Transitions

So at any international school there are students and teachers in transition.  Moving from one place to another can be a difficult change. But this gets more complicated when you are moving to a different country.  As adults, this can be challenging.  But for the students, not having control or say in the decisions that lead to these moves even further complicates the change.

Rosie and Bella have undergone lots of change.  Since we had to move houses each of our four years in Norway, our new home in Dubai was their sixth house in six years.  They have learned to be flexible and to adapt.  But these lessons take time.  For over a month, each tuck in consisted of a "I miss Norway" list and ended with the concluding question: "When we are going home to Norway?"  Somewhere in the middle was a "why did we move?" and sadness if not always tears.  Change is difficult.

One reason we moved was to see this all this year.

Luckily for us, the girls each have a counselor who is experiencing this change as well. Both Nick and Sally are new to Dubai and walk in the shoes of the students they serve. Most counselors I have worked with seem to find their way to the position because they themselves appear to need counseling. This allows for empathy but often a difficult personality for colleagues to chat with.  You always feel like one of you is "on the couch" during conversation. Nick and Sally are refreshingly grounded and so attentive to the needs of their students. They are the right mix of enthusiasm, empathy and "kids first" to make them a dynamic duo. And a large portion of Rosie and Bella's transition to Dubai has been facilitated by these two great colleagues.

Whether it is helping with grade level placement, student ID numbers and registration or weekly classroom visits, these two have always been on the hotline ready to swoop in to help our kids.

"Do you think the Cat-Egan children will make it?"

"Not a chance!"

So as we enter quarter 2 and speed toward winter break, I just wanted to send a shout-out to two people who do a great job helping our students.  I think of my family on arrival day in August and where we are today and it seems we have all grown into the next chapter of our lives.  Sally and Nick have helped us a lot in achieving our goal of life altering change for ourselves and our chldren. Shukran!

OK, I take back that remark about Nick not needing counseling!