Today we wrapped up our first week at the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India. Although we’re inundated with information about our new school, students, apartment, neighborhood, city and country, we also feel an overwhelming sense of belonging.
On August 1, the new and returning teachers finally met each other for the first time. We were introduced at an all-faculty presentation in the gym, where administrators read a short biography for each new teacher, and we received a garland of fragrant flowers and a red smear of paint between the eyebrows to symbolize the third eye.
That’s Tony with Jan (who we knew in China) and new friend Becky.
Our new teacher cohort – the “newbies” – received a warm welcome yesterday at a party thrown by the “two-bies,” teachers who were new to AES last year. They sympathized with our newness and offered reassurances that we would soon feel settled and confident. We have attended several other functions designed to merge AES old-timers with the new group of teachers, and it’s amazing how seamlessly it happens.
In addition to the outpouring of kindness, the administration has modeled a spirit of balance and caring that permeates the whole school. When Director Bob Hetzel met with new teachers to discuss the school’s mission statement, he shared anecdotes about the power of collaboration and shared values, saying, “We have a commitment to making the world a better place.”
We have yet to hear a negative word or bitter comment from anyone about the school’s leadership. In fact, teachers repeatedly note how the director and principals somehow motivate everyone to raise the bar and cultivate creativity without undue pressure or stress.
That doesn’t mean we don’t create our own stress. My department, English as a Second Language, is undergoing major changes, so I can’t count on returning teachers to show me the ropes. We’re all learning as we go, which can be unsettling. I hope next year at this time (when I will be a “two-bie”), I will tell the “newbies” how brilliantly we developed a new immersion program at AES with the insights and shared wisdom of all elementary teachers.
Bring on week two.
