-select and be inculcated
in a dominant educational philoso-
phy? And if so, is this homogeneity
important or even helpful to thriving,
increasingly diverse societies?
NOVA has existed for some short
20 years, and while premised on
many US educational practices, it has
enabled very diverse interpretations
of what constitutes learning, personal
growth, social and emotional wellbe-
ing and civic responsibility.
The opposite of a school commu-
nity which subscribes and maintains
a set of distinct educational values,
is a school community that over
time yields to the majority expecta-
tions held by its members, creating
an unintended yet equally succinct
identity for itself.
Until a decade ago, local Mace-
donian families were the majority at
NOVA. The majoritarian expecta-
tions of this demographic oftentimes
clashed with the educational prac-
tices of many international schools.
NOVA was and is resolute in keeping
to the broader inter-cultural educa-
tion values, above any majoritarian
local expectations.
And we purposefully nurtured our
heterogeneity. We used our com-
munity’s diversity, not only diverse
in demographics but also diverse
in educational expectations, to fos-
ter our discourse, and to shape our
identity, not as a local or even an
international school, but rather as
an inter-cultural school, a place of
understanding and respect for our
similarities and differences.
And we have found a way forward
without defaulting to any majori-
tarian educational beliefs, or even
Analysis
subscribing to any pre-set pedagogical values. It is quite incredible
that many renowned programs such as the International Baccalau-
reate, the Advanced Placement, the International Curriculum, and
the Common Core can all quite successfully coexist at NOVA to the
benefit of our learners.
How to decide if your school is a good fit?
Many prospective families wonder how to weigh their educational
options, without experience or insight into choices that never existed
when they were growing up. Luckily, every parent is bestowed a
genetically-enabled ability to understand offspring behaviors, easily
attesting to one’s own happy and thriving child. The opposite, and
not so fortunately is also true, that a parent can quite wrongly attri-
bute a number of child struggles to systemic failures.
What some effective education systems have done, in the likes
of the highly coveted Finnish PK12 system, is to value above all the
preconditions of learning, which is essentially the axiom of the happy,
healthy and balanced child. If schools are well organized to meet
these preconditions, then they are also allowed to design the learn-
ing their way, without a prescription by a central authority.
It was a common misconception some years ago, during the
age of the highly centralized and prescribed educational system in
Macedonia, that a learning community which is very nurturing and
understanding cannot possibly hold high expectations of its stu-
dents. Indeed, exactly the opposite turned out to be true: to rigor-
ously demand from students that they take educational risks, you
first need them to feel safe and comfortable, to feel welcomed in a
place of belonging, and to feel supported.
Should these social-emotional conditions be met, then an edu-
cation professional can take the learner from this safe zone to the
so-called stretch zone of learning, a bit of a grayish and slightly
uncomfortable area of learning. This stretch zone is present every
time you have a conversation with a group in their own language, a
language you haven’t mastered yet; every time you are playing a full-
side soccer tournament with more skilled teammates who depend
on you; when you give a rehearsed speech in front of an exception-
ally large audience; or when you are taking a high stakes math test
as the only way to enter your dream school. So yes, not a very com-
fortable place, requiring some risky, brave, vulnerable, reflective and
critically rich behaviors, but a zone of tremendous learning. Going
there is a leap of trust and faith, one which the educator must skillfully
develop with the learner.
Easier said than done! It is easier to let a child into this stretch
zone, but much harder to support the m in finding a coping mech-
anism (occasionally needed for both child and parent) and a way
out. Holding the learner’s hand might prove a futile exercise in resil-
ience; letting them lose may get them terminally discouraged and
shut out. A teacher has to lead the learner across this minefield, to
be highly aware of the wellbeing of the child, while mindfully plotting
bold next steps, coping mechanisms and interventions, and with
minimal visibility.
Alas, if the teacher exhibits these behaviors, or strives for them,
you need not worry about your child, or wonder about the qual-
ity of education the school is providing, or its dominant educational
philosophy. A school that nurtures in its members such a growth
mindset and enables such practices, will be a good fit for anyone’s
educational expectation, including yours. The hope is that all parents
will ultimately be able to have access to such a place for their family
and child.
AmCham Macedonia Magazine
21