by Mikayla Loney (Gr. 11)
For our very first article, we were lucky enough to be able to interview someone just as new as us at TIS Mr.Lockwood, our brand new Head of School!
Student Voice (S.V): Do you have a specific direction you want to take TIS in?
Mr. Mark Lockwood (M.L): The direction I want to take TIS in is tied into the mission and vision of our school. To develop our students with international mindedness, to prepare them to be wonderful citizens and leaders of the world. To be good problem solvers and critical thinkers. And, of course, be healthy and happy individuals.
S.V: You are obviously passionate about the education business but what type of job would you be doing, if you weren’t a teacher or in the education area at all?
M.L: I initially thought that I would be a biologist, or a fish and wildlife conservation officer. That’s what I thought in grade eleven, that was my plan. When I looked at the job opportunities however, I thought “It could be tough to get a job”. So I thought about what else I would like to do. I had so many great teachers when I was in school and I had always enjoyed working with young people, so I thought that could be a pretty cool career. This pointed me in the direction of teaching.
S.V: Now something that we have heard a lot about is your passion for hockey and mountain climbing?
M.L: I love them both, I grew up playing hockey. I love the outdoors, including skating, camping, water sports, fishing, hunting – all of those stereotypical Canadian things.
S.V: What are your thoughts on some of the environmental concerns to do with the ocean?
M.L: There are so many, there’s a lot of pollution in our oceans that needs to be cleaned to help preserve it for future generations. I think about the whale populations and how they are endangered. I think about the threats to the coral reefs. Of course, all this is tied to climate change.
S.V: Are you looking into getting TIS to help with cleaning up the ocean, or is it more of a warning?
M.L: I am very impressed with how the students are learning about world issues. Also, what we have going on which I think is amazing, is our service tied into experience week. It is not just about applying service to our local communities but also our global communities. It’s not just the learning that’s happening in our classrooms, but actually involving students in the actions needed to address the issues.
S.V: What did you think the world would be like when you were younger?
M.L: I thought the world would get better and better all the time. When I was younger I thought, wow! adults have it all figured out, it can get nothing but better the more we learn about the world. I think in many areas it’s gotten better and more amazing. For example, when I was in high school a big concern was the threat of nuclear war. It was the 1980’s so it was just at the fall of the Soviet Union and the world was very polarised between democracy and communism. So I think we have made improvements in that area where we don’t have really clear enemies and the threat of nuclear war has subsided a little. However, now we have terrorism and the impact of colonialism. We still have violence in all parts of the world. I guess, I thought we would get better and have world peace.
S.V: Now that’s sure to be stressful thinking about all that, so what do you do when you are stressed?
M.L: I exercise and spend time with my family. I love spending time outdoors. I was a little worried coming to Macau as I thought with it being a smaller place, it won’t have big mountains and that sort of thing but I have been pleasantly surprised to see all the greenery and the wonderful trails. It’s small enough to walk everywhere here. I’m really impressed by Macao.
S.V: So why Macao? How did you find out about TIS? What was the goal coming here?
M.L: When I was looking for an international leadership position I was looking for a school that has an excellent reputation, high performing, and amazing people. TIS checks all of these boxes.
S.V: What advice do you have for students new to high school?
M.L: Number One, follow your passions. Number Two, improve yourself every single day. Then Number Three, is be awesome.
S.V: Okay, so for our last question we will let you pick. What is one thing that you want to share, it can be anything.
M.L: I feel like I’ve gotten deep on so many other questions I’m just going to come back to a really shallow answer, I love cappuccino ice cream.
S.V: Well ice cream is always gold, so that works.