For over 30 years international school leaders, teachers, and counselors have come together for PTC professional learning experiences. Each day of every program begins with a “pearl of wisdom,” a “nugget of knowledge,” or a “gem of inspiration” from one of the participants. We are delighted to offer our readers around the world these powerful stories, insights, and strategies, all dedicated to our shared mission of ever more and better learning for our children.
In this Pearl, Ngozie discusses that the expectation of international school leaders in a fast-paced environment has become dynamic. At a micro-level, it is about the ability to manage relationships between the various categories of people in the school community. The impact of these relationships trickles down and affects student learning outcomes, parents, and, in a broader context, the overall development of educational policies. She says that we must focus on the future and be innovative in thinking about long term solutions. She gives an example of a personal experience with the win-win strategy that worked well for her in a position of leadership. She shares that everyone can win by setting quarterly realistic goals on how they can collectively improve teaching, student learning, their relationship within the school community, and making their communication more effective. The practice made the team responsible for focusing on being problem solvers rather than just the problem itself. It fostered the idea of being one united community with a shared mission. She says, “Relationships are important and valuable. When faced with certain challenges, the win-win strategy is effective.”
Professional positions cited were the ones held at the time of recording. The positions and schools of those quoted may have since changed.
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Ngozie Okorie is the Early Years Supervisor and high school Psychology teacher at the International Community School, Abuja.
