Page 14 - The South China Business Journal
P. 14
LOGUE
As the first international school in southern China, We couldn’t help
the American International School of Guangzhou but notice how
(AISG) has been serving the expat population for more
than 35 years. What began with seven students from the happy
US Consulate in a room at The Dong Fang Hotel, has
now grown into a top-tier international school with 1027 the children seem
students and more than 50 nationalities. Since 2014, Dr. to be as we walked
Bernadette Carmody has served AISG as the Director, and is around the campus.
excited about the school’s path towards becoming a leader Is this organic, or
of dynamic, compassionate, and connected learning. is it something you
promote?
career path?Could you share a little bit of your
missionIf you have a personal
What led you to here? We know that
you started your path in education statement, what would
as a teacher many years ago. that mission be?
I began my career in teaching successful if the system didn’t I believe that every student has
in 1980, in Queensland, set them up for success? something inside them that makes
Australia. I immediately fell them special and unique. Schools are
in love with the profession, Shortly after, I received in an extremely fortunate position to
and loved the idea of helping an offer to be part of a be able to help students understand
students develop a love of government-funded project that their talents and fully develop them. It
learning, and find their path was researching alternatives to is our responsibility to nurture students
to success. However, it soon current educational systems. so that they can embrace every
became clear to me that the My team’s action research opportunity, and be compassionate,
education system I was teaching project examined cooperative resilient, happy individuals.
in at that time wasn’t setting up structures for learning
students for success. One of my mathematics for females.
first classes was an Accounting Following this, I also spent
Class for Grade 11 students. some time in Sri Lanka helping
It soon became clear to me to establish a new English
that the students in my class Language teaching structure
could not make sense of the that would support education
information in the textbooks in Sri Lanka’s rural areas. It was
that were used in class, and who here that I met a Norwegian,
felt like they still hadn’t grasped who is now my husband.
the main concepts from their Together, we travelled, and
subject. Here were students taught, in Norway, Liberia,
who had experienced 10 years Venezuela, China, Dubai,
of schooling, who were on the Bahrain, before landing in
cusp of stepping into the real Guangzhou. I’m lucky to have
world, and who felt completely been afforded the opportunity
unprepared for what lay before to travel around the world and
them. This was horrifying to see so many different education
me. How could we continue to systems, meeting likeminded,
allow students to move through passionate individuals who
an education system that didn’t understood the importance of
set them up for success? How a quality education system for
can we expect students to be students.
14 AmCham South China
As the first international school in southern China, We couldn’t help
the American International School of Guangzhou but notice how
(AISG) has been serving the expat population for more
than 35 years. What began with seven students from the happy
US Consulate in a room at The Dong Fang Hotel, has
now grown into a top-tier international school with 1027 the children seem
students and more than 50 nationalities. Since 2014, Dr. to be as we walked
Bernadette Carmody has served AISG as the Director, and is around the campus.
excited about the school’s path towards becoming a leader Is this organic, or
of dynamic, compassionate, and connected learning. is it something you
promote?
career path?Could you share a little bit of your
missionIf you have a personal
What led you to here? We know that
you started your path in education statement, what would
as a teacher many years ago. that mission be?
I began my career in teaching successful if the system didn’t I believe that every student has
in 1980, in Queensland, set them up for success? something inside them that makes
Australia. I immediately fell them special and unique. Schools are
in love with the profession, Shortly after, I received in an extremely fortunate position to
and loved the idea of helping an offer to be part of a be able to help students understand
students develop a love of government-funded project that their talents and fully develop them. It
learning, and find their path was researching alternatives to is our responsibility to nurture students
to success. However, it soon current educational systems. so that they can embrace every
became clear to me that the My team’s action research opportunity, and be compassionate,
education system I was teaching project examined cooperative resilient, happy individuals.
in at that time wasn’t setting up structures for learning
students for success. One of my mathematics for females.
first classes was an Accounting Following this, I also spent
Class for Grade 11 students. some time in Sri Lanka helping
It soon became clear to me to establish a new English
that the students in my class Language teaching structure
could not make sense of the that would support education
information in the textbooks in Sri Lanka’s rural areas. It was
that were used in class, and who here that I met a Norwegian,
felt like they still hadn’t grasped who is now my husband.
the main concepts from their Together, we travelled, and
subject. Here were students taught, in Norway, Liberia,
who had experienced 10 years Venezuela, China, Dubai,
of schooling, who were on the Bahrain, before landing in
cusp of stepping into the real Guangzhou. I’m lucky to have
world, and who felt completely been afforded the opportunity
unprepared for what lay before to travel around the world and
them. This was horrifying to see so many different education
me. How could we continue to systems, meeting likeminded,
allow students to move through passionate individuals who
an education system that didn’t understood the importance of
set them up for success? How a quality education system for
can we expect students to be students.
14 AmCham South China
