CAIS in Point

I was struck this week by an interesting juxtaposition of items in the Globe and Mail. On one page was an ad for one of our boarding schools which was clearly trying to entice Canadian students to consider the residential experience as an alternative to their current day school. On the following page was an article about the explosion of international students who are being recruited offshore by public school boards. So here is the question. Why do we continue to scramble to fill beds in so many of our schools while our public counterparts seem to be attracting a radically increasing non-resident population? Last year, over 17,000 foreign students attended Canadian schools. Around 2000 of these were in CAIS schools across the country. The vast majority however, were recruited by many of the large public systems. In 2006, B.C. school districts collected over $123 million dollars from more than 8,800 international students. The Coquitlam district alone, with almost 1,200 attendees, took in nearly $18 million in tuition revenues. And, it is not just a west coast phenomenon. The Toronto District School Board welcomed 1,250 foreign students (and their $14 million in fees!) last year and even New Brunswick, which has an agreement with the Chinese government to offer a combined New Brunswick/Chinese diploma, enrolled over 400 students. With tuitions ranging up to $14,000 per year, plus the cost of a home-stay, it obviously isn’t just price point that is pulling students away from our schools. Boarding school enrolments in CAIS schools have been flat for the past 10 years (1997 – 4,612; 2007 – 4,851) and have, in fact, declined the last two years in a row. At the same time the number of international students in Canada attending public elementary and secondary schools has increased by almost 50% from just under 12,000 in 1997 to over 17,000 by 2006. Where are these students coming from? Their sources are pretty much the same as ours. A recent CAIS commissioned survey of our boarding schools identified the “top” five homes of our international students as being (in order):  China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan); South Korea; Mexico; the United States; and, Germany. In addition, we have strong showings from: Japan; Bermuda and the Caribbean. In the public systems across Canada, the list reads much the same: South Korea; China; Mexico; Germany; and Japan. Although we speak a lot about uncovering “emerging markets” for new boarders, it would appear that to some extent we are missing the boat in the markets that we already know well. Over the past year, CAIS has been working in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (Canada) to link our schools into their “Study in Canada” programme. At the present time CAIS is the only independent school association partnering with the federal government, although the B.C., Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba ministries are all profiled as well and have links to public school boards throughout their provinces. In addition, we are in the process of developing a “Why pick a CAIS independent school?” promotional video which will be posted on our website and also available on CD to schools. In addition, more and more schools are rethinking the admissions sections of their websites to appeal not just to parents (programmes, facilities, fees, etc.) but rather to prospective students (video clips of student life, open blogs and bulletin boards to ask questions of current students, etc.) in order to engage the learner in the process. Needless to say, and as all schools know, passive marketing is not the most effective way to reach out to potential students and their parents. Face to face meetings with families; positive relationships with dependable international agents; and participation in offshore boarding fairs all contribute to successful recruitment campaigns. For a number of years, most CAIS boarding schools have participated in one or more of our “consortium travel” initiatives. These have proven to be effective venues for parents to come and learn about the range of options available among our schools. However, in a tightening market, it is sometimes challenging to convince schools that they are better off working in concert with their competitors rather than trying to out manoeuvre or out bid them for students. Having said that, individual schools cannot compete with resources and range of options that a large school district or provincial Ministry can put on the table. Our best bet will continue to be to work together, to use the diversity of our schools, programmes, models of delivery, and geographical locations as our collective selling point. In the final analysis, we need to admit that we either “hang together or hang separately” in our quest for international students. Dr. Jim Christopher, Executive Director

J.D.Y. Hickman Award Recipient 2007/2008

We are very proud to announce that Bilaal Rajan of St. Andrew’s College is the recipient of this year’s J.D.Y. Hickman Award, an annual CAIS award for voluntary service by a student.  He has been contributing to the community since age 4 when he sold Clementine oranges door-to-door to fundraise for earthquake victims in India.  Since then he has raised additional funds, involved major suppliers who have donated products and endowed a school prize to encourage volunteering.

We are also pleased to give honourable mention to Ryan Tremblay of Holy Trinity School who has founded a non-profit organization to raise the awareness of young people in Canada and contribute aid to a variety of causes.

Thank you all for your submissions.  While the efforts of so many candidates made the selection process difficult, each year it is inspiring to read how your students are contributing to the communities.

Paul G. Kitchen
Head of School, Rothesay Netherwood School

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Panel Discussion: Meeting the Needs of Students. How Far Should Schools Go?

After a successful Toronto debut at Upper Canada College in November 2007, on May 1, Crofton House School, Vancouver, hosted the second installment of the Panel Discussion: Meeting the Needs of Students. How Far Should Schools Go?

One of the event sponsors, Our Kids Publications, has put together a comprehensive summary report and photo gallery of both these events. The link to the Panel Discussion summary page may be found here: http://www.ourkids.net/dialogue/panel_discussion_plus.php

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Cosmopolitan Connectivity: Blending National and International Opportunities

As we usher out one year and immediately start to think of the next, so the pleasures and pressures of effective integration of students from diverse backgrounds around the world remains a constant challenge. Making the most of cosmopolitan connectivity so that the globe becomes a better place is key to our success as schools. 

This issue is one which will be much discussed in a day at Ridley in the form of a Thought Leaders Forum where Heads from across the country will be part of a panel with Pat Bassett, President of NAIS, as the keynote speaker. Bassett will speak to the theme of "The Right Brained Future", and be accompanied by his colleague Paul Miller. Earlier in the day a think tank will be working with Anne-Marie Kee, Executive Director, CESI, on working out new criteria related to the evaluation of schools and the interesting work that they are doing on international/global themes. Thursday, October 30th is the day to note in your calendars. 

Thinking about this occasion has caused much reflection on how we blend specifically at Ridley and also as Canadian Independent Schools as a whole.  In the spirit of raising the debate whilst mulling things over in the summer holidays there may be cause to reflect on some of the following contributions.

Cosmopolitan Connectivity:  Blending National and International Opportunities

The open book of how we should educate each generation remains a fascinating conundrum.  One certainty in today's world is that, as communications shrink, we have a huge responsibility to create greater harmony, a better understanding and a sound cooperative spirit.  We are educating our youth to make the globe a better place.  Today's youngsters take it in their stride that distance is dead.  However, they do not always comprehend the responsibility which accompanies this certainty. The web joins us together for better and sometimes for worse, but, used to good effect, it has infinite potential. 

Change is constant and frontiers continue to crash down.  The great schools of today need to reach out beyond their turreted beauty and manicured lawns. Learning to appreciate each other is a necessity.  Only by developing the ability to empathize with our myriad cultures can schools grasp the full requirement for us to fight for world peace through balanced integration.  Being able to stand in another man's shoes might just give us a glimpse as to how he might view the world.  Boarding life encapsulates this and learning how to integrate diversity is a blessing. "Inter alia" this does mean being prepared to work at a far wider range of linguistic comprehension than has been understood hitherto.  It is not enough to see English as the core language which everyone should speak.

Our multicultural potential through educational development makes Canada a land of opportunity.  It is remarkable to be at the epicentre of such a complex ferment, drawing pupils from Hong Kong to Hamburg, Shanghai to Mexico, whilst overlooking New York State as the Americans confront their forthcoming election. The added dimension achieved through visiting countries of pupil origins adds weight to knowing them, a perspective often forgotten in the greyness of the business-oriented, target obsessed milieu of modern day accountability.  Coming to grips with our cosmopolitan roots is something far wider than the vastness of Canada itself.  Realizing what it is to have such a rapidly shifting world and moving people on from introspection, even parochialism, is a task for modern day educators. Having said that, people come to our schools for that quintessential experience which only we can offer; something amorphous but everlasting.  It can only be experienced "in situ"; those who aspire to create satellite schools around the globe would be unlikely to replicate the original.  Rather, if necessary, they must adapt to particular local circumstance.

The ultimate experience can be achieved in a boarding environment.  The connection between boarding, a life without the confines of the end of each day, in a world where one half is always awake, is a feature of modern interconnectedness.  Equally, preserving a national identity in the midst of all this internationalism is another exacting conundrum requiring the ultimate of sensitivity. The subtle difference between cosmopolitan leanings, simple acknowledgement of a sophisticated unprejudiced approach towards "all peoples" being "branches of a single family"1 and the breadth of true international inclusivity need to be worked at all the time. 

The 21st century is plagued by endemic incidence of war, corruption and crime; we remain economically divided between extremes of wealth and poverty, morally stretched by the shackles of happenstance and where each one of us set out on life's journey.  Never has it been more important to comprehend the upside of the diversity of difference.  Recognizing that it strengthens us is critical to our survival as forward thinking challenging institutions. We need not compromise what we represent but we should pursue intelligent interaction.  Central values in such an environment are vital but do not need to be restrictive barriers.
 
This is hard work and not easy to interpret.  All schools should guard against fashionable consensus which could confine them to mediocrity. That way we can educate citizens of substance to bolster Canada's increasing self-assurance and position as a world leader. Whilst emphasizing the best of Canadian roots, a cosmopolitan education gives flight to the belief that  "Canada must at all times be aware that international connectedness and co-operation are critical to our interests".2  With Alumni and Alumnae proud of their heritage all around the world, schools acquire global connectivity which is dynamic. The balanced boarding existence emphasizing fellowship amongst all who live and work within its portals enhances this further making a virtue of global creativity through the depth of 24/7 life, be it in academia,, the arts, athletics, or just coexisting in the residences.

Around the world, teenagers of every creed and race are an endless beacon of hope.  They are as inventive or hypocritical as they ever were but, much more positively, just as creative and talented as at any stage.  The challenge to stay in touch with youth has never been greater.  The vast majority turn into hugely decent civilized individuals blessed with a tolerant modesty which will sustain them as they stride onto the wider stage of adult life. Whether they choose to stay within their original birthplace s or step far further afield, they are imbued with the indelible shadow of an international world where schools introduced and challenged them to be broadminded yet highly competent, confident individuals, capable of mixing anywhere.

They also take their experiences on to a wide range of universities. This is a huge tribute to the shifting kaleidoscope of each individual school landscape - a permanent rock in a sea of impermanence. During the day-to-day maelstrom of constant educational demand it is easy to forget the need for perspective. This is something shared by all great schools, national, international or hybrid of the two. Making the most of the incongruous nature of our heterogeneity is the challenge to be faced as the new millennium gathers momentum.

Jonathan Leigh
Headmaster, Ridley College

1 Christoph Martin Wieland's "Das Geheimiß des Kosmopolitenordens" Teutscher Markur, August 1788 p 107
2 The Globe and Mail, 22 April 2008, Barbara McDougall, former Secretary of State for External Affairs

 

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You Can't Create Motivation

Recently in a leadership workshop, one of the senior managers complained "people just don't get my vision". He went on to bemoan the fact that his ambition to be recognized nationally as a leader in their field didn't seem to motivate the 150 staff that reported to him. So, what's going on here?

Motivation is that much-sought after, yet elusive element of work that keeps us all either frustrated or thrilled. We want motivated staff - of course - yet how do we create the experience of motivation? And how can it be sustainable? Do "managers" have to be cheerleaders, constantly "pumping" people up, or will the team eventually "get it" enough so the "leaders" can get on with their "real job"?

These are all questions that we hear frequently in the classroom  and in our consultation with managers (and if we don't hear it directly, it's usually pretty obvious that they are thinking these questions). Here are some facts about motivation that might surprise you:

Motivation is not created. People are never motivated because someone tells them to be so. Imagine you are involved in a team project and one person is insistent that we "have to get motivated". Not only would it not work but it would be irritating! The first step in motivation is rationale - as a leader you need to find the reason for this project, work, or goal, that is meaningful for them. Remember the manager I mentioned earlier? Obviously, his ambition to win a national prize is not motivating the staff in the field, or even his managers. His first task is to better understand what will motivate them. Because what he's doing isn't working!

You have to give up control to get what you want. The second part of motivation is autonomy - simply put, people need to have some control over their work environment to be motivated. I recently heard about a supervisor that sat in his office, overlooking the Works Yard in the morning at the beginning of the shift and in the afternoon at the end of the shift, recording when people showed up for work, left the yard to go on a job, and returned at the end of the day. Guess what people would do? A number of the crew had developed a habit of being extremely punctual - but then once out of eyesight there was no motivation. Productivity was low and morale was at the bottom of the organization.

People need to have choices to be motivated about their work. When we monitor our employees we take away choice. Look at your staff - how much opportunity have you created for them to have control over how they accomplish their work? Yes, you might have to coach them, and yes, they will make some mistakes. But you will also have staff that are thinking and excited about creating their own success!

Recognition for success doesn't work. We all want to recognize good performance. Isn't that what a good basketball, or football coach would do? Actually, no. Recognition only for success (attaining a goal, a big client win, finishing on time, or under budget) is good and even necessary, but over time it is a de-motivator. Research shows that if a schoolteacher only rewards students for successful grades, those students are less motivated than if that same teacher looks for extraordinary attitude and effort to reward.

Successful motivation happens when people are acknowledged for non-specific achievements. Of course you need to recognize achievement, but also look for the spirit of innovation, the work ethic, the team support, the positive attitude that your staff bring to work. It is always more important to recognize how the task was completed than just what was completed. Remember that if all you do is look for successful achievements to reward there are a lot of opportunities you will miss!

Attitude is your full time job. There are two types of motivation: external (you tell them) and intrinsic (they want to do this). When people are intrinsically motivated, that is they are doing what they are doing as a craft that they want to perfect and it is meaningful to them, watch out! You will have the national recognition (if that is what you are after), or the high performance, or the incredible service levels.

Creating the opportunity for people to become motivated is your full time job. Nothing you do will create better return-on-investment for the time you spend. And it starts with providing the rationale, the autonomy, and the non-specific, consistent acknowledgement. To learn more, and find out about the leadership training programs offered at Marathon Communications, please visit: www.marathoncommunications.com

Hugh D. Culver MBA , CEO, Marathon Communications

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Say Goodbye to the 2007/2008 School Year

It’s June! To parents, children and school professionals this means that the school year is coming, or has come, to an end. This signifies many things to different people, but a change in schedule is true for almost everyone.

Change. Change is good, right? Summer. Summer is fabulous, right? Canadians especially, are known to count down the days until our long-awaited summer arrives, but this doesn’t mean that all the feelings associated with summer break are euphoric. Some kids feel stressed about leaving behind the routine of their classroom, their friends, their teachers, and the regular nature of their schedule.

From pre-school to senior school students, many of the anxieties are similar, and are often magnified by graduation from one school to the next level. Even more exciting, or daunting is graduating from high school entirely.

The stability that the school format provides is a comfort from the toddler stage right through to the teens. There is something quieting in knowing what to expect from the day. The new found freedom that summer can bring may be challenging for some. For some students more than others it is important to talk about the new opportunities that are ahead and also the very normal feelings of anxiety than can occur when school ends.

As adults, it’s important that we help our kids adjust to change regardless of their age. Obviously as they mature, young adults assert their independence and don’t “need” us as much, but even just listening to the ups and downs of finding a summer job, or empathizing about  missed school friends can be enough to help in times of transition. Having the child leave the nest to go to university can be as stressful for the parents as it is for the teenager. Talk. Make plans. Get organized. Make lists and notes and anything else that helps alleviates anxiety. It’s never been easier to keep in touch with friends and family so make sure that everyone has the proper e-mail addresses etc… on file.

Younger kids may need more assistance in adjusting to new scenarios and routines. Trying to keep certain things stable such as meal time and bed time can provide some reassuring consistency. Even although school is out for a few months, keep reading and practicing newly learned skills. Embrace the change in climate and all the things that it brings. You don’t have to be a teacher to start projects, collections or new learning / athletic games. Visit websites for ideas or brainstorm with teachers and / or other parents.

To read more on this subject, including more tips for parents, please visit the Scholastic website at: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=1433

The CAIS Team wishes everyone a terrific, happy, safe and healthy summer!

Lindsay Ireland, CAIS

 

 

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