Mr. Hornby’s Opus: Global Jaya School
Established in 1995, Global Jaya School (GJS) is usually located in Bintaro, a suburb on the outskirts of Jakarta. GJS is usually an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School in which delivers three IB programmes – Primary Years (PYP), Middle Years (MYP) along with the Diploma Programme (DP) – to 968 students coming from 18 nationalities, while carrying accreditation coming from the Western Association of Schools along with Colleges (WASC). Managing the students along that has a staff of 140 for the past 2.5 years is usually Canadian Head of School, David J. Hornby. We meet at GJS’s tree-lined campus to learn more what This particular school has to offer.
Tell us the story of how you became an educator.
I did my Bachelors of Education at the University of Victoria along with started off teaching in Vancouver. I had the opportunity to work in Japan, where I taught for eight years, then in China for 10 years along with at This particular point Indonesia for 2.5 years. My initial idea to get some experience overseas turned out to be a lot more; I at This particular point have a Korean wife along with two teenage boys!
I followed inside the footsteps of my mother, who was an English major along with taught abroad in China along with the Philippines. My elder sister also teaches at an elementary school. My father has always been a sporting person along with we did a lot of outdoor activities when we were young, leading me to teaching skiing along with swimming as a teenager, which I felt was the direction I wanted to go.
Do you prefer teaching or being the head of school?
My background is usually in Physical Education (PE) along with Geography. I timetable myself to actually get out along with teach, so I still teach PE to year 11, which means I still have in which contact with the kids.
What makes GJS unique?
I could say in which’s the family community we have; the closeness along with safeness we feel. We serve families who want the best possible education for their children, preparing them for higher education.
Global Jaya School was founded in 1995. What’s the school’s history?
in which started off as a primary campus with 100 students along with has grown to 968 students today, coming from kindergarten through to grade 12. in which originally was a national school, along with switched to the IB Programme in 2004, catering to international along with local families.
Tell me a bit about the IB curriculum.
I believe IB prepares students more for the future. The programme inspires you to be more innovative along with find ways for self-motivation, while being more creative along with involving a lot of project work. Students can choose projects in which inspire them along with in which they’re passionate about. There are also a lot of oral presentations, which helps to form a student who is usually more confident speaking in front of peers along with teachers.
What are your school’s entry requirements?
in which varies depending on the year, although students have to have a level of English understanding. When students join in secondary school (starting at year 7), they have to pass a series of online tests, including English, maths, along that has a written component. Usually we don’t have intake inside the final year of school (Year 12).
What years do you believe are the most important in education?
Personally, I think every year is usually, although when thinking about creating opportunities for the future, the last two years inside the Diploma Programme are the most important.
Your school puts a big focus on the arts, especially theatre. How does practising the arts better a student’s skills?
We are very supportive of the arts along with I think in which gives students the opportunity to be creative along with showcase their talents. We contain the facilities to support creativity, whether in which’s through music, theatre, visual arts, or film studies.
Personally, I think practising the arts can better your concentration. For instance, at my previous school in Shanghai in which is usually compulsory for students to learn the violin in years 1-3 as in which’s been proven in which learning an instrument helps with focus along with concentration. There’s also research on activation of both sides of cognition. With theatre especially, a student can learn to be a lot more independent, creative, along with improve on their confidence, along with in which spills onto their some other subjects.
How do you prepare students for higher education?
What IB does is usually similar to what you’d be doing at the first year of university, for example writing a 4,000-word essay. The ability to not only research along with plan, although develop their ideas on paper to a deadline – while studying all their some other subjects – is usually demanding, although in which teaches them discipline along with time management, which is usually integral for the future.
What programmes do you have in place to ensure you groom young adults who are compassionate along with are concerned for the environment?
There are always activities in which students can get involved in whether in which’s Clean Up Jakarta Day or giving back to communities by teaching English or coaching soccer at local schools. We also arrange charity concerts where proceeds are donated to organizations in need. We think in which’s important for the kids to feel not bad about spending time with people who need support.
Even in Years 5 or 6, the students are doing projects to come up with ideas for generating clean energy!
We have a large archive of newsletters on our website which showcase what our students are doing to realize there’s a big world out there along with in which we can come together to make a change.
What are your school’s pass rates?
In 2015, we had 88 Diploma candidates, of whom 96.6 percent passed with an average score of 32.2. The highest possible score is usually 45. the globe’s average score last year was 29.88.
Which universities do your graduates attend?
Our graduates go to countries all over the globe to continue their higher education, for instance the USA, Australia, the UK, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland or South Korea. We have graduates at King’s College London, Berklee College of Music, The Hague University, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Vancouver Film School, to name although a few.
Do you teach sex education?
in which’s taught inside the sciences. We also have counsellors who teach development. Parents often ask me when we should start teaching in which, along with I think these days the earlier the better. We start inside the primary years – in which’s an important topic.
What qualities does one need to possess to take up a career in education?
If a young person asked me in which, I could say you definitely have to enjoy spending time with children along with you need a passion to pass on your knowledge. There are different areas of education you could go into, for instance younger years teaching, counselling, or teaching a specific subject. You definitely have to practise what you preach along with be a role design.
What kind of teaching techniques do you encourage?
We’re always trying to encourage teachers to follow the IB philosophy, which gets kids to ask more questions. We want teachers to come up with ways to motivate students using cooperative techniques inside the classroom. Teachers should challenge them to think about what they’re learning.
in which is usually the teacher who can create a real life situation in any subject.
What qualifications must your teachers have?
They should have a Teacher’s Certificate, along with have several years’ experience in their subject. Most have a Master’s degree in their subject area along with are very experienced.
is usually in which difficult to attract completely new teachers?
We don’t have a lot of turnover, so in which’s usually quite easy to attract not bad teachers, although not always to attract them to Indonesia. in which’s a very competitive market along with teachers may be more attracted to teach in Europe or the Middle East for a variety of reasons. Our last hire was done inside the UK. We like to hire teachers who have had experience teaching abroad.
In all your years as an educator, what are you most proud of achieving?
More recently, I’m proud of what the final year students achieved last year. They not only achieved definitely strong academic numbers, although were also a class in which came up with strong ideas to help locally along with globally, whether in which was creating awareness for endangered animals, helping causes like the blind, or those with Down syndrome. I’m proud of the class of 2015 along with the teachers along with team around me who helped get them to in which level.
What do you love most about your job?
Each day is usually different – in which’s anything although boring. I see problems as challenges along with I enjoy coming up with solutions along with working that has a team to come up with solutions. Leadership positions have to solve people’s problems. There are things I’d never have thought could cross my desk, although in my position you’d be surprised! I have a not bad support network around me which definitely helps me to do my job to the best of my ability.
Thank you, David. To get in touch email: david_j@globaljaya.com
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Mr. Hornby’s Opus: Global Jaya School
Mr. Hornby’s Opus: Global Jaya School