Featured Teacher
KINGSTON GILBERT- AN INSPIRATIONAL SCHOOL
LEADER WHO DOES THINGS DIFFERENTLY
I
t is not very often that you meet
an educator who embodies true
leadership and humility, Kingston
Gilbert, Executive Principal and
CEO of the Westminster School Dubai,
a GEMS School, is one such educator.
He possesses a rare combination of
congeniality, wit and strong leadership
skills, which sets him apart from your
average school leader. In this issue of
Teach Middle East Magazine, we get
to learn more about the man who has
been instrumental in transforming The
Westminster School Dubai’s, KHDA
ranking, from acceptable to Good with
very good features (Dubai Schools
Inspection Bureau results 2017).
They say the students who are often
the most challenging in school turn
out to be the best teachers, and this is
true of Kingston. Kingston remembers
his school days in his home country
of India, as being enjoyable and life
affirming, but they were not without
their challenges. Kingston rose to
the challenge and was the recipient
of several accolades, while in school.
He received the Best Prefect Award,
and the Best Cadet’s Award. Upon
his graduation from Loyola College
in Chennai, he was awarded the Best
Director’s Award.
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Over the next 34 years, Kingston has
gone on to become a well-respected
and successful educator and school
administrator, both in his native India
and in the United Arab Emirates.
He has also been the recipient of H.
H. Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum Inspirational Teacher Award
2009, in recognition of the innovative,
distributive
and
progressive
Class Councils of School Student
Leadership. The list of awards he has
received over the years as an educator
is quite impressive and as recently as
2015, he was awarded the Education
Leadership Award, by the World
Leadership Congress and in 2016, he
was the recipient of the Education
Leadership Award for outstanding
education leaders in the GCC. When
asked, what motivates him, he pointed
out that, awards or accolades do not
motivate him, he works hard every day,
to enrich the lives of the people that
he works with, both staff and students.
Below Kingston shares some personal
insights.
Who or what inspires you
most and why?
There is no one person or thing that
inspires me, since childhood I have
Class Time
always admired people who are able
to face what seem like insurmountable
odds and come out successfully.
People who possess an indomitable
spirit in the face of extraordinarily
difficult circumstances inspire me. You
could say I am a fan of the underdog.
People who can tap into the power of
education to change and transform
their lives, also impress me.
Share a few key strategies
that you use to manage
such a big school and
get the involvement of all
stakeholders.
To lead a large school calls for creative
and innovative leadership. In order to
ensure that a school, the size of The
Westminster School Dubai, is run
effectively, we develop and design
systems and procedures, which create
opportunities for each member of staff
to lead. This starts with establishing a
common vision for the school as well
as shared goals and responsibilities.
At the start of each school year, we set
out the goals of the school and each
member of staff, as well as students,
set individual goals, which help the
school to ultimately achieve its goals.