United Nations Day at JIS is a class act. The flag ceremony is moving and beautiful to watch. The International food tasting booths and lunch booths run by the PTA are delicious, authentic and display lots of national decorations and costumes, the student performances of native dance was inspiring! I loved the different national costumes worn by international staff and students. Many teachers from English speaking countries wore attire from countries that they worked at in the past or sports team Jerseys. A few crazy hats and glasses were seen, but it is a bit of an embarrassment that the US is represented by kitsch from Walmart made in China. At least my hat was made by an artist in North Carolina.
The fact that teachers were allowed to visit the food booths10 minutes before 280 middle schoolers did was a blessing. The students were at the Bali outdoor stage hearing from service clubs about how they can make a difference in Indonesia from working a Saturday with Habitat for Humanity to shoe and clothing drives for disaster victims of the recent earthquake and Merapi volcano eruption. In comparing notes with other teachers who had experienced UN Day in other countries-JIS puts more soul in theirs, with more student involvement. They also said that JIS respects teachers more. They hire the best teachers and then encourage and trust them to do the best for the students and school. It is nice to be back in a school where there is not only a partnership between administration and teachers in committee work, but also on a more personal level, where tough decisions need to be made because of budgetary constraints. There is a kind, transparent, honest and caring attitude that underlies all interaction between staff and administration that is increasingly missing in US schools, as evidenced by stories shared by teachers here.
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