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Continue reading →: Nostalgia Is Not a Strategy: Leading in the Era of SynthesisEarlier this week, the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, struck a chord that resonated far beyond politics. His speech laid bare the realities of the moment we are living in and articulated a shared truth many of us feel but struggle to name. One line in particular stayed with…
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Continue reading →: JumpEvery year on my birthday I strive to do something new to make it memorable, and set intention for the year ahead. A week ago I went skydiving, something I never imagined myself doing and it had me thinking.
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Continue reading →: What Stands Out In Hiring SeasonIf all goes well, the sun is setting on our recruiting season for the year.
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Continue reading →: What’s PossibleWhat’s Possible? 🚀 After three meaningful years at Nishimachi International School, the time has come to explore what’s possible while looking ahead to new leadership opportunities beginning August 2026. These years have reinforced what I value most in schools: clarity of purpose, a shared commitment to learning, and a belief…
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Continue reading →: Building a Thriving School Community Through Strategic FocusWhen Inquiry guides our learning, Belonging shapes our relationships, and Assessment makes growth visible, we become a community where students are empowered to know themselves, engage with others, and take meaningful action.
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Continue reading →: What An Incredible Profession!Today is UNESCO’s World Teachers’ Day, a day to celebrate our profession and to recognize the incredible impact educators have each and every day in their classrooms. UNESCO reminds us that this day is not only about celebrating how teachers are transforming education, but also about reflecting on the support…
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Continue reading →: Water: My Word of the YearEach school year I choose a single word to guide my focus and intention. This year, that word is Water. Universal, life-giving, and endlessly adaptable, water reminds me that neither life nor leadership is rigid. Both are dynamic, fluid, and transformative journeys. Water is not just a metaphor but a…
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Continue reading →: Words of Wisdom 2025Graduating Class of 2025. This is a big moment, a huge milestone, and today is about celebrating you, while marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Let me begin with a heartfelt thank you. You are an incredible group, and you’ve made your mark on Nishimachi.…
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Continue reading →: The Power of Resilience
I didn’t get it. And I’m almost finished. I didn’t get the job. I wish this was a confetti post, but it’s not. In a year where my word is momentum, this moment feels like a pause. I was riding the wave, but it wasn’t meant to be. Posts like…
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Continue reading →: Nurturing GrowthHow do you build capacity in your school? How do you grow professional learning? At Nishimachi International School we believe that a school’s greatest catalyst for innovation and growth is its people. That’s why we have made professional learning purposeful, collaborative, and deeply personalized. From our teacher “Hockey Cards” to…
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Continue reading →: Sustainable Leadership: A Reflection on My JourneyAs I head into the final weeks of writing my dissertation, I find myself looking back, not just at the intense work I’ve done recently, but further back, nearly two decades ago, when I completed my Master’s. I remember the sense of accomplishment, the exhaustion, and the curiosity about what…
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Continue reading →: Something DifferentI firmly believe in learning beyond the classroom walls, for students and for teachers. Last week we took a group of Nishimachi International School faculty and staff to visit Goldman Sachs office in Tokyo. An intent of the trip was to understand how a long established company is ever evolving…
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Continue reading →: Harnessing Momentum: Insights for 2025I’m not a seasoned surfer, but I’ve had the thrill of riding waves in a few places around the world. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the secret to a great ride lies in keeping the momentum. It’s about staying in the flow, feeling the energy carry you…
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Continue reading →: HarmonyAs we come out of Fall Break, I find myself reflecting on the idea of work-life harmony. In education, the concept of “harmony” over “balance” feels particularly relevant. Teachers and leaders don’t work 8-hour shifts; during the school year, they live and breathe their work. Teaching, planning, assessing—it’s a continuous…
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Continue reading →: Learning in 2024It’s 2024 and the pendulum of education keeps swinging. Over the past couple weeks Guy Claxton and Alfie Kohn shared excellent articles delving into CLT and the reality that learning is not either/or. Claxton says “In reality, the craft of teaching mostly involves a judicious and dynamic mixture of both…
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Continue reading →: 2024: The Year of Momentum
It’s that time of year, the One Word Challenge. I do love the One Word Challenge for the simplicity it brings in focussing my intentionality for the year, as well as the way it seems to guide the directionality of my life. When I wrote about Create, our school culture…
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Continue reading →: MomentumHow do you build momentum? I have always believed it’s anchored in capacity building, ensuring a common language, building for sustainability and engagement. I am grateful to Trevor MacKenzie for his work with us this year and his recent four days with us at Nishimachi International School. As we implement our 3 Pillars…
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Continue reading →: Why Choose Nishimachi?Established in 1949, Nishimachi has been living the school’s mission by creating learning experiences that ensure students have the opportunity to achieve their personal best, and understand their ability to positively impact the world around them.
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Continue reading →: The Power of the PencilAnd so how has it worked out so far? Well those pencil notes have acted like beacons as we travel the world. Not goalposts, but lighthouses guiding us across the waves to the next destination.
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Continue reading →: ThriveWhat better word to choose as we enter 2023 and the absolute unknown. If I was to look back on 2022 and choose a word, it would be Move. We moved on from our careers (even if it is temporary), we traveled east to west, then west to east seeing…
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Continue reading →: Into The Great UnknownLast October we made a family decision to leave our jobs and take the year off from working.
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Continue reading →: Words of Wisdom 2022Grade 5. Here we are. Some say it is an end but I prefer to think of today as another beginning. I like to think of life as chapters. This is the closing of your elementary chapter and wow, it was an interesting one for sure. You have had a…
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Continue reading →: Thinking about ED-TechAs a school that strongly believes in the presence of ED-Tech to elevate and amplify learning, we strive to create vs consume and ensure our students have the tools and aptitudes to use technology responsibly. Through our work, our students are definitely ahead of the curve. That starts with being…
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Continue reading →: The New School YearThrough cross-grade collaboration and whole school consistency, we are clearly seeing the synergy of learning happening across elementary and this year, it will only get stronger as we take the lessons from the past 18 months, apply them to the work of the past 4 years and drive learning forward…
Welcome
Ideas | Connections | Reflections
Thoughts on leadership, learning, and building meaningful school communities.
I am an international school leader and educator focused on designing learning environments where students thrive, educators grow, and communities flourish through thoughtful leadership, innovation, and care.
This space is where I reflect on learning, leadership, and change. It is written for educators, leaders, and anyone interested in how people and organizations grow.
I hope something here resonates, challenges your thinking, or encourages you to pause and reflect along the way.
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