ARCHIVE
2008.05.01
Few educators in Tokyo can claim over thirty years of teaching and administrative experience in international schools, or in launching International Baccalaureate programs around the world. . . and fewer still write music and play guitar.
While we have had far too few opportunities to enjoy Terry Christian’s musical talents, his gifts as headmaster have been clear from the outset. Staff, teachers, and parents alike applaud his approachability and sense of humor—aspects of his personality that have had a great deal to do with his many accomplishments here. Christian personally greets students and parents outside the school every day, and his reputation as an involved and receptive listener extends from the courtyard to dealings with staff and administration. Since his arrival, Christian has been able to distinguish and respect the sometimes contradictory needs that arise at Nishimachi. Those around him acknowledge his keen ability to take all factors into account, assess a situation, and then make informed—and very definite—decisions.
While Christian is quick to praise the support of talented and dedicated staff, they themselves point to his perceptive leadership as responsible for bringing a number of the school’s more challenging projects to successful conclusions: These include refining curricula and academic goals, achieving CIS/WASC accreditation, and overseeing the birth of the media center.
At the same time, Christian has been able to energize the school’s highly diverse staff, who are well aware of his high expectations. He knows how to recognize and balance talents in order to get results—as reflected in the re-organization of the summer school program.
It’s impressive to see just how much the school has grown since 2004, and as Christian begins his fifth year at Nishimachi this autumn, it’s safe to say that change is still most definitely in the air.
Originally from Belfast, Terry Christian spent his early years teaching in the U.K. while pursuing music, his first love. An opportunity to teach in Jamaica for two years, however, altered the tone of his career: A fresh awareness of education became the theme that inspired him to spend the next eight years at an international school in El Salvador. This path led to his post as head of secondary school and then headmaster of an international “K to 12” school in Bogotá for four years; and from there, to three years in Istanbul, where he established an I.B. program.
In 2004, Christian took up his post at Nishimachi, following a five-year gig as headmaster at Le Bocage International School in Mauritius. Today, this former teacher of mathematics and science now faces the kinds of challenges only Japan—and Nishimachi—can present.
From the tropical beaches of Mauritius to the cement jungle of Tokyo. . . what were your initial impressions of Nishimachi and its challenges?
I’d just come from sunny, wide-open spaces. I first toured the campus on a gray Saturday in November, with no students around. . . I saw this traditional-style office and thought: no way. The only place where I felt comfortable was in the music room!
But by the time I’d interviewed with several other schools, I realized that the striking feature at Nishimachi is how focused the board are about wanting to support and facilitate the development of the school with the headmaster. There was very good chemistry between us. During those initial interviews, I did pick up on the fact that general community relations were not ideal at that time, and this was one of my challenges: The community needed leadership and focus. I thought it was a challenge I could deal with, because I felt the board would be supportive.
Ultimately, during my second interview here, the thing that really sold me on Nishimachi was the kids. . . the students here really have a spark. And of course Japan is very different to any place my wife and I had lived. I’ll never get another opportunity to live and work in a culture like this ever again—this was a go-for-it opportunity.
You’ve worked in totally distinct cultural and educational settings: The United Kingdom, Jamaica, Colombia, El Salvador, Turkey, Mauritius. . . and now Japan. Is it possible to define a common thread among such a divergent range of international schools?
I’ve found that whatever international school I’m working in—it doesn’t matter where, whether an undeveloped or first-world country—the actual business of running the school is pretty much the same. Any of these schools have common values at the core of their philosophy: to create global learners, to value education, to respect others, to make a difference. . . values that echo those of Nishimachi.
And despite different cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds, the common thread is that the families at these schools all want success for their children—to be able to study and interact anywhere in the world. Education is to them the most important issue, and so students are also committed. And with a committed staff, it becomes a model for success.
At all of the schools I’ve worked at there is a common goal, a single theme: Learning and education are the way forward.
What are some of the unique issues you’ve encountered at Nishimachi?
I work with a more international community here than in Mauritius, for example, where staff and students were virtually all Mauritian. The challenges at Nishimachi are more complex because of our diverse community, ranging from teachers to parents to learners.
In any school, trying to reach consensus is a difficult thing, but I’ve found it harder to do so here. I don’t think this is a negative thing. . . it’s just a more eclectic group.
Since your arrival in 2004, much has been accomplished under your guidance: The media center and CIS/WASC accreditation are only two examples. How have you been able to effect so much positive change so quickly? And of these successes, which brings you the greatest satisfaction?
There is so much talent in this school. . . with the right people to work with, you can be successful. Though I may sometimes be an autocratic leader-manager, I like to give guidelines, provide structure and support, and put people in leadership roles to develop and manage things with them—as with the revised summer school program. This has been my biggest joy, watching talented people succeed.
When I came in, the process of accreditation was already under way, thanks to the vision of the previous administration. We just worked together as a team. And when board members decide to get involved, things happen: During the capital campaign, David Sneider energized board and community members, while several other board members, including John Vandenbrink and Toshiaki Sakuma, guided us with their great financial experience. . . Ultimately, the media center was a success because our administration team, board members such as John Dickison, and our community worked together.
I think the addition of the elementary school’s sports and fine arts (SAFA) program to the school has been one of our biggest successes over the last couple of years. Student confidence, self-esteem and interactive skills have all been added to their English-language learning. . . you can’t teach these things directly in a classroom. These significant additions to the curriculum have enriched the learning atmosphere at the school.
I have to mention Tomo no Kai. The support they give the school is invaluable. Take mega-events like food fair and the auction—the school or I might look good because of their support, but in reality we have TNK to thank for these successes.
This year, in the board’s charge to the headmaster, you have been asked to “define the position of today’s Nishimachi in the landscape of international education in Tokyo.” What does this mean?
There are so many good things happening in this school, but we don’t go out of our way to let others know about it. We need to enhance the school’s image through better PR, and let the wider community know we have a very good school and a very good model. Not because we need the customers, as it were, but to let people know about the good things we’re doing in this school. I think of it as a kind of service to the community that we owe ourselves: How can we share the benefits of our teaching and administrative experience?
Making the school known outside the international community may provide us with enriched opportunities for community service learning, and introduce students and faculty who wouldn’t normally apply to Nishimachi. . . and thus increase the learning and economic diversity here.
We need to remain a dynamic institution by going beyond the normal parameters; this includes taking a look at what’s happening at other schools as well. This is something I’d like to see in our next strategic plan.
How else can we expect to see Nishimachi evolve during the next several years?
Our Community Service Task Force hopes to initiate ways of connecting with other communities and make our academic curriculum more transparent in how it promotes community service. In the next year, we hope to raise awareness of how we can help less fortunate communities—this attitude is becoming more intrinsic to a good international school education.
Certainly I see a continued and reinvigorated commitment to IT and how it can enhance, promote, and support learning. And, as we are in the middle of our language review, I hope we can provide greater clarity to our present and future focus on the role of Japanese at Nishimachi.
Ultimately, it’s up to the community to determine where the school goes from here. Our next job as board and headmaster is to get the community creatively involved in contributing ideas about the school’s future direction. As we think about the basic tenets of the next strategic plan, I’d like to get our creative parental and teaching community together for a morning or a day, and just brainstorm about where the community wants to go. I also don’t think we’ve included our students as much in this process as we could. People working directly together creates a better bond than filling out a questionnaire. I’ve got a few ideas about how that can be done, and I’d like to try them out and see where they go.
With so much effort focused on Nishimachi, concern has been raised that you’re not spending enough time on your musical endeavors. When can we next expect to be entertained by Two-Tone Deluxe?
Probably the next public performance will be next year’s food fair. Expect to see the talent increase with [new principal of middle school] Mick Hilleson—guitar player and singer—added to the mix. Some have accused me of hiring only teachers with musical ability—though I do have a soft spot for musicians!
I’ve had little time to get around Japan (or study Japanese!), but following the pursuit of making music and song through creative processes and performance is a great way to relax. . . I’ve played with various professional and semi-professional musical groups in most of the countries I’ve lived in. The culture has never held me back. *
How is the Christian family settling into Japan? Do you ever regret those sunny beaches?
My wife, Morena, enjoys Tokyo very much and has traveled around the country a bit, more than I. Looking at all the places we’ve lived, this was probably one of the easiest moves for my family. . . of our three children, our younger daughter came to Japan for her gap year, and the oldest is now working at Sacred Heart.
I could never have predicted the places I’ve ended up. It always seemed like the right thing at the right time, a very organic process. Japan itself is such a different culture to the rest of the world—the Japanese approach to life is so different to all the other countries I’ve lived in. That to me is what makes this job and life so interesting.
* Note: To date, Terry Christian has written, recorded, produced, and sold five LP albums and two CDs of original songs.
A note about Marybeth Stock: A former educator and curriculum developer, Marybeth Stock has been a writer and editor for various translation and public relations firms in Japan and Hong Kong since 1989. She is the parent of a fourth grader at Nishimachi.
Interview with Terence Christian (The Nishimachi Internationalist, Spring/Summer 2008 Vol. 41)
By Marybeth Stock
The Nishimachi Internationalist
Spring/Summer 2008 Vol. 41
The Nishimachi community is a vibrant blend of diverse backgrounds, cultures—and educational expectations. With his musical experience and talents, who better to tame this sometimes cacophonic entity than Headmaster (and guitarist) Terence Christian, who for the last four years has deftly orchestrated a spirited harmony at Nishimachi.
Few educators in Tokyo can claim over thirty years of teaching and administrative experience in international schools, or in launching International Baccalaureate programs around the world. . . and fewer still write music and play guitar.
While we have had far too few opportunities to enjoy Terry Christian’s musical talents, his gifts as headmaster have been clear from the outset. Staff, teachers, and parents alike applaud his approachability and sense of humor—aspects of his personality that have had a great deal to do with his many accomplishments here. Christian personally greets students and parents outside the school every day, and his reputation as an involved and receptive listener extends from the courtyard to dealings with staff and administration. Since his arrival, Christian has been able to distinguish and respect the sometimes contradictory needs that arise at Nishimachi. Those around him acknowledge his keen ability to take all factors into account, assess a situation, and then make informed—and very definite—decisions. While Christian is quick to praise the support of talented and dedicated staff, they themselves point to his perceptive leadership as responsible for bringing a number of the school’s more challenging projects to successful conclusions: These include refining curricula and academic goals, achieving CIS/WASC accreditation, and overseeing the birth of the media center.
At the same time, Christian has been able to energize the school’s highly diverse staff, who are well aware of his high expectations. He knows how to recognize and balance talents in order to get results—as reflected in the re-organization of the summer school program.
It’s impressive to see just how much the school has grown since 2004, and as Christian begins his fifth year at Nishimachi this autumn, it’s safe to say that change is still most definitely in the air.
Originally from Belfast, Terry Christian spent his early years teaching in the U.K. while pursuing music, his first love. An opportunity to teach in Jamaica for two years, however, altered the tone of his career: A fresh awareness of education became the theme that inspired him to spend the next eight years at an international school in El Salvador. This path led to his post as head of secondary school and then headmaster of an international “K to 12” school in Bogotá for four years; and from there, to three years in Istanbul, where he established an I.B. program.
In 2004, Christian took up his post at Nishimachi, following a five-year gig as headmaster at Le Bocage International School in Mauritius. Today, this former teacher of mathematics and science now faces the kinds of challenges only Japan—and Nishimachi—can present.
From the tropical beaches of Mauritius to the cement jungle of Tokyo. . . what were your initial impressions of Nishimachi and its challenges?
I’d just come from sunny, wide-open spaces. I first toured the campus on a gray Saturday in November, with no students around. . . I saw this traditional-style office and thought: no way. The only place where I felt comfortable was in the music room! But by the time I’d interviewed with several other schools, I realized that the striking feature at Nishimachi is how focused the board are about wanting to support and facilitate the development of the school with the headmaster. There was very good chemistry between us. During those initial interviews, I did pick up on the fact that general community relations were not ideal at that time, and this was one of my challenges: The community needed leadership and focus. I thought it was a challenge I could deal with, because I felt the board would be supportive.
Ultimately, during my second interview here, the thing that really sold me on Nishimachi was the kids. . . the students here really have a spark. And of course Japan is very different to any place my wife and I had lived. I’ll never get another opportunity to live and work in a culture like this ever again—this was a go-for-it opportunity.
You’ve worked in totally distinct cultural and educational settings: The United Kingdom, Jamaica, Colombia, El Salvador, Turkey, Mauritius. . . and now Japan. Is it possible to define a common thread among such a divergent range of international schools?
I’ve found that whatever international school I’m working in—it doesn’t matter where, whether an undeveloped or first-world country—the actual business of running the school is pretty much the same. Any of these schools have common values at the core of their philosophy: to create global learners, to value education, to respect others, to make a difference. . . values that echo those of Nishimachi.And despite different cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds, the common thread is that the families at these schools all want success for their children—to be able to study and interact anywhere in the world. Education is to them the most important issue, and so students are also committed. And with a committed staff, it becomes a model for success.
At all of the schools I’ve worked at there is a common goal, a single theme: Learning and education are the way forward.
What are some of the unique issues you’ve encountered at Nishimachi?
I work with a more international community here than in Mauritius, for example, where staff and students were virtually all Mauritian. The challenges at Nishimachi are more complex because of our diverse community, ranging from teachers to parents to learners.
In any school, trying to reach consensus is a difficult thing, but I’ve found it harder to do so here. I don’t think this is a negative thing. . . it’s just a more eclectic group.
Since your arrival in 2004, much has been accomplished under your guidance: The media center and CIS/WASC accreditation are only two examples. How have you been able to effect so much positive change so quickly? And of these successes, which brings you the greatest satisfaction?
There is so much talent in this school. . . with the right people to work with, you can be successful. Though I may sometimes be an autocratic leader-manager, I like to give guidelines, provide structure and support, and put people in leadership roles to develop and manage things with them—as with the revised summer school program. This has been my biggest joy, watching talented people succeed.
When I came in, the process of accreditation was already under way, thanks to the vision of the previous administration. We just worked together as a team. And when board members decide to get involved, things happen: During the capital campaign, David Sneider energized board and community members, while several other board members, including John Vandenbrink and Toshiaki Sakuma, guided us with their great financial experience. . . Ultimately, the media center was a success because our administration team, board members such as John Dickison, and our community worked together.
I think the addition of the elementary school’s sports and fine arts (SAFA) program to the school has been one of our biggest successes over the last couple of years. Student confidence, self-esteem and interactive skills have all been added to their English-language learning. . . you can’t teach these things directly in a classroom. These significant additions to the curriculum have enriched the learning atmosphere at the school.
I have to mention Tomo no Kai. The support they give the school is invaluable. Take mega-events like food fair and the auction—the school or I might look good because of their support, but in reality we have TNK to thank for these successes.
This year, in the board’s charge to the headmaster, you have been asked to “define the position of today’s Nishimachi in the landscape of international education in Tokyo.” What does this mean?
There are so many good things happening in this school, but we don’t go out of our way to let others know about it. We need to enhance the school’s image through better PR, and let the wider community know we have a very good school and a very good model. Not because we need the customers, as it were, but to let people know about the good things we’re doing in this school. I think of it as a kind of service to the community that we owe ourselves: How can we share the benefits of our teaching and administrative experience? Making the school known outside the international community may provide us with enriched opportunities for community service learning, and introduce students and faculty who wouldn’t normally apply to Nishimachi. . . and thus increase the learning and economic diversity here.
We need to remain a dynamic institution by going beyond the normal parameters; this includes taking a look at what’s happening at other schools as well. This is something I’d like to see in our next strategic plan.
How else can we expect to see Nishimachi evolve during the next several years?
Our Community Service Task Force hopes to initiate ways of connecting with other communities and make our academic curriculum more transparent in how it promotes community service. In the next year, we hope to raise awareness of how we can help less fortunate communities—this attitude is becoming more intrinsic to a good international school education.
Certainly I see a continued and reinvigorated commitment to IT and how it can enhance, promote, and support learning. And, as we are in the middle of our language review, I hope we can provide greater clarity to our present and future focus on the role of Japanese at Nishimachi.
Ultimately, it’s up to the community to determine where the school goes from here. Our next job as board and headmaster is to get the community creatively involved in contributing ideas about the school’s future direction. As we think about the basic tenets of the next strategic plan, I’d like to get our creative parental and teaching community together for a morning or a day, and just brainstorm about where the community wants to go. I also don’t think we’ve included our students as much in this process as we could. People working directly together creates a better bond than filling out a questionnaire. I’ve got a few ideas about how that can be done, and I’d like to try them out and see where they go.
With so much effort focused on Nishimachi, concern has been raised that you’re not spending enough time on your musical endeavors. When can we next expect to be entertained by Two-Tone Deluxe?
Probably the next public performance will be next year’s food fair. Expect to see the talent increase with [new principal of middle school] Mick Hilleson—guitar player and singer—added to the mix. Some have accused me of hiring only teachers with musical ability—though I do have a soft spot for musicians!
I’ve had little time to get around Japan (or study Japanese!), but following the pursuit of making music and song through creative processes and performance is a great way to relax. . . I’ve played with various professional and semi-professional musical groups in most of the countries I’ve lived in. The culture has never held me back. *
How is the Christian family settling into Japan? Do you ever regret those sunny beaches?
My wife, Morena, enjoys Tokyo very much and has traveled around the country a bit, more than I. Looking at all the places we’ve lived, this was probably one of the easiest moves for my family. . . of our three children, our younger daughter came to Japan for her gap year, and the oldest is now working at Sacred Heart.
I could never have predicted the places I’ve ended up. It always seemed like the right thing at the right time, a very organic process. Japan itself is such a different culture to the rest of the world—the Japanese approach to life is so different to all the other countries I’ve lived in. That to me is what makes this job and life so interesting.
* Note: To date, Terry Christian has written, recorded, produced, and sold five LP albums and two CDs of original songs.
A note about Marybeth Stock: A former educator and curriculum developer, Marybeth Stock has been a writer and editor for various translation and public relations firms in Japan and Hong Kong since 1989. She is the parent of a fourth grader at Nishimachi.