Educators in certain quarters all over the world these days stand accused of shirking their pedagogical duties. They stand accused of either choosing teaching not as a passion but just as a way to earn money, and for that reason, the once high standing of a teacher in society has sharply declined. But this is not the case all over the world. In countries like Finland, teaching is possibly one of the most important and indeed most coveted if not competitive positions a person could strive for. Teachers are vested with the responsibility of designing their curriculum which means no one way of teaching and learning is the same from school to school. Finland as a nation continues to be a leader in areas of science and mathematics, places where most of the western world continues to lag. Yet another world leader in these two fields is China. Steeped in Confucius learning traditions, China in recent years has gone to great lengths to provide its young generation with the best global mind for their edification.
So what is it that allows one to make it to this elite team of chosen educators here in China? Meet Mr. Randal Eplin, the Head of AISB-Hope International, one of Beijing’s premier international schools. As someone who admittedly has a passion for pedagogy, this US native has spent his six years in Beijing’s educational scene traveling the path less traveled by others, and by so doing created an educational niche not only for himself but for AISB-Hope International. “What might differentiate me from other Heads of School is that I am ready for the process to be a bit messy to meet the needs of a student, since I have encountered it before,” Eplin says of himself. And while this might come off as a brag, he more than has the goods to back it up. “When we have students who need support to access our mainstream curriculum, I see it as an opportunity to investigate how we can stretch and grow as an educational institution and community in our inclusivity,” Eplin explains, adding, “During my time working in international schools, we admitted students that other schools might not accept. It’s not always easy. It takes additional resources, diligent work, and a dedication to both serve, solve, and meet the needs of students.”
Admittedly, such radical decisions have not always gone down well. But the process soon bears out. Even his decision to be an educator was not set in stone, as he left the education sector to find greener pastures elsewhere, but ultimately returned to his first love and in so doing, continued and expanded his advocacy work for students. As Eplin puts it, “I also realized that as I was serving students year after year, how important it was for me to advocate for students to be able to make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and then move forward successfully. One could assume, with this as my philosophy, that I firmly believe in giving students second, third, fourth, and fifth chances. Although I have been criticized for that, I believe that both young people and adults have the potential to change and grow.” Eplin, who is currently at the tail end of an eight-year-long EdD at the University of Liverpool, continues to cement himself firmly in the world of specialized pedagogy. “The title of my thesis is Experiences of Students with Dyslexia in Higher Education in England. I believe it provides insight into what I am passionate about as an educator and educational leader. I have been afforded the opportunity to work with students of various special needs throughout my career. Some of these include dyslexia, gifted and talented, ADD, and Asperger’s. It has been and remains to be a huge passion to work with students who are a little bit outside of the box and need attention and care to thrive. “
Despite this glass-half-full attitude towards learning, Eplin’s time in Beijing has not been without its challenges. Like all schools in Beijing, AISB-Hope International was also affected by lockdowns occasioned by Covid-19, complicating moving plans already underway. “Before the pandemic, the plan was in motion to find and move the school to a new location. Then, in the middle of my first year as head of school, we ended up on lock-down and were forced to move to online learning. Despite moving to online learning and managing through a pandemic, we still needed to find a new campus, manage a construction project, and then move,” reveals Eplin. This ability to be resilient and continue, according to Eplin, has been in no small part due to AISB-Hope International’s incredible parent and staff bodies. As Eplin explains, “The AISB-Hope community is a very compassionate, loving community. I truly enjoy the parent community that provides support for both myself and our teachers. Our PASS (Parents Assisting Students and Staff) parents are always trying to find ways that they can support me as a Head of School and support the education of their children. They understand that things are not perfect and they chip in to make things better as a school. They received me very well a year and a half ago as the new Head of School and they continue to help me deliver a top-notch education for our students.”
And it is this sort of support needed to make Eplin’s vision for AISB-Hope International’s future not just an idea but a reality. “I want to promote the AP Capstone Program that was adopted over the summer during the pandemic. This program requires students to take a course entitled AP Seminar in grade 10 and AP Research in grade 11. After that, they would take four additional AP classes during grades 9-12. To earn the AP Capstone diploma, the student has to pass with a score of 3 or higher in all six classes. With many students having begun this course in September of this school year, it is evident that the level of rigor at our school continues to rise.” This is far from all that the AP Capstone program has to offer. Eplin continues to say, “Another aspect that I find inviting about the AP Capstone Program is that it includes an interdisciplinary approach which could, in some aspects, be compared to the IB Diploma. The level of critical thinking and analysis expands deep within the AP Seminar and AP Research courses. As a former IB Diploma coordinator and having worked in IB schools, the AP Capstone Program provides a different approach while achieving a very similar result. It creates students who are strong critical thinkers and can approach the world with an analytical lens. This is something we highly value and so the school will eventually require all students to take these two classes.”
In the competitive world of international schooling in Beijing where parents are encouraged to be as astute as possible in selecting a school that will not only deliver desired results but is a perfect fit for their child, AISB-Hope International, under the leadership of Eplin, continues to provide a much-needed contrast and reassurance for parents and great support for students of all abilities. With someone as dedicated to the world of pedagogy as Eplin is, parents and students are ensured of success.
KEEP READING: New Environment for Learning: AISB- Hope International Opens Their Dream Campus
Images: courtesy of AISB-HOPE International, Uni You
