If you ask any parent what they want for their child, you will get, regardless of culture, a lot of the same answers. Yes, academic success matters hugely, but rarely as a goal in and of itself. Success in life is the goal. And academic outcomes, while essential, are not sufficient to ensure that.
It is not, therefore, surprising that, as I speak with Heads of School and senior leaders in education around the world, it is increasingly clear that academic excellence is no longer the first or only lens through which schools are evaluated. Where safety, wellbeing, and learning were once treated as separate domains, families– and good schools–now understand them as deeply interconnected.
This shift reflects the realities with which children today are growing up. With COVID, the emergence of AI, the double-edged sword of a powerful internet, the constant pressure and influence of social media, global political uncertainty, global heating and more, this generation has more than its fair share of pressures. Being a child has never been easy, but in 2026, the set of challenges our young people face is unprecedented in range, scope and uncertainty, certainly in comparison to anything their parents or even grandparents have experienced.
Additionally, the relationship between emotion and learning is better understood than ever before. Learning cannot flourish in environments where students do not feel safe, known, and supported. Trust–in self and others–is no longer a “nice to have” that sits alongside academics. We now understand the neuroscience and that v. Indeed, this is why NIS has, as a core learning principle, the truth that “Learners have emotions and these emotions impact our learning.”
Risk to safety is all around us. Earlier this month, as our community will know from my communications at the time, a stray spark from the exhaust of one of our buses caused a small but smoky bushfire in the NIS parking area during morning drop-off. No one was harmed and, thanks to the calm, professional response of our staff and drivers, the situation was quickly resolved. It was, however, a timely reminder that risk is always present. Some risks, like fire, are immediate and visible. Others, such as anxiety, depression, abuse, or emotional trauma, are far harder to see, yet just as damaging. And just as schools need systems to prevent (and respond to) fire, earthquakes, or other visible threats, the same is very much true when preparing for, reducing, and responding to risks to emotional and mental health and wellbeing among our learners.
This understanding has real implications for recruitment. If safety, trust, and holistic growth depend on the adults in a school, then who we invite into our community–and how deliberately we do so– is of huge importance. Recruitment, which has been occupying a lot of my time over the past month, is not about filling vacancies or even finding the ‘best teachers’. It is about building a professional community capable of carrying a shared responsibility for children’s learning and wellbeing as they prepare for an increasingly complex world.
I remember my first interview as a young candidate for a teaching job in the 1990s. I was asked about my subject knowledge, my teaching strategies, and how I managed behaviour in the classroom. I was asked what activities I could offer beyond lessons and how I would contribute to the life of the school. What I was not asked–because we were not yet thinking in this way–was how I understood my role in keeping children safe, how I came to truly know my learners, or how I put emotional wellbeing at the heart of my practice as an academic teacher. Those expectations were assumed, I’m sure. But assumptions are not enough to guarantee the kind of learning our children need in 2026.
Fast forward to today, and the conversation has changed fundamentally. NIS is fortunate to be able to recruit from a talented pool of international educators, all of whom are committed professionals who care deeply about their craft. And while many of the familiar questions remain, the interview process today is a far more holistic and reflective one. We are no longer only interested in whether a candidate can teach their subject or grade level well, but in how they think about children, relationships, safeguarding, collaboration, and growth. We are looking for educators who understand that learning and wellbeing are inseparable, and who see safety and trust not as external requirements, but as integral to their professional identity. We look for teachers who can share practical strategies in how they come to know, see, hear and understand their learners just as much as teachers who can share strategies in teaching reading, understanding maths or singing in tune.
This kind of intentionality and care in the recruitment process really matters. A school culture is built by bringing together a staff who are aligned, through their daily actions, decisions, and relationships, in the delivery of our mission to help children inquire, inspire and impact. That takes a very special kind of teacher. One who is not only skilled as a pedagogue but also skilled in safeguarding, listening, responding, and truly knowing your children.
For families, this recruitment work happens quietly, behind the scenes. Recruitment takes place long before a child ever walks into a classroom. Yet before that teacher joins NIS, many hours of conversations have taken place, not only with the candidate but also with their former supervisors and colleagues. Background checks and references have been collected. Senior leaders have met and deliberated. Like everything we do at NIS, a decision to offer a contract to an NIS teacher is a strategic one that rests fundamentally on the question: Is this the right person to make our mission and values come alive for our students each and every day?
And I never forget that recruitment is a two-way decision. Our staff have a choice of the best schools in the world where they could work–from Rio, to Paris, to Singapore, to Bangkok. And yet, they choose to come here, to Nagoya. I am incredibly grateful to the team at NIS, a team that works hard every day to ensure that Nagoya International School remains a place where children are not only taught well, but cared for well, in a community built on our values of growth, responsibility, safety and belonging.
- Matthew Parr, Head of School, Nagoya International School
