The journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step. – Lao Tzu
Over the past few months, my transition from High School Principal at Lincoln School Costa Rica to High School Principal at Beijing City International School has really picked up in speed and intensity. While I remain fully committed to being present for my students here at Lincoln, my days have started to stretch in both directions, with early mornings and late evenings focused on BCIS and the year ahead. It’s made for a few long days and a couple of moments where I’ve had to pause to remind myself of where I’ll be in just a few short months. It hasn’t always been easy, but a few specific experiences have made the move feel more real and more manageable.
The first of those happened in an airport lounge in San José as I was on my way to Toronto. Earlier that morning, Amy said goodbye to our dog as I prepared to re-home her with our daughter. As I sat waiting to fly to her new home, I joined a Teams call with the BCIS admin and HR teams, as well as all the new hires for the 26-27 school year at BCIS (including Amy). The call focused on the transition process, covering timelines, logistics, and the questions people are already asking as they prepare for a move to Beijing. It was well organized and clearly facilitated, and it helped create a sense that the process is being handled thoughtfully. I also had the chance to introduce myself as the incoming high school principal and meet the new high school teachers, which made the experience feel more personal and immediate.
The second experience was my visit to Beijing last week, which moved everything from virtual to in-person very quickly. During that visit, I met with students, parents, teachers, and members of the leadership team, focusing on listening and understanding what is working well and where there are opportunities to improve. I had the opportunity to speak with high school students at their Earth Day assembly and also met twice with groups of BCIS parents to introduce myself and talk about the transition. Each of those moments mattered. They were early opportunities to begin building relationships and to share a simple commitment that will guide my work: to support students in becoming their best, most authentic selves.
We also spent a half day in an ILT retreat where we began planning for the 26-27 school year, working through concrete details about the opening of school and the priorities for the year. I spent additional time with Lucy, the incoming middle school principal, as we began thinking through how we will work together during the transition to two secondary divisions. These conversations helped start to build alignment around communication, decision making, and support for students and staff.
The third piece in this process has been the preparation happening outside of school. Amy, our friend Deborah (who is also making the move to BCIS), and I have started taking weekly Mandarin lessons as a way to better prepare for the move and to begin learning more about the language and culture we are stepping into. It has been challenging, but also helpful in making the transition feel more tangible. It is one small way to begin engaging with what will be new for all of us.
There is still a great deal to manage in the months ahead, both in finishing the year well at Lincoln and preparing for the move to Beijing, but these experiences have helped bring some structure and clarity to the process. They have made the transition feel less abstract and more like a series of steps that are already in motion.
Garrenteed Learning 