“If someone asks me my real secret, it’s that I love my students, and I believe in their possibilities unconditionally. I see only what they can become.”
— Linda Cliatt-Wayman
A school, as a collective group of teachers, learners and parents, is indeed a fascinating blend of art and science, research and application, in the attempt to meet the needs of increasingly complex curriculum demands whilst balancing these with the urgency to create well-rounded, inspiring leaders of the future. Whatever role our students play in the paths of their lives, they will be called upon to act with honour, integrity and honesty if they hope to leave a meaningful and positive impact on the world. At Woodlands International College, we believe wholeheartedly that we are the custodians of limitless potential. Whilst a firm academic grounding, provided to our students by expert teachers and gold-standard teaching models, is critical to unleashing this potential, the value of a nurturing and supportive environment can never be overlooked. As a community, with deliberate and careful guidance from our family of Directors, we are proud to promote and expect these same family values from our students. Our campus, based on a protected wetland where the natural environment is protected and valued, is also alive with children who respect each other, demonstrate compassion in their actions and work both independently and collectively towards their goals.
Having entered the precious profession of teaching after working in the therapeutic sciences, I am aware of the sum of skills and competencies that develop and merge throughout childhood in order to create an happy and confident adolescent and, by extension, a functional family unit. Whilst I remain confident that good speech and language skills are critical in this development, and value the importance of written and spoken communication skills, my transition to high school teacher compels me to see the child as a sum of both weaknesses and strengths- based on a model of development that acknowledges that each child will attain these skills in a different manner and at a varied rate. This development is facilitated at Woodlands College by the variety of sporting and cultural activities offered and also through a focus on community service for holistic development of the adolescent. Woodlands actively promotes the development of a well-rounded individual, through our weekly Enrichment programme, entries into various Olympiads and an active House system, overseen by designated Heads of Houses and Grades, who serve as mentors and role models. The needs of the work space in which our students will one day operate are also integrated through a variety of technology and STEAM based teaching and learning processes, with this being actively included within the curriculum from grade 7 level.
It is this comprehensive approach to view each chid as an individual, with unique strengths and needs, that has resulted in the school’s proud history, having achieved a 100% pass rate since its inception, with more than 94% of Grade 12 students obtaining the highest level of achievement, being a Bachelor’s pass, consistently in the Grade 12 year.
As the Principal of Woodlands Senior College, it is indeed a privilege to offer children, and families, the benefit of an academic, supportive and developmentally appropriate education. Furthermore, to see this being achieved within a co-educational space, allowing for the normalization of harmonious and collaborative relationships to develop between male and female students, is a source of pride. I am blessed to work in an environment that allows me daily to see the value of my vocation as a teacher whilst giving me the freedom to trust that the youth of our country really do hold the future quite capably in their hands.
