Welcome coffees and one-day orientations are great. But in international schools, they aren’t enough.
In Episode 27 of the Blue Skies Leadership Podcast, Daniel Mendes and I sit down with clinical psychologist and author Doug Ota, PhD to unpack a silent factor impacting international education: unmanaged mobility.
Drawing on John Hattie’s research, Dr. Ota reminds us that mobility has one of the largest negative effects on student learning, not because moving is inherently bad, but because schools often handle the “crest” of the wave (arrivals) while ignoring the “trough” (goodbyes, grief, and long-term attachment).
In this conversation, we explore:
💡 Why transitions-care is a strategic leadership imperative, not just an admissions task.
💡 Dr. Ota’s “3 Magic S’s” for every student and staff member: being Seen, Soothed, and Safe.
💡 How schools act as “attachment objects” that shape how young people build relationships for the rest of their lives.
💡 As Dr. Ota puts it: “Kids should look back on their school years knowing they belonged.”
Link Here – https://lnkd.in/g8JBm5Ku
Also Here – https://lnkd.in/gdW-ymS6?
