Safe passage
I recently came across this beautiful quote, “A plant needs roots in order to grow. With man it is the other way around: only when he grows does he have roots and feels at home in the world.” — Eric Hoffer
It made me think of the importance for our students - especially as Third Culture Kids (TCKs) - to be at peace with each and every move and the significance of good goodbyes in order to have a smooth and successful transition to the new environment. By successfully “building a RAFT” (Reconciliation, Affirmation, Farewells, Think destination) students are then in a place to be able to grow and put down roots in the new location and repeat as necessary.
I especially appreciate Doug Ota’s 2014 text, Safe Passage, how mobility affects people & what international schools should do about it. Mindful that “mobility across cultures can be one of the greatest catalysts that exist for learning and growth for all people involved, and not just for students”, he draws on his experience personally and professionally and sets forth practical strategies so as to not only manage the challenges therein, but to support the process. He states that, “International schools with any significant degree of turnover find themselves the stewards of families and young minds subject to postmodern forces most people never have to contend with.”
I especially appreciate his discussion in Chapter Three with regard to the transition cycle and visual depictions thereof. Chapter Six refers to American School of The Hague’s Safe Harbor programme and reiterates that the focus of the programme is to ensure, “.... every departing student leave the school well, and the school community takes leave of that particular student well.” I have frequently read about the importance of being able to leave well so as to be able to say hello well; I appreciate how by taking leave of the student, one acknowledges the community from which the student is transitioning.
Appendix A has “messages in a bottle” to various members of a school’s community to implore them to take on board the concept of safe passage so as to benefit all members of the school community in the here and now as well as beyond.