Ellen Mahoney, Sea Change Mentoring (©expatsincebirth)

Today I attended a very interesting Sea Change Mentoring Symposium on Supporting Global Youth “Addressing Assets and Challenges”, organised by Ellen Mahoney, CEO and Founder of Sea Change Mentoring and Board of Directors of Families in Global Transition (FIGT).

Sea Change Mentoring is an online mentoring program that helps Expat youth prepare for going back to their home countries, minimize reverse culture shock and maximize the benefits of having lived abroad.

Kate Berger, MSc Child Psychologist, Child Development Specialist and Expat-Kid Cultural Consultant, talked about “Identity, In Context: The influence of changing environments”. – A sense of self helps young people “to ground and is the platform from which they to step off to impact the world. How is a young person’s identity influenced by factors in his or her environment? Why does changing environments sometimes lead to difficulties in answering the question “Who am I?” and why is it important to support young people in this process of self-discovery?” In her speech she pointed out how belongingness is even more important for expat kids who have to readapt and learn constantly new norms. The more secure a child is, the less it is stressed and is able to develop awareness. Mindfulness and empathy play a major role in helping the children in changing environments.

Kilian Kröll, President of Third Culture Coach and Vice President on the board of Families in Global Transitions (FIGT). hold a speech about “Breaking the Mold: Identifying and supporting expat youth from non-traditional backgrounds”. Even if expat families are “traditionally identified (…) in the context of institutions, such as International Schools, military bases, embassy affiliation or missions organizations”, “many expat children and Third Culture Kids “hide” in non-traditional circumstances that prevent them from receiving vital resources.” Based on his own experience as expat child from divorced parents, attending local schools and identifying as gay, Kilian illustrated the needs of youth who don’t fit the expat mold and demonstrated brilliantly how powerful impact the expat communities have when they break the mold themselves. He also pointed out a very important aspect of expat families: the transitions of parents and children are very different.

Ellen Mahoney, Ceo of Sea Change Mentoring, did talk about “The Power of Mentoring for Third Culture Kids”. In fact, formal youth mentoring programs exist in the US since over 100 years and a lot of research has been done on “the effectiveness on mentoring teens in transition”. Globally mobile community has a lot to learn from this research and it can be vital for Third Culture Kids. Sea Change Mentoring does take these lessons and applies them “to help youth maximize the benefits and minimize the challenges of an international childhood”. She openly talked about her own experience as a TCK and her reverse culture shock. Her program is perfectly tailored for youth in transition and is a great intervention tool because a mentor can not grade a child (because he is not a teacher) or ground a child (because he is not the parent).

Sara McMickle, Counselor at The American School of The Hague did present “A Safe Harbour: Supportive programming in an international school setting”. In order to help “children, parents and staff cope with the challenges, and maximize the opportunities, inherent in the experience of international relocation and cross-cultural mobility”, A Safe Harbour is a “preeminent model in international schools worldwide for how to address the challenges of mobility at international schools. This programm supports Third Culture Kids and lessons learned along the way.

Katherine Fortier, Child and Educational Psychologist, talked about her experience with 363 children from 24 schools in “International Education: Great fish in little ponds”. Some globally moving parents choose an international school when posting outside their home country. Kathrine Fortier showed brilliantly the risks and challenges inherent of this kind of decision that are not immediately apparent. Especially the high expectations seem to be a major issue. Kathrine did introduce some of the key protective factors that help many students thrive as well as risk factors that lead some students to flounder. For example, she pointed out that less movings are beneficial for the accademic success of Third Culture Kids and expat children and she emphasized the need to build bridges with the parents’ help in order to support the children to perform better.

Josh Stephens, Director of International Development at ArborBridge speech “Where to Next? College Applications and the Expat Kid” was about the application process to American universities. It is the most complex application process in the world. Choosing among 4,000 different colleges doesn’t make it any easier and for many TCKs this process can be even “more challenging, as students prepare to settle in the US and choose, perhaps for the first time, where they want to live”. In his talk for professionals who work with TCK’s and expats who are not familiar with the current state of university applications, he provided a very important overview of the US application process with special attention to the unique challenges that students face when they apply from overseas.

Upcoming events of Sea Change Mentoring in The Hague area:

Monday 14th October 2013, 18:00-20:00 at The American School The Hague

Lecture: “Global Success: Preparing Expat Youth for Adulthood“

“Having an international childhood has many advantages, and a few challenges here and there. In order to be successful, young people must find ways to make the most of the experiences and skill-sets picked up in this global life while learning to recognize and prepare for some of the challenges they may face as they transition to adulthood.”

(cfr. © from The American School of The Hague)

Thursday, 17th October 2013, 19:30 to 21:30 at Van Hogenhoucklaan 89

Workshop: Resilience for Global Teens

Ellen Mahoney will join Passionate Parenting for an evening workshop for parents and teenagers looking at the skills teens need to succeed in work and life and how to help them develop these skills.

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Please note that excerpts were taken from the handout of the Symposium and are © Sea Change Mentoring.

Related articles

• Good reads and sites about “Third Culture Kids” (expatsincebirth.com)
• How to cope with repatriation (expatsincebirth.com)
• Review: “The Illusive Home” by James R. Mitchener (expatsincebirth.com)

I did participate (successfully) in a writing contest on expatsblog.com earlier this year and did write the following post about the International Schools in The Hague area, including also a general questionnaire about what to ask when you visit a new school for your children. I amplified this questionnaire in a separate post on my blog and won’t include this part into this post. This post is an updated version from the one submitted for the contest.

International Schools in The Hague © Utexpat/expatsincebirth

This list was quite general and I found some more questions to add and a better subdivision of them. Some of the questions are specifically for frequently moving families, but most of them are universal.

1) To make your child(ren) feel comfortable:

• Does the school have planned activities to assist your child in a positive start to school?
• Do the students seem happy at school?
• Do the students look actively engaged in learning?
• Does the school assign “buddies” to new students?
• Do the grades interact, and if yes, how and when?
• How big are the classes, how is the student-teacher ratio?
• Does the school allow parents to volunteer in the classroom?
• Is the approach child-centered and challenging enough to develop each child’s strenghts and love of learning?
• Are the course offerings extensive enough to meet your child’s needs?
• At what age are students offered modern languages?
• What is the daily, weekly, monthly schedule like?
• How much movement or multisensory experiences are built into the curriculum?
• How much homework is there?
• How many co-curricular activities (arts, sports, clubs etc.) are offered? Are they included in the school fees?
• To what extent can you be a partner in your child’s learning?

2) General questions about the school

• How many years has the school existed?
• Is the school board run by parents who are elected?
• What is the reputation of the accrediting institution(s)?
• What is the duration for the current school accreditation?
• Was the annual report with budgets available for you to inspect?
• Does this schoo have a particular educational philosophy or mission?
• What are some of the school’s greatest accomplishments? What are some of the biggest challenges this school faces?

3) Reachablilty and safety

• How long will it take for your child to get to school?
• Is there a bus service available for this school? What kind of bus service (door to door or other)? Is your company going to contribute in the expenses of the bus service?
• What security precautions are forseen by the school? Is the campus a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment?
• What is this school’s approach to student discipline and safety?
• Does the school have a nurse? If my child has severe allergies: what are the school policies (nuts allergies etc.)?
• How does the school manage bullying (on the playground and cyberbullying)?

4) Teachers / staff

• Are all the teachers certified, including ESL, SEN, PE etc. teachers?
• Are the language teachers certified teachers?
• What are the expectations for staff about students of high ability, special needs, ESL and other areas?
• How long on average does the school retain its teachers?
• What percentage of teachers has earned advanced degrees?
• Does the school support professional development, so teacher learn and apply “best practices”?
• Is time dedicated for teachers to meet as teams to jointly plan curriculum and assess each child’s needs?
• Does the staff seem happy?
• During your visit, are teachers available and friendly?
• What is the “feeling” or “tone” of the staff? Are they friendly and professional?
• How frequently will you receive information concerning your child’s progress?

5) Curriculum

• What types of standardized tests are offered, and how do the students perform?
• Is the curriculum broadened with “best practices” around the world, so students can be well prepared for their next school?
• How is technology used to support teaching and learning at this school?
• If your child has ‘special learning needs’, how will the school meet these?
• What strategies are used to teach students who are not fluent in English (or the language lessons are taught in)?
• What types of field trips are available for students? Which are compulsory?
• How do the arts fit into the curriculum? Is there a school choir, band or orchestra? A school play? Art classes?
• How does this school support students who have academic, social or emotional difficulties?

6 a) For elementary schools

• What are some highlights of this school’s curriculum in reading, math, science and social studies?
• What criteria are used to determine student placement in classes?
• How does this school keep parents informed of school information and activities?
• Is there an active Parent Teacher Association (PTA)? What other types of parent involvement take place at this school?
• Is child care available before or after school?

6 b) For middle schools

• How does the school guide and prepare students for major academic decisions that will define their options in high school and beyond?
• Are foreign language classes (French, Spanish, German etc.) offered to students? Are they part of the curriculum?
• Do they offer language classes in minority languages? Are they part of the curriculum?
• If the school is large, does it make an effort to provide activities that create a sense of community?

6 c) For high schools

• What student-support services are available for individual student counselling and university placement?
• What programs are in place for drug and alcohol prevention?
• What programs are in place to prevent bullying (incl. cyberbullying)?
• Does this school have a particular academic focus, such as science or humanities?
• Does this school have any school-to-work programs or specialized academies?
• What kind of emphasis does the school place on college preparation?
• Does the school have a good selection of Advanced Placement classes?
• What percentage of students takes the SAT ? Where do students go after they graduate? How many attend four-year colleges? What kind of degrees are possible? (In Europe: A, B, AB, IB, EB etc.)
• Does the school offer a variety of career planning options for students who are not college bound?
• Are counselors available to help students make important decisions about classes and post-graduation plans?
• What percentage of students who start at the school in ninth grade graduate?
• Does the school staff set high expectations for all students?
• How do students get to school? Is there a parking lot, and are buses (public or district-provided) available?
• Is this school accredited?

7) Facilities

• Do classrooms look cheerful? Is student work displayed, and does it seem appropriate for the grade level?
• Do teachers seem enthusiastic and knowledgeable, asking questions that stimulate students and keep them engaged?
• Does the principal seem confident and interested in interacting with students, teachers and parents?
• How do students behave as they move from class to class or play outside?
• How well are the facilities maintained? Are bathrooms clean and well supplied, and do the grounds look safe and inviting?
• Are all the facilities like playgrounds, libraries, IT etc. state-of-the-art and well maintained?
• Does the school provide different facilities, such as libraries, cafeterias and sport areas for different grade levels?
• What kind of library resources are available for students?
• Does the school provide warm meals/catering service?
• What facilities are open to family members?
• What is the quality of air, water and noise around the school?
• Is the community surrounding the school residential, commercial or inner-city?

Last but not least:

• Were all questions answered in a straight-forward manner with documentation readily offered?

Excellent articles about this topic:

http://kidoinfo.com/ri/top-10-questions-to-ask-when-choosing-a-school-for-your-child-with-learning-differences/

http://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/school-visit/24-the-school-visit-what-to-look-for-what-to-ask.gs?page=all

http://voices.yahoo.com/the-ten-most-important-questions-ask-choosing-383086.html

http://school.familyeducation.com/school-selection/parenting/38802.html

Related articles

• “My instructor provided meaningful feedback” (studereducation.wordpress.com)
• Children who learn languages with schools like UIC London enjoy more opportunities (prweb.com)
• Is It the Teacher or the System? (thereadingzone.wordpress.com)
• Ideal Learning Environment (educationalissuesandhelp.wordpress.com)
• Parents start their own school after city closes one down (fox59.com)
• About International Schools in The Hague area (expatsincebirth.com)