You can’t have your cake and eat it!
I am always fascinated by the experiences of other school leaders around the International School circuit, and I was recently lucky enough to meet a fellow Principal who works at a leading International School in Singapore. I have got to know him a little through his blog (https://serendipities.blog/) and his recent article resonated very much with me as I read it this week.
I have written previously about the process in place for admissions into the Secondary part of the International Stream, and it continues to be the case that FIS is a school of choice for many families both already in HK, and those relocating from elsewhere around the world. I have already interviewed 100+ students this year for places in years 7 – 13, and there are two things that still ring true. First of all, the vast majority of the potential students and parents cite the great reputation that the school has for learning, often as a result of friends and colleagues with children in the school who are very happy with their life at FIS. We remain indebted to you for passing this message on, as word of mouth recommendation is always the best way to make decisions.
Secondly there is a minority of (mainly) parents who suffer from a Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) when it comes to deciding a new school for their child(ren). These are the ones that want it all: an holistic education, a tri-lingual offering, the perfect curriculum, guaranteed university places at top institutions around the globe, preparation for every possible career path in a VUCA (Vulnerable Uncertain Complex Ambiguous) world, highest exam averages, world-class facilities, the very best teachers and all whilst paying a low school fee!
However, as the author of the serendipities blog says, “Here’s the thing, you will not find a curriculum that’s perfect for every child AND meets the academic requirements for every possible university AND prepares young people for every possible career. Likewise, schools can’t operate at low cost where they only have the very best teachers AND offer best-in-class facilities. Nor can schools have the world’s highest exam averages AND be highly inclusive. Nor can schools have an unapologetic holistic programme AND then have parents wish to opt out of aspects of the curriculum that they might not value. My friend was focused on the daunting prospect of losing an AND. ”
The good thing for his school, and this applies to FIS as well, is that we do offer the vast majority of the things above. As the article says, “The truth is that picking a school means that you have to make an OR choice. And when you finally make that choice, you have to accept that you can’t have that damn cake and eat it too. Life gets easier when we learn to live with that.”
