Please introduce yourself to our community
Hi! I’m Andrew. I’m the Preschool PYP Coordinator at GESS. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Primary Education and initial teacher training in my hometown of Canterbury, UK. It’s a small, quaint city with cobbled streets and a historic cathedral, a far cry from Singapore!
I first came to Singapore during my internship at UWCSEA East. It was my first time in an international school environment in Asia and I also met my wife on this trip. Needless to say, Singapore is a very special place for me.
After completing my studies, I returned to Singapore to teach, before leaving for Beijing, China to work in a larger bilingual PYP school. It was here that I discovered my passion for the early years, an appreciation for Chinese culture and an understanding of how to support multilingual students. After a few years, my wife and I moved back to Singapore, and an opportunity came up to join GESS.
When not at school I can often be found tinkering with technology, building computers, or enjoying a long film. I love watching biopics and documentaries, as well as getting out into nature and taking long walks through the jungle. My wife and I are also avid travellers and foodies and have been known to book our holiday accommodation based on its proximity to delicious food!
I’m also currently working on my master’s degree in education, so there is no shortage of things to keep me busy outside of school.
Since when have you been with GESS and why did you join the school?
I joined GESS in August 2020, so I am fairly new to the team. I joined GESS for a number of reasons.
First, I had heard wonderful things about the staff, students, and resources from others in the international teaching community.
Furthermore, GESS is an all-through IB school where students have the opportunity to learn through the PYP, MYP, and DP. As an IB DP graduate myself, I was eager to jump at the opportunity to work with Preschool learners and support their educational journey as they play, inquire, and learn through the Primary Years Programme.
I was also attracted to the role of Preschool PYP Coordinator as it combines my passions: early years and the PYP curriculum. This allows me to not only share my expertise but also to learn from and collaborate with passionate, enthusiastic staff members across the whole school.
How have your first few months as Pre-School PYP Coordinator been and what have been the first impressions and experiences?
In one word: busy! The year began not only under significant Covid-19 restrictions but also with a joint IB/CIS re-accreditation visit, requiring me to hit the ground running and become familiar with the school’s action plan. Thankfully, there is an incredibly supportive staff at GESS as well as a strong ethos of teamwork, collaboration, and community spirit throughout the school.
The children in Preschool have also been keen to welcome me, show me around their classes and tell me all about their interests. In the first few months, I have put two Pre-K children to sleep simultaneously during nap time (no mean feat!), explored the rooftop of our campus at night with K1 students, built giant structures with K2, and scavenged for animal and plant life in the jungle with Pre-Primary.
What are the new initiatives and projects that you are working on in Pre-School currently?
There are several active initiatives and projects happening in Pre-School. To support these, we have set up workgroups to address feedback from our self-study as well as the IB and CIS reports. These are focused on:
- Strengthening our assessment and documentation practices.
- Reviewing some of our curriculum and strengthening the alignment of Preschool to Primary.
- Reconnecting with our German roots.
- Reviewing our language program and the Dual Immersion program.
These workgroups meet at least once a month and have already spent several hours researching, discussing and identifying actions that could be taken. They will share some of their findings later in the year.
We have also begun working with Eurosec Primary homeroom teachers and specialists to review our Programme of Inquiry; this is a new form of collaboration that will strengthen our PYP curriculum and the alignment between Preschool and Primary.
