If there is only one professional development event that you are able to attend for the rest of your career, then it must be one delivered by the remarkable Cathy Berger Kaye. Regardless of the specific focus of her workshop, you will be inspired to read more, to encourage students to read more; you will be inspired to become engaged in the issues that we face as humans on this planet; you will remember why you became a teacher and you will be empowered to take meaningful action. Your classes will never be the same.”
– Werner Paetzold, Director of Professional Growth, Chadwick International School, Seoul, Korea
International schools promote international education in an international environment, either by adopting a curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or the International Primary Curriculum, or by following a national curriculum different from the school’s country of residence. These schools often cater primarily to students who are not nationals of the host country, such as the children of the staff of international businesses, international organizations, foreign embassies, missions, or missionary programs. Many local students attend these schools to learn the language of the international school and to obtain qualifications for employment or higher education in a foreign country.
With roughly 4,500 international schools, it is hard to count how many have been touched by CBK Associates. Cathryn Berger Kaye has traveled to 63 countries to give conference keynotes, workshops, and in-school residencies; the first institute she ran in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2007 had 75 people from 60 different schools. CBK Associates Maureen Connolly and Jonathan Davis have visited 10 countries between the two of them. Shei Ascencio and LeeAnne Lavender each taught overseas and bring their expertise in international education to CBK Associates.
Thankfully, CBK Associates is back on the road again! Since schools and international organizations have resumed in-person professional learning opportunities, Cathryn’s multi-day consultations include:
International School of Dakar, Senegal, to lead two days with the entire upper school faculty, plus one day of coaching with the service learning committee.
Panyadan International School in Chiang Mai opened it’s magnificent and unique campus to CBK Associates for one day of planning and a two day EARCOS sponsored Service Learning workshop attracting 70 educators from 25 schools in 8 countries. With the collaboration of primary principal Erin Threlfall, three organizations joined for an afternoon of community collaboration and a deep dive into how to create meaningful partnerships.
Nexus International School, Singapore, brought Cathryn in for a two day Service Learning workshop attended by 50 educators, with a follow-up one day consultation to introduce 128 8th graders tot he IBO Community Project — a lively daylong session!
Singapore American School, Singapore, was a return visit for Cathryn for five days of service learning program development, modeling interactions with high school students, and a full on youth leadership development day with over 120 students examining leadership theories and revising leadership practices within clubs and school organizations.
Shanghai Community International School, China, to launch a Pre-K-12 schoolwide exploration of Intercultural Understanding (IU), including leading experiences with grade clusters for age appropriate discussions and the groundwork for a K-12 IU Continuum plus parent gathering; and a weekend workshop on Service Learning for educators throughout the region.
Keystone Academy, Beijing, to elevate service learning best practices including sessions for administrators, educators, primary grade children, youth leaders, all 6th (and 7th and 8th) graders to advance concepts of community, interactions with DP students, clarifying the process of reflection with CAS students, and a lively conversation with over 130 parents.
Kaohsiung American School and Taipei American School, Taiwan, each hosted Cathryn for three days with full schedules to advance service learning understanding, curricular integration, and project forward to strategic long-term planning. At KAS, Cathryn led the entire upper school faculty in a one day service learning intensive which had immediate impact on the delivery of classroom content, and the vision of what service can be. Thank you to KAS for also hosting a weekend EARCOS Workshops for regional educators.
Cathryn also brought her abilities to Qatar Foundation as a keynote and workshop leader for their signature service learning conference, to the American Community School of Abu Dhabi for several days of advancing service learning with a range of groups within the school, and the American Community School of Amman for conversations to promote service learning best practices.
A snapshot of our international engagements, before the COVID pandemic forced us to work virtually, includes:
- Nagoya International School, Japan—five days consulting on Advisory and building a meaningful social and emotional program, led by Cathryn Berger Kaye with Maureen Connolly; a weekend service learning workshop with attendees from throughout the region
- Xi’an Lianjiatan International School, China—three days consulting on service learning with educators and students
- American School of Madrid, Spain—two days consulting on service learning and social and emotional wellbeing and a weekend workshop on service learning and social and emotional wellbeing
- American School of Tokyo, Japan—three days consulting on service learning with a selected cohort of school leaders, teachers, and youth representatives to establish best practices and plan for future growth
- International School of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam—a week of consulting on service learning included in-depth planning with grade level teams and conference keynote and workshops at a gathering of faculty from five local international schools
- Concordia International School in Shanghai, China—fourth visit to advance the school’s work in service learning and participate in a gathering of the Shanghai Service and Sustainability Network
- Chadwick International School, South Korea—a two day regional workshop on International Mindedness and Student Action introduced the work of CBK Associates leading to the adoption of the Advisory-A Dynamic Approach program for grades 6-12 and ongoing consulting
- The International School Yangon, Myanmar—four days of curriculum planning and development to integrate and advance service learning K-12 with teams and cohorts meeting by grade level and subjects
- NESA – Near East School Association Conference, Bangkok—a two-day intensive workshop on service learning; speaking on a plenary panel
- Institut Le Rosy, Switzerland—two days of service learning workshops
- Special Event! Service Learning and Advisory Summer Institute—a four-day intensive attended by international and independent school educators, New York
Two in-depth examples of our international school partnerships include the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India and the Anglo-American School of Moscow (AAS).
With an ambitious plan to expand service learning, the leadership team at the American Embassy School in New Delhi recruited CBK Associates in 2021 to work with a cohort of teachers on enlarging the school’s commitment to service learning. Over a period of four months, Cathryn Berger Kaye led experiences (virtually) that provided a comprehensive review of service learning best practices and curriculum development. CBK Associates Erin Threlfall, LeeAnne Lavender, and Shei Ascencio, and colleague Mike Simpson, offered examples of service learning in action.
Cathy, you poured your heart and soul into every interaction about the planning, your feedback along the way was detailed and meaningful, and you delivered a 5 Star workshop every time. What a legacy you are building! What a difference you are making in the world! – Shirley Droese, Ph.D., Teaching and Learning Director
Prior to the global pandemic, educators at the Anglo-American School of Moscow had sought out CBK Associates’ assistance virtually, and then sent 18 educators to a weekend workshop by Cathryn Kaye in Vienna and Madrid. When international travel came to a halt, Cathryn, joined by Chris Dadefumi, led a series of virtual workshops for teachers, parents, and students. They included wellbeing sessions for teachers and for parents; a workshop series on justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion (“JEDI”) for faculty; a workshop series on youth leadership and “JEDI” principles for students; and service learning introductory workshops for students.