by LYIS
Our latest LYIS visit took us to the International School of Nanshan Shenzhen not once – but three times in total, after we were subsequently invited back twice!
The beating heart of its community, the school has now been established for over 20+ years. It is “The First IB Continuum World School and the only Canadian school in Shenzhen”.
Head of School Addie Loy is now in her 14th year at the school and has had the chance to see and shape the school through a number of different lenses, including as its MYP Coordinator, IB Director and Director of Program Development.
Since 2015, its turnover of staff has been remarkably low, at just 13% on average. Compare this to our current LYIS weekly poll with nearly 30% of international teachers looking to move on and 20% still undecided.
We quickly learned from Addie about how she has been influenced by the work of Dr Jim Laub through his Organisational Leadership Assessment (OLA) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). A fascinating conversation then develops around the idea of whether job satisfaction and work engagement can be significant predictors of organisational health. Culture, it seems, really matters here, and its ingredients are uniquely understood.
Addie is a great believer in the power of conversations with leaders about how they are developing their teams.
A school tour then takes place with Chris Irvin the school’s MS/MYP Principal. We tour classrooms, speak to students and feel very much at home. We soon bump into a former colleague from our former time in Shenzhen, who by all accounts, is a tremendous asset.
This is a school that is a rich melting pot of cultures, and we learn so after being invited back to celebrate our first-ever Canadian Thanksgiving.
‘What are your non-negotiables’? I ask Addie. “Everyone needs to be open to improving themselves within their journey,” she tells us.
Sometimes to look forward, we look backward and much of Addie’s early career work in adult Education and in working with challenging members of society has given her a deep grounding in the sense of what it means to be an international school principal.
An incredible morning, which would not have been possible without the support of Chris Irvin. LYIS extends its warmest appreciation to Addie Loy and the entire school for welcoming us.
Our next visit took us to Merchiston International School, Shenzhen
At LYIS, we support international school principals and those who want to become one. To find out how we can support your leadership journey, email: andre@leadingyourinternationalschool.com