A Decade of Learning, Looking Back and Looking Forward: Keystone Hosts 10th Anniversary Head of School Roundtable
What makes an ideal education? This nebulous question is critically important for educators around the world seeking to empower students to become the leaders of the future, but it isn’t a simple one to answer. With a decade of experience, Keystone Academy is in a unique position to work on tackling such a complex question. Only by opening collaborative discussion, reflecting on the past, and looking towards the future can we build our own set of ideals about what an ideal education should look like.
In celebration of Keystone’s 10th anniversary, and with the spirit of ideal education in mind, the school hosted a roundtable discussion with some of the top educational minds in Beijing. On Friday, April 26, Mr. Liu Changming, former Principal of Beijing No. 4 High School, Principal of Beijing Financial Street Runze School, and President of The High School Education Committee of the Chinese Society of Education; Ms. Liu Yan, Principal and Party Secretary of The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China (RDFZ) Xishan School and RDFZ Shijingshan School; and Ms. Rae Yang, Deputy Director at RDFZ ICC joined Keystone’s Executive Head of School Dr. Emily McCarren and Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning Taryn Loveman for the Keystone 10th Anniversary Head of School Roundtable: What Is an Ideal Education. Attended by parents, students, faculty, and staff, this spirited event got everyone thinking about creating an educational vision for the future.
The event opened with a wonderful performance from the Keystone PTA Choir. They performed “Blooming Love”, an original song commissioned by the choir and composed by famous composer Zhibo Tian specifically for the event. The song both served as a symbol of the PTA Choir’s gratitude and appreciation for Keystone’s achievements in the past ten years, as well as their love, hopes, and dreams for their children’s futures. This fantastic rendition started the event on the right note, setting a tone of passion and optimism for the deep discussion to come.
Drafting the map to such a complex territory as education is quite the task, so the panelists at the Head of School Roundtable first used their own backgrounds to explain how to spot the signs of a successful school. A few key indicators were agreed upon by everyone, such as happy students and staff who feel safe to be risk-takers and try new things. “When I go into a school, I like to talk to the students and I like when the students tell me about their failures,” Mr. Taryn Loveman explained. “If a student can talk about their failures, they’re really in a growth mindset.” Having students, teachers, and parents all share a similar positive idea about education creates a school environment that inspires growth.
How can school leaders create such a comprehensive school environment? As Dr. Emily McCarren pointed out, one of the most important aspects of building a successful school is hiring the right people to teach students. But what makes the right teacher? In addition to personality and personal values, one aspect Ms. Rae Yang emphasized was subject knowledge. “I think a teacher’s subject knowledge is very important,” she said, “One important task for teachers in the school environment is to support students and help them grow. If a teacher has deep subject knowledge, they will be able to answer any difficult questions students have and help them dive deeper into the topic.” Combining teachers with strong academic backgrounds with shared community values helps build a team of terrific teachers who share the same ideals for children, and who are truly dedicated to empowering students to succeed in school and in their lives beyond.
However, in today’s everchanging world, getting the right group of educators together isn’t always enough to build an ideal education. The panelists spoke of current issues facing children, and how schools can address such problems. The expert educators agreed that one of the most pressing problems of the present is that of children’s mental health and wellbeing. Mr. Liu Changming spoke on how schools need to focus on the values they impart on children. “In the future, we need to think about how to return to an education focused on people,” instead of focusing on tests or scores, he explained. The first step to a better future in education is ensuring the health and happiness of every student.
By focusing on the future, schools can also develop students that are better prepared for the challenges they will face in the coming years. One thing this discussion focused on is how schools can cultivate the problem-solvers of tomorrow. Ms. Liu Yan encouraged schools to look forward, asking, “how can we encourage our students to act for the good of the world, or for the good of humanity?” By broadening the topics covered in class and encouraging students to connect their learning to their community and the world around them, schools can empower students to create projects that truly make an impact on the world, setting them up to be the changemakers of the future.
As the world continues to change at a rapid pace, events like the 10th Anniversary Head of School Roundtable are critically important for shaping educational practice. It will take more collaboration and creativity from educators to ensure schools are preparing learners for the future. Although each guest brought their own ideas about what an ideal education looks like, their words shone light on many shared values educators, parents, and students can all learn from. “Importantly, the roundtable demonstrated that across diverse school landscapes and systems and structures, the uniting themes of happiness and love for teachers and children is the driving force for everything,” explains Dr. Emily McCarren. As Keystone celebrates its 10th anniversary, the school will continue to focus on creating a caring environment for students, learning from our shared past to create unlimited futures for them.
