iTeachOverseas podcast iTeachOverseas

"When we are clear about what we are looking for and being open to that, with our strengths, then we're more likely to have a successful rather than a frustrating time counting down the days until the end." ~ Robert Fenlon
Robert spent 17 years teaching overseas. He collaborated with Karenni teachers to provide education to 2,000 refugee students in UN camps in Thailand. More recently he was a lecturer/trainer supporting aboriginal miners in remote northern Australia in which he won the Australian Industry-Education Collaboration Award for improving employee engagement and retention.
iTeachOverseas is about celebrating, educating and entertaining the international educator. The podcast is an opportunity to showcase the interesting and complex world of international schools.
 
 
 
 

Dawn Doig - Writer, Audiologist, and EAL Teacher - International School of Ulaanbaatar "Sound is such an important part of the human experience!" ~ Dawn Doig Dawn Doig spent 23 years as an Audiologist working in places such as Vietnam, UK, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Recently, Dawn earned her EAL certification through The College of New Jersey, Mallorca Campus and has been an EAL teacher for the last four years at the International School of Ulaanbaatar. Dawn is a passionate writer and has published 5 picture books that we discuss in this podcast.  Dawn will be leaving Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia at the end of the 2018 school year and will be moving with her husband, Bruce, to Cameroon (American School of Yaounde) where Dawn will be leading the K-12 ELL program and Bruce with be heading the Technology Integration program. Her picture books are inspired by her family and the children she has helped give the gift of sound as well as more recently in the classroom helping students learn a new language. In this iTeachOverseas episode, Dawn provides examples of how the learning environment for kids learning a new language could benefit from the same teaching practices implemented for those students with mild to profound hearing loss.  Dawn offers advice on how to support english language learners in the classroom.
Dawn's Books Tragic Accident - a

S1E04 - Robin Heslip and Andy DesRoches
“This is my path, and I went on that path!” ~Robin Heslip, Superintendent of ACS Abu Dhabi, is my next guest on iTeachOverseas podcast.  The talented Andy DesRoches from American School of Dubai is also featured.
In November, I got the opportunity to interview Robin Heslip, Superintendent of ACS Abu Dhabi and a 31-year veteran of international education at the Global Recruitment Fair http://www.grcfair.com. (https://twitter.com/grcfair?lang=en)
 A big thanks goes out to Craig Johnson (https://twitter.com/c_alan_johnson) ,Mario Fishery (https://twitter.com/mariofishery) and the wonderful staff at the American School of Bombay(https://twitter.com/asbindia?lang=en), who have been the main organizers  of the GRC Fair and work hard to put on this truly global event. 
This carpet connoisseur from Lacrosse Wisconsin has been an educator in every region of the world and she has some great words of advice for all of us.  Our conversation began with a discussion about her decision to retire from international education. 
Our tip this podcast comes from Liz Asper a lower primary grade 2 teacher from Hong Kong International School(https://twitter.com/hkis?lang=en).  When acclimatizing to a new country, spend some of your school breaks exploring where you live and resist the itch to travel every break.  It will help you quickly connect and transition to your new home.  Liz also recommends if you can make friends outside of school…do it.  Non-teaching friends can help give you relief from school talk and keep your international school bubble in check.
Robin was so much fun to interview that I could have asked her so much more but her busy Director job kept us from learning more about her experiences overseas.  Maybe one day soon we can visit her in Florida, watch a sunset and drink some Mint tea and share some stories.
Even if you are new to international teaching, you’ve probably realized that international educators are some of the most talented people you will meet both inside and outside of the classroom.  In this next segment, I’m calling on all of our creative colleagues to send me their talents.
 
Andy DesRoches is one of those fascinating and talented individuals.  Andy has spent 15+ years traveling the world with his wife Rebecca DesRoches.  This former baptist minister from Eastern Canada has spent time in Portugal, Mozambique, and Kenya.  Andy began his World History teaching career in Saudi Arabia and currently works at the American School of Dubai (https://twitter.com/asdubainews?lang=en) in the United Arab Emirates.  When he’s not teaching, you can find Andy playing the guitar or electric bass in school musicals and writing his own music.  Here is Andy playing the guitar.

S1E03 - Jared Maisel - Athletic Training and Sports Injury in International Schools
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jared Maisel who is a certified Athletic Trainer working at Concordia Shanghai. He has worked as an athletic trainer at the US collegiate level in such sports as football, tennis, softball, soccer, rugby and field hockey. He also got the opportunity to work with the Philadelphia Flyers organization of National Hockey League.
This is his first international school posting and as you will hear he knows Athletic training at the youth level and is passionate about bringing his Health & Wellness knowledge to international schools around the world. In the past 4 years, he has made tremendous strides in improving the safety of athletes in the APAC conference and you’ll hear how Jared saves his school a lot of money each year. He will also share a lot of great resources with us that I will link in the show notes iteachoverseas.com forward 103 and if you listen to the end, Jared has an important message for all international schools. He’s a great guy and looking for a new adventure next year….maybe one of our listeners can help him out.
iTO Tip of the Week
This tip comes from Glynis Ogden from Shanghai American School. When looking to book a rental car for a six week summer vacation in North America, you may find it cheaper to book two separate car rentals during that time. Many car rental companies have great deals on monthly rates so you would need to book a separate two week car rental to get you through the rest of your vacation.
Interview with Jared Maisel - Athletic Trainer at Concordia Shanghai.

Discusses the differences between the Athletic vs. personal trainer roles.
Foam Rolling (Self-massage)
Myofascial release - https://www.spine-health.com/treatment/physical-therapy/myofascial-release-therapy
 
Dynamic Stretching/Warm-Up - https://greatist.com/fitness/full-body-dynamic-warm-up
Jared explains how he saves the school a lot of money by providing teacher consults and on-site physical therapy sessions reducing the amount of sick days teachers take.  Furthermore, his work with organizing the Health & Wellness program has shown greater participation in physical activities which has led to 'happier' teachers. 
Resources for schools on the prevention of Sports Injuries
http://www.atyourownrisk.org
National Academy of Sports Medicine - https://www.nasm.org/
National Strength and Conditioning Association - https://www.nsca.com/
HEADS UP to Youth Sports - https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/index.html
If you are enjoying this podcast, there are so many ways you can help support. Just go to iteachoverseas.com slash support and find out how you can get involved. If you are not enjoying the show then go to the iteachoverseas.com website and tell me why. I would love to hear from you.

Contact Information
Jared Maisel - Email: jared.maisel@concordiashanghai.org
 
 

S1E02 - JUMP Foundation - Justin Bedard
My guest today is Justin Bedard from the JUMP foundation. If you have been in international schools for a while you probably have met Justin or his team organizing and empowering students to become community leaders, realize their passions and reach their potential. We met up in Shanghai in October and I was able to interview him about his humble beginnings in Africa, how JUMP came to be and the impact it has had in the lives of our international students. You can find links to websites or information mentioned in the podcast by going to iteachoverseas.com forward 102. I hope you enjoy listening to his story as much as I enjoyed interviewing him and maybe, just maybe there is someone out there listening who can help Justin and the JUMP foundation realize their vision for learning in international schools.
https://jumpfoundation.org/
iTO Tip of the Week
This tip comes from Leslie Henry the Elementary Library Media Specialist from Jakarta Intercultural School in Indonesia. Before traveling with toddlers or pre-schoolers on long-haul flights, prepare a tiny gift for every hour you are in flight. These simple small gifts can be a new stuffed animal, coloring, play doh, simple puzzles or craft items you can work together to complete. These gift-wrapped gems (gift wrapping is optional but highly encouraged) are simple ways to pass time. It will also build anticipation in your child which can lead to some interesting conversations with your child. You can find links to ideas in today’s show notes.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/171699804522458183/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2691372/Top-10-toys-entertain-children-plane-Play-Doh-Loom-Bands.html
http://parenthacks.com/2015/05/air-travel-with-kids.html

S1E01 - Henri Lemaire - iTO 101
Welcome to the iTeachOverseas podcast.  Whether you are currently teaching overseas or considering the idea, my mission for this podcast is to celebrate, educate and entertain our  international community.  Join me as we discuss current issues and trends in international schools as well as meet some amazing people from around the world.
 
If you would like to follow along in the show notes for episode 1 go to iteachoverseas.com forward 101
 
My first guest is a great example of a life-long international educator.  Henri Lemaire spent 36 years overseas and has some fantastic stories to share about his journey.   You can follow along in the show notes by going to iteachoverseas.com/101…
 
Before we begin the interview, here is this episode’s iteachoverseas tip:
 
Instead of purchasing expensive luggage to bring back all of your summer purchases, buy heavy duty plastic bins.  They are cheap, lightweight and provide the protection for your favorite perishables that will get you through those third world blues during the school year.  Buy bins that have holes in the lips of the container where you can zip tie them shut.  Once you get to your home away from home, you can use them as storage containers if you have the room.  In today’s show notes iteachoverseas.com/101, I will link to a few types that have proven to be very strong and reliable.
Sterilite 27 Gallon
Durabilt 108 L Heavy Duty Bin

If you have an iteachoverseas tip to share on this show go to iteachoverseas.com or send me an email at info@iteachoverseas.com.
 
I really hope you are enjoying this episode of iTeachOverseas.  Contribute to upcoming episodes or let me know what you think by going to iteachoverseas.com   
 
With his first year of international teaching in Algeria under his belt, Henri moved to Cincinnati, Ohio.  He spent the next 6 years teaching French immersion in public schools during the day while taking night courses to get his  Bachelor of Education. Eventually he earned a Masters in French Literature.  When it came time to leave the US, Henri wanted to stay abroad and he kept his mind open to all possibilities including former war zones.
 
I hope you enjoy listening to some of his favorite stories abroad.
 
Like most international teachers, school breaks offer a lot opportunities to explore and find adventure.  Sometimes adventure finds you.
 
I hope you have enjoyed listening to Henri’s stories.