Knowledge is the roadmap to future destinations
As an expatriate from the UK, it is perhaps too obvious to say that I enjoy travelling; most of our international teachers do. However, travel is more than something I enjoy. I have found that it has broadened my mind and experiences in more ways than I could have ever imagined when I was 18 years old and setting off on my first overseas adventure. As a teacher, I often draw parallels between travelling and learning, and I view the knowledge I provide to my students as a compass. Like travel, learning inspires, it challenges, it broadens the mind, it leads to more questions, it shapes who we are and (more than anything) it provides a roadmap to exciting future careers and destinations.
As the Assistant Principal of Teaching & Learning at SJIIM, I am in a privileged position to help shape that journey for our young people, particularly through the new developments in our Sixth Form which will include the offer of both the IBDP and A Levels from August 2023. In the UK, I was Director of Sixth Form for many years, leading on the delivery of A Levels. In this role, I helped to shape students’ experiences and guide them in their next exciting steps at university and beyond.
The IBDP and A Level programmes at SJIIM are very different but provide equally rewarding, challenging and valuable experiences for our students. Until joining SJIIM, my years of experience in Sixth Form was solely focused on A Level, but I have greatly enjoyed teaching the breadth of knowledge that the IBDP provides. I have particularly enjoyed the inquiry based approach to teaching and learning within the school, and I have seen how it fosters great curiosity and a thirst for learning in our students. This is certainly something that we are also embedding in our new A Level curriculum, ensuring that our young people continue their journey with a passion for learning. Benjamin Franklin once said: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” This is certainly something that our IBDP and A Level teachers hold central to teaching and learning here at SJIIM.
As our Year 11 students and external applicants make important decisions about their future studies at SJIIM, this is a good opportunity to share with you some of the profiles of expert teachers that we have in the building, who are looking forward to teaching our next cohort of Sixth Form students. Our Sixth Form staff have a wealth of training & experience of teaching the IBDP and A level. Over the course of the last twelve months, the school has invested in online A Level training from Cambridge International Examinations, whilst also committing to ensuring that our teachers are also up to date with professional developments in the IBDP.
As we expand, both in terms of our curriculum offerings and student numbers, more staff will be joining us in August 2023, and recruiting experienced A Level and IBDP teachers has been something we have focused intently upon. Here are just a few faces who will be teaching our Sixth Form students next year.
Catherine Ellis
Assistant Principal: Teaching & Learning
26th January 2023