By Graeme Salt
As someone institutionalized (in the best possible sense) to the annual cycle of education, the start of the academic year feels for me the truest of "New Year" occasions to rival other calendars. It is an intense period for reflecting on the past year and projecting hope for the one upcoming, as we launch a school year to new and returning students, parents and colleagues.
One of the first practical tasks for any school leadership team at the start of an academic year in an international school is to welcome new members of staff to their school, city and often country. For me this year, that involved a number of visits to Incheon at some quite odd hours and not a little waiting at arrival gates.
If you are ever in need of a psychological lift, might I recommend a visit to an airport arrivals gate? During these hours I saw the most wonderfully warm and excited greetings between young and old, romantic partners, friends and colleagues. The sight of young children rushing to returning mothers or fathers, and the proud doting from grandparents to children and grandchildren is surely enough to lift anyone's heart.
Many will know that waiting for the arrival of a particular loved one at an airport triggers feelings of excitement, expectation and, in some cases, trepidation. There are similar feelings in me as I wait for future professional colleagues, as recruiting the best-fit teachers for your school is the most critical responsibility for any leader.
We all know great schools are never defined by facilities (as important as these are) but by the people that inhabit the classrooms and corridors, and the day-to-day interactions that take place between teacher and student, adult and child. Recruitment decisions simply must be well made: at a most basic level to ensure children's safety in schools, but more positively in the knowledge that great teachers shape great students and great lives.
It has been said the standards bar for international schools in Seoul has been raised in recent years. If we have played any part in that progress at Dulwich College Seoul, I am delighted and proud. Now the hope is that all schools will have adopted the highest standards of teacher recruitment and training for the safety and benefit of all Seoul's international children.
These must include safer recruiting practices such as receipt of written and verbal reference checks from previous school leaders; submission of a complete resume covering all education and employment from age 18 with qualifications checked; police clearances from all countries a teacher has worked in over the last 10 years; comprehensive safeguarding and health and safety training before starting in the company of children; and the signing of a clearly written professional code-of-conduct by all adults who will work with children.
Schools that follow these practices will warn away malevolent individuals seeking to work with children and set professional standards that, ultimately, will only enhance the quality of their own recruitment. Any school of any standing in Seoul must invest heavily in the careful recruitment, support and development of its teachers for they are the most influential component of any successful school.
Graeme Salt (Headmaster@dulwich-seoul.kr) is the headmaster of Dulwich College Seoul, a part of the Dulwich College International (DCI) network of schools.
 |
One of the first practical tasks for any school leadership team at the start of an academic year in an international school is to welcome new members of staff to their school, city and often country. For me this year, that involved a number of visits to Incheon at some quite odd hours and not a little waiting at arrival gates.
If you are ever in need of a psychological lift, might I recommend a visit to an airport arrivals gate? During these hours I saw the most wonderfully warm and excited greetings between young and old, romantic partners, friends and colleagues. The sight of young children rushing to returning mothers or fathers, and the proud doting from grandparents to children and grandchildren is surely enough to lift anyone's heart.
Many will know that waiting for the arrival of a particular loved one at an airport triggers feelings of excitement, expectation and, in some cases, trepidation. There are similar feelings in me as I wait for future professional colleagues, as recruiting the best-fit teachers for your school is the most critical responsibility for any leader.
We all know great schools are never defined by facilities (as important as these are) but by the people that inhabit the classrooms and corridors, and the day-to-day interactions that take place between teacher and student, adult and child. Recruitment decisions simply must be well made: at a most basic level to ensure children's safety in schools, but more positively in the knowledge that great teachers shape great students and great lives.
It has been said the standards bar for international schools in Seoul has been raised in recent years. If we have played any part in that progress at Dulwich College Seoul, I am delighted and proud. Now the hope is that all schools will have adopted the highest standards of teacher recruitment and training for the safety and benefit of all Seoul's international children.
These must include safer recruiting practices such as receipt of written and verbal reference checks from previous school leaders; submission of a complete resume covering all education and employment from age 18 with qualifications checked; police clearances from all countries a teacher has worked in over the last 10 years; comprehensive safeguarding and health and safety training before starting in the company of children; and the signing of a clearly written professional code-of-conduct by all adults who will work with children.
Schools that follow these practices will warn away malevolent individuals seeking to work with children and set professional standards that, ultimately, will only enhance the quality of their own recruitment. Any school of any standing in Seoul must invest heavily in the careful recruitment, support and development of its teachers for they are the most influential component of any successful school.
Graeme Salt (Headmaster@dulwich-seoul.kr) is the headmaster of Dulwich College Seoul, a part of the Dulwich College International (DCI) network of schools.
![[INTERVIEW] Can art become stable investment source?](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/d9b4b117e5b74f4c931de724ebd2ee68.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Choi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/8b795a8f6b42492db4e8fdc47e9abd8d.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Ahn Jae-hong on playing underdog basketball coach in 'Rebound'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/fe381342632c46bfa6d3245cb475676e.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
