More on the Messi Analogy–Students of International Schools

Let’s begin with this precious nugget: “Craig, I love the Messi analogy, and I agree. I think it serves as a metaphor for so many of the children in international schools. Our son, who although a New Zealander, was born in Italy, and he insists on being ‘Italian.’ He always says, ‘it is in my heart mummy.’ And he is determined, like Messi, to play football for Barca, and yet the only sport he actively supports is Indian Cricket.”

Today’s entry is the one-page synthesis of the 17 pages of comments (font 11) I received to the question: How can the “Messi” anecdote serve as a metaphor for ‘who our students are today’ and ‘who they might evolve into some day?’

Here’s the poster-child: “Our eldest son attended play group in Vietnam, Prep School in Kuala Lumpur, Grades 1-4 in Singapore, Grade 5-6 in Jakarta and now 7th at ASB.” It’s not just the children; it’s us adults aswell. A father wrote this: “My wife and I come from different faiths, Hinduism and Islam. Our best friends are Indian, Syrian, Italian, Balinese and Ethiopian. Our daughters know more about Christmas and Easter than Diwali or Eid.”

It sounds crazy doesn’t it? Well, at least it does to a 5th grade boy. Here’s his entire note to me: “Mr. Johnson, my mom asked me to read your blog. Having read it, here is what I think. I don’t know exactly what a metaphor is, but I think that it could show that many kids here at our school  have lived crazy lives. And we are different from our friends and families back
home.” He went on to write about how the students and parents here are “different from everybody except each other.” By “each other” he meant the other ASB kids with “crazy lives.”

But, it’s important to know that our “crazy lives” don’t necessary make us “better” than those with less craziness in their lives. One father offers us a healthy dose of humble perspective when he writes: “My son is Irish. He’s lived outside of Ireland more than in it. He will always call Ireland home, but his life experiences are much ‘larger’ than someone who has only lived in Ireland. This doesn’t mean he is better; just different.” I hope we would all agree.

And then there’s blissful-frustration. A mother-born and raised in Mumbai-wrote: “If I had put my son in the same school, I attended as a child (which was the original plan); I would know exactly how to be his mother, in regards to his educational experience. And my parents would think I was a great parent. However, we decided, against the opinion of our entire extended
family, to put him at ASB instead. Two years later, my husband and I know this is the best decision we have ever made, but we have no idea how to be an effective parent for the kind of education our son is receiving. We love what he is going through, the quality of education he is receiving, but we often feel helpless, and torn. We don’t really understand it; we have no experience to
compare to his experiences.” She ends by saying, “And, this is probably more information than you want to hear, but my parents think I am a disaster as a mother when it comes to their grandson’s education.” I wrote back to her, as I did to all those I’m quoting today, and asked if I could use xcerpts from her email in today’s blog. She said, “Please do. I want other parents, who are struggling with coming to terms with understanding ASB’s 21st Century education, and a parent’s role in it, to know they are not alone.” So, there you have it.

Many of you responded with short phrases of characteristics or attributes you believe your children are developing, as part of their ASB experience. The most common theme was one of “respect of diversity.” A parent wrote about this ability saying, “When I see my daughter socialize with children her age, here in India and when we travel, I am shocked, and obviously very proud, by how accepting she is of people. She gets along with everybody. And I’m shocked because she wasn’t like that three years ago. That happened at ASB.”

However, according to many of you, it’s not as simple as it sounds. One father, states, “To achieve this-this respect for diversity–students have to do more than just live overseas and attend an international school. They need to embrace the differences around them. Not just acknowledge it, but appreciate it. That’s where ASB comes in.”

And then there’s this beautiful image of a puzzle. A mother writes: “Our children pick pieces from different cultures and add them to who they are as an individual. They become unique puzzles. They no longer come from a factory with tons of others like them; they’ve been individually crafted and put together carefully. They can no longer be put into a single category; they have established a category of their own. And just like Messi, they are special!” Another parent wrote something very similar when he wrote: “Let’s hope the spirit of being a unique individual, and not being defined by too many labels, stays with our children
forever.”

Thank you all for your insightful and inspiring thoughts. I want to end with an excerpt from a 10th grade girl, who believes that
“…students, [coming from schools like ASB] are the voice of the future, the laughter of today, and that they are forward-movers, never lingering long on the past.” She believes most ASB students can do anything “their wildest dreams and deepest imaginations” can think of. She believes ASB students will change the world.

Oh, I sure hope so.

Thanks for reading and responding,

Craig