Put That In the Irony Box*

So, I finally retire, get a job, go to the opposite side of the globe, and what am I doing?  Leading the school self-evaluation process and developing the school improvement plan!  Put that in the irony box.

The idea of self-evaluation is new here in Kazakhstan.  My guess is only the NIS schools are doing it.  We use a program developed for NIS by Cambridge based on 9 common standards for curriculum, leadership, and student development.  NIS has put forward an aggressive timeline for all 20 of our schools to be internationally accredited by 2020.

It's interesting leading the process.  The document and the supporting evidence are all in Russian -- and of course, I don't read, write or speak Russian.  Yet, the teachers I have been working with have been astute students of the process, and many have shown great leadership and ingenuity in gathering our evidence.

I have been assisted by the international teachers.  Many of them have been through the process at schools in other countries, so they have been a great resource and have taken on the roles of facilitating the working groups we have for each of the 9 standards.

Last Wednesday, we had dozens of teachers throughout the school collaborating; drafting their portion of the evaluation; cross-referencing their evidence documents, photos, and videos; and engaging in productive discussions about the steps we can take to improve the leadership, teaching, and learning in our school.

This -- along with the absolutely beautiful children -- is what I came here for.  I believe in the NIS project and what it means for the education of these students and what it means for the broader education of all the students in Kazakhstan and what it means for the future of Kazakhstan.  If significant change takes 3-5 years of concerted effort in a US school, it will take 10-15 years here.  I just hope that my little part pushes them forward.

*with affection for BGHS English