We have wanted to do this show for ages. We so admire women leaders, and some major players joined us for this interview! Kim Cofino is a well-known voice in the areas of women in leadership and instructional coaching. Madeleine Maceda Heide was a head of school on three continents and is a co-founder of the AMISA Women in Leadership organisation. Rhonda Norris is Superintendent of International Schools Group in Saudi Arabia and was a head of school in the Caribbean and in Asia, and Heather Naro is Head of Schutz School in Alexandria, Egypt. Their wisdom runs deep and their compassion is overflowing. This was a heartfelt, intimate conversation where the ladies shared their best tips for aspiring women leaders, with a big one being: “Go for it!”

Check out our website for the full bios of these incredible women.

Our Guiding Question was “What have been some of your most useful lessons learned as a woman leader in International Education?”

Here are some of the topics covered in this episode:

• Reasons for becoming leaders
• Pathways to leadership
• Barriers to women becoming leaders
• Steps to take to become a leader
• Advice not to take along the way
• The importance of mentoring, modeling, perspective taking, service, adaptability and more!

Resources mentioned:

The Association for the Advancement of Instructional Coaching in International Schools - AAICIS

AMISA Women in Leadership website

Carney Sandoe

Kim’s Website, Eduro Learning, book co-authored with Christina Botbyl - Finding Your Path as a Woman in School Leadership

Kim’s Coach Better Podcast

Episode 82 with Claire Gaul On Followership and the Complexities of International Teaching

International Schools Group

Contact Info: Kim Cofino Heather Naro Madeleine Maceda Heide Rhonda Norris

The show was recorded on June 16, 2025

Categories: Leadership | School Life

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

The data is quite conclusive: young people around the world are struggling. Research and books such as The Anxious Generation highlight the negative effects of technology and social networks on our students.

We also know that two common themes in international schools are academic pressure and high expectations for students applying to university.

On a more positive note, we are seeing a growing trend of schools placing greater emphasis on a holistic approach to supporting students.

In this interview, we learn how the Dean of Students at one school helps lead and coordinate efforts to stay ahead of these trends.

We speak with Andy Vaughan, a Dean of Students at an international school, about his role in providing leadership to help students develop the life skills needed to overcome struggles and chart their pathway toward full and healthy lives.

Andy is a Kiwi who has been living overseas with his family for the past 20 years teaching and leading in South East Asia. Currently working at the High School Dean of Students at International School Bangkok, Andy was previously the Athletics Director at ISB and in the past has taught Physical Education, Science, Health and Outdoor Education. He is passionate about establishing systems in schools that proactively ensure we support student well being to ensure all students feel like they belong and are cared for.

Our guiding questions were: “What does a Dean of Students do? How has the role of Dean of Students evolved over time? What trends are you observing around this role in international schools going forward?”

Here are a few of the topics covered in this episode:

• The impetus for and evolution of the Dean of Students role at Andy’s school
• A breakdown of the job description
• The importance of using data to support students
• Lessons learned from the role
• Observations about digital wellness
• Advice on how to move into leadership positions
• Trends in the role of Dean of Students and in international schools in general

Resources shared in this episode:

Mario Education
Google Looker Studio
Parenting in the Digital Age & Family Wellness Workshop (Slideshow)

The show was recorded on June 22, 2025.

Categories: School Life | Parenting | Wellness

Remember to access our Educators Going Global website for more information and consider joining our Patreon community at patreon/educatorsgoingglobal!

Email us with comments or suggestions at educatorsgoingglobal@gmail.com

Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

Listen on your favorite podcast app: connect from our share page.

Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

What does the term "followership" mean to you? Our guest, Claire Gaul, joined us to delve into what it means to be a follower in international schools. She wrote a blog post for our learning hub that really got Audrey and me thinking about how being a follower connects to leadership in international schools—a theme that runs through many of our shows.

Claire describes the interaction of followership and leadership as a type of dance. I think this description makes a lot of sense. Claire provides a 360-degree view of it in our discussion.

Claire Gaul teaches MYP Individuals and Societies at an international school in China. She is an avid runner and reader. Her favorite authors include Joan Didion and Elif Shafak. She has lived all over the world as both a student and a teacher. Claire has 11 year old twins (Luke and Leia), a husband, and a hamster who needs to be rehomed before Claire moves to India in July with her family.

Our guiding question for this show was, "What is followership in our schools, and how does it go hand in hand with leadership?"

Claire shares her thoughts and wisdom, with the following being a few of her main points:

• Her impetus for writing the blog post
• A definition of followership that includes constructive followership
• How to lean into being constructive
• The possible personal and professional costs of not having healthy boundaries regarding followership
• Suggestions to help our listeners gain perspective on themselves and their interactions with others
• Her recent recruiting experience

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Profiling Schools, Cities and Countries blog post

Claire’s blog post on our website.

Claire's Contact Information: LinkedIn

This episode was recorded on March 15th, 2025.

Categories: Wellness | Leadership | School Life | Recruiting

Remember to access our Educators Going Global website for more information and consider joining our Patreon community at patreon/educatorsgoingglobal!

Email us with comments or suggestions at educatorsgoingglobal@gmail.com

Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

Listen on your favorite podcast app: connect from our share page.

Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.