'Learning should focus on process'
Matthew Leishman, middle school principal of St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the newsroom in central Seoul, Jan. 11. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Kim Jae-heun
Many young people do not know what they want to become. It was same for Matthew Leishman, the middle school principal at St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju (SJA Jeju).
Growing up in Seattle, Washington State, Leishman had no idea what he wanted to do when he grew up and to some extent felt insecure.
“It was in my high school year when I became a ski instructor and taught handicapped people. That's when I realized I wanted to be a teacher,” Leishman said during an interview with The Korea Times at the company's office in central Seoul, Jan. 11.
He went on to pursue a bachelor's degree in educational leadership and curriculum development at Gonzaga University in 1994. Leishman also studied at Washington State University, where he became aware of international schools and thought that one day he wanted to teach overseas.
In 1998, China gave Leishman the opportunity to work as the special needs coordinator at the Shanghai American School for three years. He did not know he would stay away from his homeland for the next 20 years.
Leishman has moved around the world to further his teaching career.
Since leaving Shanghai, he has worked as a middle school principal at the American School of Warsaw, a high school principal at the Canadian Pathways International School in Xianghe, China, an elementary school principal at the Beijing Collegiate Academy and a middle school principal at the International School of Myanmar.
“What has kept me overseas this long is the responsive nature of international schools,” Leishman said. “It is a fact that most international schools have the freedom, desire and ability to base the mission, vision and structure of their school on current educational research.”
The principal has experience in all three areas, but it is middle school where he feels most at home.
“Middle school serves as a bridge between the childhood of elementary school and the emerging adulthood of high school,” Leishman said. “As such, middle school programs and middle school teachers need to be purposefully prepared to meet the educational, developmental, social and emotional needs unique to those of young adolescent students.”
In this sense, Leishman wants to focus on the learning process at SJA Jeju rather than solely on content. He believes students need to be able to inquire, think critically and be innovative.
“The curriculum at SJA Jeju is driven by a project-based inquiry approach that allows them to connect all that they learn to real-world situations and real-world problems,” Leishman said. “I believe in preparing our students for the changes and the challenges that they will face as information, technology, industry and the job market change at an exponential rate.”