The Signals We Send | TIE Newsletter 23 September 2026 | The International Educator (TIE Online)

23 September 2026

FEATURED COLLECTIONS

Multilingualism sits at the heart of international education, shaping identity, belonging, and access. This featured collection explores perspectives, tools, and strategies to support multilingual learners through asset-based, inclusive practices... more

Onboarding as an Expression of School Values

By Lesley Tait

A thoughtful onboarding program can reveal a school’s values, build belonging, and help new educators feel genuinely welcomed from day one... more

When Behavior Is Communication: A Trauma-Informed Lens for Schools

By Neila Steele

A trauma-informed lens helps educators look beyond behavior, regulate themselves, and use curiosity, compassion, and connection to create safer school communities... more

What FIFA’s Boardroom Crisis Reveals About International School Boards

By Dr. Nigel J Winnard

FIFA’s leadership crisis offers international school boards a cautionary lesson: strong governance systems, not perfect leader selection, sustain effective leadership... more

SIGNALS AND SCENARIOS

Hope, Attention, and the Futures We Learn to See

By Tricia Friedman

As humanoid robots reshape our imagination of the future, educators are challenged to broaden their thinking, embrace complexity, and imagine what comes next… more

How Do You Stand Out When Everyone Is Qualified?

By Stacy Stephens

International school recruitment is shifting from qualifications to impact. Learn how strategic preparation and evidence can help candidates stand out and get hired… more

PEARLS OF WISDOM

Embrace the Gray

By Chris Galaty

Embracing the gray means staying flexible, listening to others, and finding collaborative solutions when leadership decisions do not have clear-cut answers… more

Beyond Clubs: Building Meaningful Co-Curricular Programs

By Osman Tuncel

Some of the best learning happens beyond the curriculum, where students explore interests, build skills, take risks, and discover future pathways... more

Unpacking IB Inquiry vs. PBL in the Age of Generative AI

By Mushfiqua Zabeen

IB Inquiry and PBL share student-centered foundations but differ in purpose, structure, and pedagogy, with important implications for assessment, implementation, and AI-enhanced learning... more

Odysseus Needed a Mentor. I Did Too.

By David B Hawley

A Head can be surrounded by people and still be alone. Mentorship matters for seeing what we can no longer see ourselves... more

The Freedom to Create

By Mira Rai, Grade 5 student

A student reflects on abstract art, creative choice, perseverance, and how taking risks helped them grow into an independent artist... more

EMPATHY TO IMPACT PODCAST

A Turtle to Brighten the Day: Thinking Local With Community Partnerships

By Scott Jamieson

On this episode high school students and community artists talk about a project that they chose to be involved in that connected to their changemaker superpowers and addressed an authentic need of one of their local community partners... more

AI Going Rogue, Freefalling OECD Scores: Cutting Through the AI Noise With Affirmation

By Conrad Hughes

Lately I’ve been thinking more about AI than usual, as I suspect most educators have. A swarm of OpenAI’s agents left the sandbox and went rogue, operating off an extreme teleological code, not far from Asimov’s I, Robot dystopia. At the same time, the OECD published record-low mathematics and reading results... more

Blue Skies Leadership Podcast – Episode #25

By Daniel Kerr

What happens when you shift international education from transactional “check-the-box” projects to deep systems thinking and agency? In this episode, hosts Daniel Mendes and I sit down with Laurence Myers, Educational Consultant and Co-Founder of Edvolution Services… more

Global Book Recommendations

By Margriet Ruurs

Great board books, picture books, and early-read novels can turn a child into a lifelong reader. Here’s a smattering of fun, enticing stories to share with young readers… more

Pulling, Not Pushing

By Paul Magnuson

The opportunity to start an alternative program for high school students, with a steady green light from the top administration, doesn’t present itself all that often. In my own education career, about thirty-five years worth, I can think of one summer camp, one public parks program, and one school that gave the space and time to go out on a limb with truly cutting edge programming. And now again, Fall 2026, another school is providing that opportunity… more