That High School Life

This episode is part 2 of my knowledge mobilization plan that I've put together as part of my graduate school research. If you're reading these show notes: I graduated! As of February, I officially have a Master of Education in Education Technology from Memorial University of Newfoundland. As part of my research, I decided to interview people who could give me insight into the nature of...

I finished grad school!  In this episode, an interview with Dana Fallis, management consultant and my former teaching partner.  As part of my capstone project for grad school, I had to assemble a Knowledge Mobilization Plan. As part of this plan, I proposed the sharing and discussion of my findings with leading voices in the education industry. This episode is Part 1, and focuses on the transforma...

When you measure student success, and it's easy to get lost in the numbers—exam pass/fail rates, diploma completion, acceptance ratios.  It's important to remember the people behind the numbers though. This is an interview with Anna Do, a former student who graduated from the Canadian International School in Vietnam in 2019. Today, Anna's a graduate student pursuing her M.Sc in Heal...

Well, well, well, how the turntables... If you didn't get the reference to The Office, that's okay. In this episode though, the tables did turn, as I was the one getting interviewed (sort of). This was the recorded conversation between me and a group of students in Holistic Approaches to Information Technology (CTL 5011), a master's level class at the University of Toronto/Ontario I...

Every year without fail, it happens: senior students around the world chase down guidance counsellors, do their best to cram an impactful experience into a 500 word personal statement, and call up teachers for reference letters. And then there's the process of interviewing.  This episode is a deep dive with Kana Shishikura, who works in the field of holistic admissions. Kana unpacks a few bur...

This episode is brought to you by Obsessed with ABGs . Read more about it at the bottom of these show notes. Show notes: Nothing's set in stone kids—sometimes the final destination that you have in mind in high school is only a pit stop on the way to another destination. High school is a time to figure out what you're passionate about, but this is a conversation about how it's never...

"Can you hear me now? I'm standing as close as I can to the router." Welcome back for Season 3 of That High School Life! Surprisingly (or not surprisingly), we've found ourselves back at online learning after four months of in-person classes. For Grade 12 students around the world, and the ones at IS Ruhr, some things remain the same: Getting up, doing work, wrapping up the las...

The past couple of months have been...interesting (in the sense of the phrase, "May you live in interesting times").  This episode of That High School Life is an interview with Johannes, an IB Year 1 student at International School Ruhr. Since we just recently implemented a hybrid (in-person/online) learning schedule, this interview during a lunch break at school (and right before a busi...

International School Ruhr is two weeks into online teaching, and it’s safe to say that hitting the ground running is not easy, and even less so when you’re still delivering a full day of lessons. In this interview I talked to Maria Robalino, Secondary Years Principal at IS Ruhr, and she shared her thoughts on how the team there made online learning happen in just four days. Netflix shows to watch...

This instalment of That High School Life (and the reason for the title) comes to you from Brussels, Belgium, where I and my guest were supervising an overnight trip with a group of 24 kids. An obvious, but often overlooked perk of teaching K-12 is that it can be a lot of things, but it's never boring. In fact, it's the opposite—no two days are ever really the same. One thing that is ofte...

What happens when you slack off? Bad things usually, but is there a good way to slack off? And if there is, how do you do it? In this episode, I interview Conrad, a university pal who's now a senior developer at Slack. But he wasn't always a senior developer—like every functioning adult, he had to go through his own ups and downs to get to where he is now. In this episode, we talk about...

It's been six months, but I do have some exciting news—I moved to Germany! Moving isn't without its challenges (which is why this season is starting in the middle of the school year). On that note, here's a new episode where I talk to Kimia, an student in Year 2 of the International Baccalaurate (IB) diploma programme, about: - What it's like to move between two really differen...

An interview with Yu, soon-to-be official graduate of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme Thoughts on 9 years in the same school, being a third culture kid, and lessons learned from teachers as you get older A look at the familiar feeling of "what now?" that follows completion of a long task (like high school) A special announcement to wrap up season 2 of That High Sch...

In this episode: An interview with Jean, who I happen to be related to What originally started out as an interview on math quickly turns to a conversation about apps, Vietnamese culture, reverse culture shock, adapting to change, and western food Tips for teachers who are coming to Vietnam next year An answer to a very topical question: If you were an Avenger, who would you be? For reference, all...

The concept of music in a school setting conjures up some common images: spit valves being released, guitar strings being plucked, reeds being soaked, and the humble plastic recorder being turned into an impromptu spitball shooter. In this interview, Erik shares his thoughts on what it is to be a music director in an international school. Musical influences from Bach to John Denver to Mariah Carey...

In this episode, an interview with Khai, a Grade 11 student, on: Switching curricula as an international school student Moving to another country Murakami novels Future aspirations for school Long term personal goals Also in this episode: Sort of improved sound quality thanks to a couple of new mics and a mildly soundproofed room.  This interview was filmed before the winter break, and Season 2 of...

In this episode: Recording on new gear! Making mistakes with new gear! A sort-of new layout for the show. More importantly: An interview with Diana, a teacher at the Canadian International School on teaching English Language Learners The upside of making mistakes in your students' native language Thoughts on assessment and evaluation Being a language teacher first, subject teacher second On w...

In this episode, an interview with an IB student on life in Year 2 of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. A look at summer, challenges in Year 2, and some insights into the beginning of the end of high school. And finally—a definitive answer to a hotly debated question: would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck? Welcome to Season 2 of That High School Lif...

Welcome back to school! Season 2 of THSL starts with an interview in Toronto, Canada (recorded back in July). My guest for this episode was Jon, a student services professional at the post-secondary level. - Helping students make a transition (for teachers) - the right kind of workload - Helping yourself make a transition (for students) - lifestyle, academics, social stuff - Specific information f...

In this episode: - An interview with Reina, a self-described third culture kid whose K12 education took her from Japan, to Taiwan, to Michigan, and back again - Advice from one international student to another: Things to be mindful of when you're making important decisions about your post-high school pathways - Advice from a student services professional for all students in general: Three thi...

In this episode: - New intro/outro music! (CC attribution below) - Joe remembers to introduce the podcast - An interview with Anna, an OSSD student - Looking back at three years of high school - Anna dishes out advice for the new class of grade 9s - In retrospect, some odd editing went on with this episode. All part of figuring out Logic X Pro + how to work the recording gear! "Professor Umla...

First episode, and we're already at the end! In this episode: - Dana sings the intro - Joe starts a new podcast, but forgets to introduce himself - Dana talks about transitioning to another role in education and recommends coffee Coffee places: 1) Cafe Cabin: Đường số 9, Tân Phú, Quận 7 2) The Coffee House: 223 Võ Văn Tần, Quận 3 3) Cafe Du Nam: 300 Nguyễn Thị Thập, Tân Quy, Quận 7 The barbec...