by LYIS
We were delighted to be the recent guests of Lee Sanders – Deputy Head of School. Despite our 5000-mile journey to China, Lee and I are just 10 miles apart in the U.K., such is the small world of our International Schools.
Our second such visit to an ISA School, which further increased our awareness of the school’s desire for its students to Inquire, Succeed and Act (responsibly and ethically) – aligning explicitly with our very own core values at LYIS.
The ISA Campus is an architectural masterpiece. Its design incorporates many sustainable elements. ISA also promotes and supports Education For Sustainability, allowing its students to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future.
I started by asking Lee about the journey that has taken him to ISA and all of the experiences that have moulded him into the leader he is now. Having worked in a variety of public, private and state education models, Lee has an implicit knowledge of how a school functions effectively. A senior leader when he was just 27, and in his 17th year of senior leadership. He points out that the first couple of years were somewhat difficult. “It took me some time to understand the role of credibility…when you are so young, there is an element of imposter syndrome – are you good enough to be there?” He said. Clearly, now he is more than good enough as our conversation develops.
He always asks “what does the school need right now to move to its next stage of development?”. He has the wherewithal to recognise that “a good school is always in transition as it seeks to develop itself further in the right areas”.
When I ask Lee about what good leadership is, he replies “Making intelligent thoughtful decisions is the most important thing that a leader does. To me it is about balance, the best leaders – deal with the grey really well”.
“Schools are essentially about two things: the quality of what goes on in the classroom and the quality of pastoral care”. Our own LYIS Leadership Framework pays deep attention to a learning-centred culture and ethos.
Interestingly Lee considers a future in education where schools respond more roundly to students’ needs, with increasingly diverse approaches to curriculum.
Lee’s advice to those looking to become an International school Principal – “Don’t pretend to be someone you are not. Be your authentic self. There will undoubtedly be something you are not good at; compliment your leadership with those who are”.
Leading Your International School would like to thank Lee Sanders for organising such an inspirational day and Paul Bawden(Head of School and Vice President of Education ISAIEG), Dean Cummins (Head of Secondary), Matthew Cox(Head of Elementary) and Irene Chen, Deputy Head of Marketing for sharing their time.
(from left to right: Dean, Amy, André, Paul, Lee, Matthew, Irene)
LYIS is committed to sharing successful leadership practices with our audience, if you and your international school would like to share yours, do let us know via:
WeChat: AndreDouble
Email: andre@leadingyourinternationalschool.com