Administrator ' s Corner

BY MATTHEW SAVAGE

to Self and School ( PASS ) survey ; and constantly shaping , and being shaped by , those attitudes is their wellbeing .

I have also been fortunate to work with schools worldwide on their own student-level data . For example , Jane was one of only a handful of female students in a male-dominated cohort , and her ‘ happy mask ’ was welldeveloped and convincing . However , her PASS score for Learner Self-Regard was woefully low , and the digging this prompted revealed the systematic and relentless bullying she had endured of late from her tiny peer group .

“ If makeup is so truthful , why do they call it concealer ?”

Sheldon Cooper , The Big Bang Theory

I do not mean to imply that we are all , somehow , trying to deceive ; purely that playing by the myriad rules that govern today ’ s increasingly complicated society is not easy , and requires a toolbox of multiple masks .

This is certainly the case for the typical , international school child . Imagine you are learning in a language other than your own , with the curriculum rendering you relatively powerless until you acquire a new tongue ; perhaps you are a Third Culture Kid , joining your third school in six years , and playing ‘ find a friend ’ yet again ; not to mention the countless pressures on children and young people in general today .

Sometimes , the only way to survive is to inhabit a mask ( or several ), so that you are not going unarmed into the fray .

This brings me to my second contention : as teachers , we cannot expect just to ‘ know ’ our children ; indeed , I fear it may be the height of arrogance or the depth of naïveté to think we do . This is the cornerstone of # themonalisaeffect , the road towards truly personalised learning down which we are fiercely treading at the International Community School ( ICS ), Amman .

We believe that , just as Lisa Gherardini will look specifically at you should you visit her in the Louvre , we owe to each individual child a learning and wellbeing experience which is looking directly at them , beneath their masks . Student-level data lights our way ; if you visit us , you ’ ll see that the brightest point on our ‘ data triangle ’ is the attitudinal mindset unveiled by a student ’ s score on the Pupil Attitudes

Meanwhile , Max was not only consistently exceeding the potential indicated by his Cognitive Abilities Test ( CAT4 ) profile , but his glittering PASS scores spoke of a student who loved everything about school , and exemplified a ‘ growth mindset ’. In both these cases , the data triangle provided a key which unlocked an authentic understanding of the students ’ wellbeing , and , crucially , enabled the school to investigate , intervene and have a positive impact .

In Tim Minchin ’ s musical , Matilda sings , “ I wonder why they didn ’ t just change their story ”. As teachers , we have the opportunity to help each student do just that . However , invariably , the masks are so hard-worn and hardwon that we will have to dig , which brings me to my third contention : we are treasure-hunters ; metaphorical shovel in hand , we are duty bound to mine a deeper understanding of what lies beneath the masks each child has chosen to wear . This is how , at ICS , and in an increasing number of schools across the world , we are now able to keep wellbeing first .

Find out more about student attitudinal trends in the Middle East and South East Asia in GL Education ’ s new report , Global Perspectives : Pupil Attitudes to Self and School Report 2018 :

www . gl-education . com / globalperspectives

Currently Principal at the International Community School Amman and formerly Adjunct Lecturer in School Leadership at the University Brunei Darussalam , Matthew has led international schools in Asia and Europe . A graduate of Oxford University , Matthew has written and presented widely on The Mona Lisa Effect™ , and he now offers training and consultancy to school leaders from across the globe .