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The articles presented in TIE are a reflection of the variety of perspectives... (click for more)

PEARLS OF WISDOM

Wednesday, 4 February 2026
Legitimacy Brings a Curriculum to Life


Legitimacy Brings a Curriculum to Life
By Marzia Mauffrey
Jan 2026
In this Pearl, Marzia reflects on how curriculum gains meaning not through authority or documentation alone, but through lived experience, culture, and community...

Imperfection Is Not Failure, It’s Growth


Imperfection Is Not Failure, It’s Growth
By Teresa Araujo
Dec 2025
Embracing imperfection is essential for authentic growth, for ourselves and for the learning communities we lead...


+ 2025
By Teresa Araujo
10-Dec-25
Embracing imperfection is essential for authentic growth, for ourselves and for the learning communities we lead... ..more
By Andrew Dutton
19-Nov-25
Thoughtful reflection helps weigh the potential benefits against the inevitable ripple effects of each choice… ..more
By Nausheen Siddiqi
18-Jun-25
In this Pearl, Nausheen shares two powerful analogies to define leadership, highlighting the importance of vision, empathy, and adaptability… ..more
By Clinton Olson
23-Apr-25
In this Pearl, Clinton shares how a tough teaching assignment early in his career taught him one of the most powerful lessons in education... ..more
By Ira Ghosh
12-Mar-25
Effective leadership is not defined by age, but by confidence, inclusivity, and the ability to empower those around you… ..more
By Ema Alatini
12-Feb-25
In this Pearl, Ema shares the importance of building a "board of directors" to support and guide you throughout your leadership journey... ..more
+ 2024
By Oliver Chua
20-Nov-24
We need to take care of ourselves, be kind to ourselves, and set realistic yet impactful decisions that will make a significant change… ..more
By Loretta Fernando Smith
06-Nov-24
In this Pearl, Loretta says, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, to do more, to be more, and to do better, then you are a leader…” ..more
By Claire Febrey
09-Oct-24
In this Pearl, Claire shares her insights on the importance of self-reflection and rejuvenation and shares practical strategies for implementation... ..more
By Jenny-Lee Moore
25-Sep-24
We need to invest in seeing each other as we truly are. As diamonds hide in the dark, the true value in our teams may not be visible until we look for it… ..more
By Stacey Frallicciardi
11-Sep-24
In this Pearl, Stacey reminds us of “the transformative power of leading by example”… ..more
By Pete Goodman
14-Aug-24
In this Pearl, Pete shares that it’s important to create norms that acknowledge experience while also considering the context we’re in now… ..more
By Jacqueline Manuel
17-Jul-24
In this Pearl, Jacqueline says, “encourage people in your community to bring their authentic self to school without being judged..” ..more
By Ange Molony
05-Jun-24
In this Pearl, Ange shares her leadership journey and what it looks like for her to show up authentically with her colleagues and students… ..more
By Ligia Diniz
19-Jun-24
To improve relationships and morale, instead of looking at somebody and assuming they were complaining, transform the complaints into requests… ..more
By Chris Holmquist
22-May-24
In this Pearl, Chris shares that through adventures and failure, we can learn from our mistakes. Let students fall and then help them get back up… ..more
By Kustave Heino
08-May-24
In this Pearl, Kustave shares his journey and three aspects that he tries to intentionally work on to build relationships… ..more
By Kathryn Rymarz
10-Apr-24
In this Pearl, Kathryn shares a personal experience where she discovered that there are lots of good things to learn from making mistakes… ..more
By Cindy Beals
27-Mar-24
In this Pearl, Cindy shares how the team at Percherk School International (Kyiv, Ukraine) handled the many crises they’ve faced over the past few years… ..more
By Joe Cloutier
13-Mar-24
In this Pearl, Joe encouragingly reminds us that “you can handle any crisis that happens at your school…” ..more
By Richelle Pearce
14-Feb-24
The power of the narrative not only drives vision and curriculum implementation but has the power to inspire, enthuse, and move people to action… ..more
By Sally Wen
28-Feb-24
In this Pearl, Sally shares that there two ways of having dialogue: conversation to increase understanding and discussion for making the decisions... ..more
By Erika Egawa
17-Jan-24
Listening as a leader is different than listening as a friend or colleague. In this Pearl, Erika offers advice for those new to leadership… ..more
+ 2023
By David Gates
06-Dec-23
In struggling with prioritizing, “We have to prioritize the outcomes that are going to have an actual effect on student learning and teacher performance"... ..more
By Abenaa Uttenthal
22-Nov-23
What we need to do is create space for other people to step in and rise to the occasion… ..more
By Shanez Cabraal
08-Nov-23
In this Pearl, Shanez shares her journey following her passions, determined to become the teacher she herself had needed... ..more
By Flor Portocarrero
25-Oct-23
Whenever we need to drive change, consider ways to shrink the challenge, show the path, and boost the motivation narratives… ..more
By Heena Vaswani
11-Oct-23
To create an intentional sense of belonging we require creativity, strong leadership, and hard work. It’s all about working together for a common purpose… ..more
By Ellen King
27-Sep-23
In this pearl, Ellen shares that “growth doesn’t happen when you’re in your comfort zone”... ..more
By James Howard
13-Sep-23
In this pearl, James shares his experience with a positive leader who helped reinvigorate his energy, focus, and belief that educators can change lives… ..more
By Ana Leticia Daza
16-Aug-23
In this pearl, Ana shares the importance of having and being a strong, empowering leadership example… ..more
By Helen Sharrock
19-Jul-23
In this Pearl, Helen shares that it’s important to “give everyone a sense of being appreciated and belonging to your school family” … ..more
By Leigh Anne Toler
21-Jun-23
In this Pearl, Leigh Anne reminds us that “we don’t work for adults. We work for kids…” ..more
By Elinor Osborne
07-Jun-23
Sometimes we don’t realize how a simple interaction with a student can have such a profound effect on them… ..more
By Nico Rivas
24-May-23
Nico shares a story of a student experiencing the power of empathy when a school community was willing to embrace inclusion and move toward positive change... ..more
By Tim Rogers
10-May-23
In this pearl, Tim shares practical advice for creating a culture of trust and increasing teacher retention… ..more
By Luiz Mello
26-Apr-23
In this pearl, Luiz offers an invitation to school leaders to “refine their systems so they become more effective but also more efficient”... ..more
By Guillermo Machado
26-Apr-23
In this pearl, leaders are encouraged to ask themselves, “How much of myself is necessary in this process…and how much can I delegate and give away”… ..more
By Dan Chaney
15-Feb-23
In this Pearl, Dan discusses the power of voice and advocates for the role of the school counselor… ..more
By Ryan Persaud
01-Feb-23
In this Pearl, Ryan encourages educators “not to be performative in your DEIJ work but to be authentic, strategic, and purposeful.”... ..more
By Kristen Dickhaut
18-Jan-23
If you build up the people, the programs will be successful… ..more
+ 2022
By Katherine Clemmens
07-Dec-22
Living to get through everything stops you from seeing how valuable that moment really is… ..more
By Clara Swinehart
23-Nov-22
Never assuming applies to our own experiences, interactions, and exchanges with our students, parents, and teachers… ..more
By Celeste Krochak
26-Oct-22
A small mental shift can make a big impact on your ability to view life from a solid foundation of gratitude… ..more
By Aleksandra Golder
12-Oct-22
A short reflection activity reminds us that simple moments can have a great impact on our students’ wellbeing... ..more
By Clara Williams
14-Sep-22
We need to actively promote and demonstrate conflict solving and working with the whole community… ..more
By Koray Öztoprak
17-Aug-22
In this Pearl, Koray encourages us to “live” what we teach, to model and practice all that we teach... ..more
By Abenaa Uttenthal
13-Jul-22
In this Pearl, Abenaa Uttenthal reflects on the Ghanian term sankofa that asks us to “go back and fetch” so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past... ..more
By Traci Rapp
22-Jun-22
In this Pearl, Traci offers an explicit strategy for amplifying student voice... ..more
By Jacqui Patrick
08-Jun-22
In this Pearl, Jacqui bravely shares her journey with the notion of kindness and the role of difficult conversations... ..more
By Kathy Patton
25-May-22
In this Pearl, Kathy suggests moving from an individual skill-based model to a broader model to determine next step strategies for learners... ..more
By Rasha Saadeldin
11-May-22
Rasha examines the quote "If you want to be trusted, be honest. If you want to be honest, be true. And if you want to be true, be who you are..." ..more
By Stefanie Bell
27-Apr-22
Stefanie reminds us that the idea of presuming positive intent, although we have been talking about in for years, is STILL an essential ingredient for effective, productive teamwork. ..more
By Philip Cogbill
13-Apr-22
In this Pearl, Philip reminds us of the Maya Angelou quote, “People will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ..more
By Marjorana Karathanasis
30-Mar-22
In this Pearl, Marjorana shares a practical example of a strategy her school used to help teachers and leaders get focused on the importance of identity. ..more
By Lural Ramirez
02-Feb-22
Lural challenges us to lead more than we manage, to be brave in the face of challenges, and particularly when it comes to the challenge of social justice. ..more
By Jessica Applewhite
19-Jan-22
In this Pearl, Jessica shares a practical strategy a team leader can use to help build a culture of appreciation and awareness of each others’ strengths within our team. ..more
+ 2021
By Margaret Stuhan
08-Dec-21
Margaret helps us understand that, in your role as principal, your teachers need you. She offers five strategies for being the “well” and at the same time taking care of yourself. ..more
By Sylvia Johnston
24-Nov-21
In her Pearl, Sylvia says it’s important to “own your successes, share your problems, never be afraid to expose yourself in front of the staff and be vulnerable.” ..more
By Heath E. Capello
10-Nov-21
Heath challenges us to be critical with our past in order to “harness lessons for the future.” He reminds us that mental health and well-being are a part of our personal and professional success. ..more
By Nicole Ifi
27-Oct-21
In this Pearl of Wisdom, Nicole reflects on lessons learned about delegation and communication. Don’t make assumptions and always communicate thoroughly. ..more
By Proserpina Dhlamini-Fisher
13-Oct-21
“As leaders we need to know that the journey is not easy. We need to be resilient, hopeful, and be very clear on what our personal purpose is" ..more
By David Miles
29-Sep-21
We must be “conscious and deliberate in all that we do... we either reinforce old narratives or contribute to the creation of newer stories.” ..more
By Sajitha Chacko
15-Sep-21
A practicing international school counselor offers a helpful, practical strategy for helping students struggling with difficult emotions. ..more
By Nancy Fairburn
01-Sep-21
When a problem presents itself, and it seems to be an ongoing problem, go upstream to consider what’s the bigger issue up there. ..more
By Leda Cedo
04-Aug-21
"Pearl of Wisdom" shared during the PTC summer training session by educator and leader, Leda Cedo addresses personal reflections around diversity, equity and inclusion. ..more
+ 1915
By Jennifer Wiegman
01-Apr-15
In this Pearl, Jennifer shares a personal story about how adopting the mindset of "always assume positive intent" transformed her professional relationships... ..more






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