My passion for teaching sports and activities comes from moving and adapting to new situations at an early age. I moved a lot as I was growing up and found enjoyment and stability in sports. I was able to make new friendships through activities and always took comfort in the support given by teachers and coaches.
It was only after arriving in the International teaching scene that I was fortunate to have my eyes opened to a world that I really felt I could get involved in. Using all that I have learned to foster an environment where students can pursue their dreams and lead each other through both the good, and even more importantly, the challenging times.
A well-balanced holistic education means that students take up opportunities to make time for the activities they enjoy and feel connected to. This can be personal fitness, sports, robotics, debate, acting, singing, dancing and so much more. Students can learn values such as time management, self-reflection and critical decision making through these opportunities.
As such, over the years my educational philosophy shifted to encourage and support student led initiatives in our daily programmes. Through teamwork and leadership, we have been fortunate to explore and develop this in 3 areas here at SSIS.
01
Utilizing the Sports Education teaching model in the Physical Education classroom, students are challenged to solve problems in small groups, deliberate and communicate any challenges. Students are also assigned roles such as Captain, Media, or Warm Up Coordinator in which they learn the importance of having responsibilities, as well as, giving them a platform to be a leader. Each season ends with a celebration and teams are rewarded for their efforts.
02
Student coaches, referees and skill instructors in our Sports Leadership programmes have strengthened the Sabres community. We have Senior players coaching and leading our CISSA teams to success. This academic year, our SISAC players and CAS students banded together to host 3 CISSA Stronger Together Tournaments for our young budding athletes – Soccer, Volleyball and Basketball. Through these experiences, students were able to learn the importance of communication whereby they have to develop their ability to plan events, give instructions and coach their juniors.
03
Our annual Sports Awards Night is planned and organised by our Sabres Crew. Attendees this year wore team shirts, showcasing 12 different logos designed by Grade 12 member KHO, Michelle Ariella Khoeswandy. Our emcees wrote their own speeches, players set the itinerary for the night, and as tradition, every team has a vote for the Players’ Player which is a great honour coming from their teammates. This has allowed our students’ voices to be heard and work together to create a sense of pride and belonging to the community.
At SSIS, we understand the importance of putting students first and their well-being as top priority. Therefore, we will be opening our new Student Wellness Centre in the next academic year. Designed with student input, we hope students can get active, enjoy the comfortable space together and be supported in their overall wellbeing – socially, emotionally, physically.
My hope for all of our students is:
Try something new,
pursue your talents,
take up a leadership challenge,
dance or sing when you feel like it and
do what really makes you feel alive.
