As international educators, like so many others, in a sense, we tend to write "chapters" to our life stories. These stories can be organized by countries, schools, travel, and, of course, the regular categories of relationships, family, children, aging, and so on.
We were fortunate to catch our guest, Mark Lewis, just as he was reflecting about the chapters of his international experiences, with his retirement coming up in a couple of months.
Mark is a seasoned international educator with experience at the International School Manila (1994–1996), American International School Riyadh (1996–2003), Concordia International School Shanghai (2003–2013), Bodwell International School (2013–2015), International School Ho Chi Minh City-American Academy (2015–2020), and BASIS Park Lane Harbour School (2020–2022). Mark is currently in his third year as a principal and teacher in the public school system in Canada.
One of Mark’s driving motivations as an international educator is his belief that many of the world's future leaders will emerge from students educated in international schools. These students are often bilingual or multilingual, have received top-tier education, networked with ambitious peers, come from families of means, and almost always pursue higher education degrees—traits that are well-suited to leadership roles. This leadership may manifest in local communities, small business ventures, significant corporate positions, or even public office. Therefore, it is crucial for international schools to continue preparing their students for leadership roles by fostering a multifaceted skill set that goes beyond academic excellence.
Mark’s message to today’s international educators is to never forget the vital importance of their work. As Nelson Mandela eloquently stated, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” This sentiment holds especially true for those working in international education. With Mark’s soon-to-be-retired status, we asked him the guiding question: “What are some of your lessons learned from the various roles you experienced during your years of going global?”
With such a long career in international schooling, Mark had a lot of gems to share with us. Here are some of them:
Commonalities of international schools in Asia Characteristics of international schools specifically in China Clarifications between legacy international schools, bilingual schools, and local-student-majority schools A look at for-profit schools and the various forms they can take Working with school boards “Leaky boundaries” in international schools Repatriating to one’s home country A rapid-fire sharing of lessons learned from Mark’s career overseas
Resources mentioned in the episode:
EARCOS - East Asia Regional Council of Schools NESA - Near East/South Asia Council of Overseas Schools
Mark’s Contact Information:
Our Patreon: patreon.com/educatorsgoingglobal
This episode was recorded on March 23, 2025.
Categories: Leadership | Change | School Life | School Types
