Journey From Liverpool to Dubai: Behind The Principal's Desk With Jasmit Kaur Kang

Get ready to be inspired as we kick off this episode with the effervescent principal of Glendale School in Dubai, Jasmit Kaur Kang. Join us on a journey from Liverpool to Dubai, delving into Jasmit's morning routines, her penchant for travel, and her love for 80s music. We'll also sip a cup of our favourite beverages together and embark on some fun quick-fire rounds that reveal a thing or two about Jasmit's fears.

Not just about her personal life, Jasmit also shares her dreams and ambitions. We talk about the challenges of managing a new school, her passion for running, and her future plans of opening her own dance school. From her love for her family to her fear of wasps, this episode is a deep dive into what makes Jasmit tick. 

Teach Middle East Magazine is the premier platform for educators and the entire education sector in the Middle East and beyond. Our vision is to equip educators with the materials and tools they need, to function optimally in and out of the classroom. We provide a space for educators to connect and find inspiration, resources, and forums to enhance their teaching techniques, methodologies, and personal development. We connect education suppliers and service providers to the people who make the buying decisions in schools.

Visit our website https://linktr.ee/teachmiddleeast.

Tweet us: https://twitter.com/teachmiddleeast

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachmiddleeast/.

Hosted by Leisa Grace Wilson

Connect with Leisa Grace:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/leisagrace

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leisagrace/

Teach Middle East Magazine is the premier platform for educators and the entire education sector in the Middle East and beyond. Our vision is to equip educators with the materials and tools they need, to function optimally in and out of the classroom. We provide a space for educators to connect and find inspiration, resources, and forums to enhance their teaching techniques, methodologies, and personal development. We connect education suppliers and service providers to the people who make the buying decisions in schools.

Visit our website https://linktr.ee/teachmiddleeast.

Tweet us: https://twitter.com/teachmiddleeast

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachmiddleeast/.

Hosted by Leisa Grace Wilson

Connect with Leisa Grace:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/leisagrace

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leisagrace/

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:27

You are listening to the Teach Middle East podcast connecting, developing and empowering educators.

Speaker 2: 0:38

Hi everyone, welcome back to the Teach Middle East podcast. My name is Lisa Grace and today I'm talking with Jasmine Kang and she is the principal of Glendale School in Dubai. And we are going behind the principal's desk because we don't want to talk just straight pedagogy. We want to know who is Jasmine, what makes her tick, what does she like, what does she not like? How does she spend her time? What is she like outside of school? Does she enjoy this versus that? All of the little juicy bits that you want to ask your principal but you can't. But guess who can Me? I can ask them, no, because I can ask them. Sit back, relax and let's get to know Jasmine a little bit more. Welcome, jasmine.

Speaker 3: 1:26

Thank you so much. Thank you, lisa, great introduction. I'm looking forward to it. A little bit scared, but I'm going with this. I'm going with your feeling, confident, with the questions you can ask me.

Speaker 2: 1:36

Yeah, why do principals go like that? This is one of like maybe my third or fourth conversation behind the principal's desk and they always say to me oh, I'm scared. I think we're just very used to being organised and very predictable and having everything under our control, and when we don't have control, we feel a little bit vulnerable. Vulnerability is good. Rumble with it, jasmine. Rumble with it. It's morning time. Jasmine is getting ready for work. What do you listen to?

Speaker 3: 2:13

That's a good one actually, because I like my quiet time in the morning. I've got to be honest, I'm the first one to get up in my house. I've got two boys, so they're fast asleep. My husband is fast asleep and that is actually the best time of the day for you just to focus on the day ahead. For me it is about having that quiet time. I don't have any noise in the morning and it is just a kind of reflection for the day and that sets me up in the right way. So I don't listen to music. I'm a bit boring like that. I save that for the car journey. But getting ready in the morning, making some tea, having some quiet time for myself for about half an hour before, it's crazy. Go, go, go with the boys. So yeah, that's my quiet time. How old are your boys? I have a 15 year old who's just in year 10 now and a 10 year old who's in year six.

Speaker 2: 3:04

Oh, wow, so have kids of a similar age. My boys are both 10, they're turning 11 in November and they're now in year seven. And they are a handful. How do you juggle it?

Speaker 3: 3:27

I've never had a nanny as such and I think I never wanted that. Coming from the UK, you're not used to that culture, and I came when my youngest was two months old. So he's been in Dubai for his whole time. I call him the Dubai boy, and the other kids have obviously been brought up in the UK for a bit of time. So my other family members have all stayed in the UK, so we're kind of the first part of the family that moved out here.

Speaker 3: 3:56

So, yeah, I mean it's been a great move for the boys. They have loved being here and, as you say, when you move over here it's only supposed to be for a couple of years, and now it's nearly 10. So it was a best move for my career, best move for a family. I couldn't have wished for anything better and I don't know whether we'll ever go back, as a lot of people say. So yeah, that's where we are at the moment, I think now because the older one being in year 10, it's now going to be difficult for us to move back until he's in university.

Speaker 2: 4:29

Yeah, no, I completely get that. How long is your commute in the mornings?

Speaker 3: 4:35

It's about 20 minutes, so not too long. I prefer that on a kind of local journey. So I drive to school and I say again that just sets you up for the day ahead.

Speaker 2: 4:47

Yeah, what are you bopping to in the morning? Or what are you listening to in the car?

Speaker 3: 4:51

I'm actually listening to Virgin Radio, quite sad. I'm listening to the pop quiz. Really, I actually listen to the pop quiz most days. Otherwise, I have my own kind of Spotify account, so I have. I'm a bit of an 80s girl, so it's a bit of 80s music, kind of grown up with Madonna and George Michael. I loved George Michael as a child and I still have my wham songs. That's actually telling me a lot now. I used to love wham when I was growing up, so that's still on my playlist. Wow, where did you grow up? I was born and bred in Liverpool actually. So yeah, I don't have a very strong accent. Yeah, what did you do? I'm from Liverpool.

Speaker 2: 5:33

What did you do with that Liverpool an accent? How did you get rid of that?

Speaker 3: 5:38

I think I was quite strong when I was growing up, but then I moved to Birmingham Maybe that helped when I got married. So I was in Birmingham for nine years as well. So that's, I think, has got a little bit of a mixture of both. So, yeah, I mean it was just. You know, liverpool was a lovely place to grow up with in a very multicultural lots of multicultural friendships that I made that I'm still in contact with. And then I've actually went to university in Liverpool as well, did my teaching degree there and then moved to Birmingham where I spent five years of teaching in Liverpool, which I thought I would never leave, and then got married and came to Edgbaston in Birmingham, continued my teaching career there for another nine years before coming out here. So, yeah, really good journey of having, you know, experience of the UK and now the last 10 years being here, yeah, when you were when you were at uni in Liverpool, like what were you?

Speaker 2: 6:32

what were you doing for fun? What were you getting up to?

Speaker 3: 6:38

I had a very small group of friends. Actually I wasn't very exciting in that way, but you know, being part of, you know different groups at university, you know I was kind of very much part of just being kind of you know, socialising with different people, meeting lots of people from different places. But my own kind of friendship group were quite local to Liverpool itself. So that actually made more friends in my local area and yeah, it was a really lovely time to be at university in my hometown and that was, you know, really fun kind of branching out and meeting other people from around the UK. So I had really fun. Days of my schooling was the best in Liverpool as well and that's why I became a teacher. So you know, I went back to my old primary school for work experience when I was in year 10. And that's when I decided that I wanted to be a teacher because I just had such an amazing time myself at primary school. So that was the reason why I went down that line.

Speaker 2: 7:36

Yeah, but if you weren't a teacher, what would you have chosen instead?

Speaker 3: 7:41

Oh, you know what? I actually never explored the arts and I actually loved dancing and I was never allowed to do it as a child because my mum, you know, as parents are, I want you to study and work your best and didn't really value that side of the curriculum. I should be saying, and I actually always wanted to explore that side of drama and dance and that's why I'm so passionate about it now, because I missed out on that. So I actually would have loved to have had more of a kind of fostering of the arts in my kind of own childhood. I think I missed out on that.

Speaker 2: 8:18

Yeah. So then if you had the chance now to start sort of like a business, what would that business be Like? What would you start?

Speaker 3: 8:28

Oh gosh, open my own dance school. It would be. It would be something like that, it would be something very creative and it is something that I've always tried to. You know, when I first started teaching, I would always get involved in the drama and the dance side of things and organizing that kind of production wise, and that's something I really enjoy. I really enjoy putting something from start to finish, you know planning stage and you know coming up with the children for those best roles and seeing that kind of develop into a whole school production and, you know, seeing the parents reaction to it. That is, you know, that is the best part of being in school, I think, is we can say about lessons, but the whole point of seeing children develop and explore that side and you know, produce something amazing that you never thought would happen. That's something that you know. If I had the chance to recreate that in his business, I would definitely open up my kind of drama school or dance school. So still kind of education line, but yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:31

It's interesting because it's good. You know, that's why I love these conversations, because I would not have, like, painted you as a dancer or somebody who was into the arts. So it's just great to have these kinds of like off the cuff conversations, because you get to learn a lot of like what makes someone tick. All right, let's, let's get whimsical for a minute. Coffee or tea? Oh, coffee.

Speaker 3: 9:56

Really, I don't mind tea. I'm a lover of both, but if I had a choice, it'll be coffee. I like my coffee every day. How'd you take it? I'm a cafe latte or cappuccino drinker. So yeah, how many cups a day? Oh no only one. Just one. I just have my one coffee, maximum two. I can't drink caffeine after 6pm, otherwise I don't sleep, so it's usually just best in the morning. So yeah, I'm definitely coffee over tea, but I like my Indian tea as well. Little spices in it, I'll admit.

Speaker 2: 10:30

What is that? Is that a chai?

Speaker 3: 10:32

Chai, which has, I love, cardamom. So the green cardamom that you get, you push that into a nice cup of tea with milk, very fragrant, and I've just got a love for that flavour now, yeah, so second to coffee will be cardamom tea.

Speaker 2: 10:48

Yeah, I got turned on to that cardamom tea thing out here. Cardamom chai out here at the Middle East. It's delish, I like it. Yeah, my favourite meal. If you were to get the best meal put in front of you, what would you want that to be?

Speaker 3: 11:10

I absolutely love the chai flavour. I would probably want to learn how to cook that myself but I'm just too lazy. But I love that coconut milk, the chai green curry flavour, little bit of spice. But I'm actually obviously from the Indian subcontinent and we have obviously spice in our diet, but the flavours I think in Thai food are amazing. So for me, if I was going out to eat, I'd go for Thai.

Speaker 2: 11:35

Yeah, I love a bit of Thai as well. What's your favourite place that you've visited on a holiday?

Speaker 3: 11:42

That's a good one. I've just come back from the Seychelles. That was just so relaxing. I'm not so much of a beach person I like the beach side, but I also always like to explore new places and kind of be more of a tourist, looking at landmarks and that sort of thing. For me, having the Seychelles was just for five days, when you just want to have not much time. That was amazing.

Speaker 3: 12:11

I have been to Canada. I love Canada. You know that was before the boys came along, but we had four or five different trips to Vancouver, the mountains. I really loved that side of the world. I think for me more of the trips to India is more of a family link, so in the holidays I still have one memory of going back to India that I haven't taken my boys yet. So that's something that I want to do because we're actually closer to India than over here. But I do want to show them the Golden Temple, kind of the main landmark belonging to the Seychelles faith. So that's something I definitely want to do with my boys very soon.

Speaker 2: 12:49

Yeah, on that note, apart from taking your boys to India, where else is on your wish list, your travel wish list?

Speaker 3: 13:00

I haven't actually been to Italy and I've always wanted to go. So I would want to really visit Italy. I've seen Lake Como, but you know kind of people are saying that's a place to visit. It's just looks so picturesque. So I definitely want to try a trip to Italy. My mom is actually trying to make that happen for me by organizing a cruise trip for the summer. So she said you know, she's been on this Mediterranean cruise already with her friendship group and she said let's do that next summer. So hopefully that'll happen very soon. So yeah, italy.

Speaker 2: 13:33

Awesome, you mentioned you were married. Yes, what's one thing that your husband could do that would just literally make you feel loved and special?

Speaker 3: 13:47

Oh my gosh, I think it's just spending quality time with each other. I think that's what it is. You kind of get lost in. You know what you're doing day to day, you know it's just busy and it's making more time to make memories together, and I think that's you know. We do have time to go on holiday and all the time we go home because obviously they miss home and cousins are all there. So making all of those times of exploring new places, like you say, together, I think that is what you know. You know sharing those new experiences with each other. Going to visit a new place that I think is is, and you see each other in different light. I think that's what's what's really special. You get to know more and more about that person and you know that you might not have known before. You keep learning new things about your partner.

Speaker 2: 14:32

So you don't have like a special date night that you. You know, when he said let's do this, you're like, yeah, that's, that's awesome, I want to do that.

Speaker 3: 14:42

Must be a bit boring. No, I don't have anything specific like that. I like going out for an ice meal. You know that's my kind of quality time, so that is something that you know. I think for me it's more about traveling together and just say places, such, probably. What I would say is is the better side of getting to know someone, and in a different light, in different place. Awesome.

Speaker 2: 15:05

All right, let's play Mario or kill. Yeah, ready, principles can play people if you're listening to the pod or watching it. Ready, george Clooney, brad Pitt, mario or kill, mario, kill. I'm going to choose one. Yeah, I would. So how you play it is George Clooney, brad Pitt. At Mario, george Clooney, I'd kill Brad Pitt.

Speaker 3: 15:31

Oh, I don't want to kill him.

Speaker 2: 15:33

It's hypothetical. Just me, come on Work with me here.

Speaker 3: 15:39

I'd probably go marry George Clooney and kill Brad Pitt.

Speaker 2: 15:45

Oh, come on, Limber up, we're getting in there, mario, or kill Idris Elba or Hugh Jackman.

Speaker 3: 15:55

Oh, mari Idris Elba killed me, hugh Jackman killed her. I don't know about it.

Speaker 2: 16:01

Let's go, since we're both from the UK and this one might get a little bit political, mari, this is the last one. I promise Don't sweat anymore. Mari or Kil, boris Johnson or David Cameron oh kill the both of them.

Speaker 3: 16:18

Ah, I'm not going to really choose Not to Mari David Cameron. Oh, my goodness, yeah, I wouldn't be Boris Johnson.

Speaker 2: 16:28

What kind of mom Kill the both. Yeah, no, that's awesome. That's awesome. I mean, I love to do stuff like that because people are always like I wouldn't marry any of them. I'm like you have to marry one of them. Ok, cool In terms of Glendale. So let's turn a little bit on your school now, even though it's behind the principal's desk. What is one unique? Because a new school and people don't know about it and you're discovering it and we're discovering it. What's one unique thing you've noticed about the school since you started there that you want everybody to know about?

Speaker 3: 17:04

Yeah, it's just been an amazing journey. I think, as I said to you before, the fact that I was so passionate about the arts as a child and this is something that I've been able to bring to the school is actually when you're starting a school from scratch, you can really think about those things that you've missed or you think are so important and bring that to the table, and that is something I think is so blessed that I've had the opportunity to bring. So for me, it was about opening these opportunities for our primary students, where they have the opportunity to grow in all areas of the curriculum. And it's not just saying that because you might have heard that before from other schools, but we're actually doing it properly. So, in terms of incorporating drama as a set part of the English curriculum and we plan that in that will be done. It's not just, oh, we're going to be doing drama, so that's already planned into the curriculum. We have a dance studio specifically for dance where we have a link with a dance studio that comes in and works for our children. We've got a link with our drama institute that's coming in to put on a whole school production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that school is paying for and children don't have to pay for it.

Speaker 3: 18:13

So it's things like that that I think are so important that children might not have the opportunity to do, and now they can. And something I want to mention is design technology. That is actually a part of the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 curriculum, but you don't hear of many schools really promoting that in Dubai. So again, that was something that was really dear to me that we should have this opportunity for the children who are in British curriculum school. We should be offering all the curriculum subjects that we would have in the UK and even in the UK DT is pretty much probably not done as well as the other subjects. So there are those key arts, the arts-based subjects that I really wanted to bring to the forefront, and I think this is what's exciting for me, for the school is offering those opportunities.

Speaker 2: 18:57

Yeah, Dubai is a busy market. Opening a new school has its fair amount of challenges. What are some of the lessons you're learning from a new school startup in Dubai?

Speaker 3: 19:13

I think for me I've been lucky that I've got a great team. An operations team is vitally important. So, because of you know, glendale International being, you know it hasn't got the brand of, you know, for example, gems, but what we do have is they have got a lot of schools across the globe. So not so much in Dubai, but they have in Malaysia and Singapore, in Japan and Cambodia. They have a lot of experience in starting up new schools. They have 65 campuses now and growing. So you know they have a lot of experience on how to set up a new school, which that's what I've learned, that kind of the pitfalls of what could happen with you know what needs to be planned. Make sure that every single you know part of the school operations side is in place on time. Of course, you know there might be delays in Dubai and just having to deal with that that's probably been the biggest, I think, learning curve for me. I'm quite organized and I make sure that you know everything that I can do in terms of staffing and in terms of curriculum and all of that is in place. But you know other things of you know delivery of resources. Even though you've got those things organized, that might take more time or, you know, there's been delay on shipments from aboard, and those little things that are making it, you know, a little bit harder to get right is beyond your control. So I think that's something that I've learned, especially with the new school, where there's everything that you're starting up scratch, whereas in a established school you're not having to deal with so many new things having to be put in place. So, yeah, that's been really interesting.

Speaker 3: 20:46

It's been a great journey because I've been part of the very start in terms of branding the school logo, you know, the uniform, all of those things that you wouldn't have the chance to do if you're already in a school that's set up. So it's been an absolutely amazing journey for me to see that part of the process, which I have an experience in my you know, 20 plus years of school experience. So I feel very blessed to be part of this journey of a new school. But there are those things that, as you say, you don't expect that. Oh, you know there's a delay on this, oh, but we need it now. Oh, but you know, how do you manage that? How do you make sure that staff are still positive? And I do work very hard on that, to make sure that I'm there for the staff. I've always been like that. I do, you know, pride myself on making sure the relationships in the school are really strong.

Speaker 2: 21:32

Yeah, but how do you take care of you?

Speaker 3: 21:36

I do. Actually, I really do make sure that I make time for myself and I do that through, you know, doing exercise. I made sure, kind of last year I was training for a marathon, which I did and I was very proud of myself and I'm going to continue that kind of running journey Because that is something that you know, you do by yourself, but you just clear your mind, it just makes you feel really good after you've had a run and it's something that I would recommend to anybody. I'm not a runner at all, you know, and I never used to like it at school, I used to hate cross country. But you know, now is the time where I'm actually really enjoying it and it's something that you can build on more and more.

Speaker 3: 22:12

So it started with I'm going to try and do a five kilometer run. Let's see if I can try and build up to that. You know puffing and puffing after two kilometers and then, slowly and slowly, you're building up more and more until you've working towards a half marathon. Anyone can do it. If I can do it, anyone can do it, and it's just having those little milestones of I want to achieve something and you're working towards something and when you get there. That feeling is as the children say you know you get that success when you get something and you do something well that you maybe never thought you could do before.

Speaker 2: 22:42

Yeah, no, I salute you. Half a marathon, I've never tried.

Speaker 3: 22:47

But, honestly, anyone can do it. It's nothing. I mean, I remember having the same conversation with the person who inspired me in running and he was the same saying. And I said to him oh my gosh, half marathon, no way. He said, no, just try it a little by little. It's someone who kind of inspires you, and that's important, isn't it? You know, they have those people who kind of come into your life to inspire you to do something different, and I think that's that's also important when you're in a leadership.

Speaker 2: 23:14

Amazing. All right, we have the last few minutes of the podcast, so we're going to go quick fire. All right, Breeza, Breeza, we're going to get it down last. And these are just silly. You know silly ones. First one what's a silly fear that you have?

Speaker 3: 23:31

Wasps Can't stand them. Yeah, I can never kill a wasp. I kill any other creature, be it spy or anything else, but not a wasp.

Speaker 2: 23:39

No, oh my gosh. If you could have any mythical creature as a pet, which one would you choose? Um, a unicorn? Yeah, that's cool. No, that's a cool one, that's actually a cool one. If you could be on any game show, which game show would you want to be on? Which one would you pick?

Speaker 3: 24:01

I really enjoyed the UK one. You probably, because you'll know it catchphrase I used to love that.

Speaker 2: 24:05

Oh yeah, I like that as well, actually. Yeah, I used to love that.

Speaker 3: 24:07

What was the family fortune? It would be good when I always think you go with your family. Yeah yeah.

Speaker 2: 24:18

So if you could be famous for one thing, what would it be?

Speaker 3: 24:22

But I would love to be a singer.

Speaker 2: 24:24

Oh, awesome All right. Last one, last one, last one. So what is the word or phrase? You just can't stand.

Speaker 3: 24:40

You know what? I suppose you hear it a lot when you hear people say you need to empower that person. I like the word empower, right, I really like it, but to me sometimes that's used in the wrong way by leaders and it almost means like just pass the boat on and let them get on with it, empower them, but they don't even know what to do. It's not about just leaving them to sink and drown. I kind of feel we use that in the wrong way. I think leaders sometimes don't know what that word means. You need to support people before you can get them, allow them to be empowered, and I think sometimes that's a bit of confusion. It is about making sure that we are there to support them and making sure that they have the skills to then feel empowered rather than say, oh, empower them, give them that role. So I think that's something that is a bit of a pet hate for me.

Speaker 2: 25:32

That's a serious question. I don't like ending on serious question. I got to ask you a bonus one because I ended on like a serious question. What movie or book made you laugh harder than you should have my?

Speaker 3: 25:46

God, that's such a difficult question to end on, lisa, it's hard. Oh, all right, funny one. I can't think right now that's a difficult one. Oh, I love Barbie, actually the Barbie movie that made me laugh I haven't watched it. Yeah, barbie, it's quite funny. It's really funny. It's got some good messages for young girls, but it was actually very, very funny. So that was probably the most recent one I've watched. That was quite funny. So, yeah, go watch.

Speaker 2: 26:12

Barbie. That's a good one to end on See. Jasmine went and saw Barbie. Who would have thought I haven't gone, but I heard it's actually quite pro women. My friends actually told me oh, lisa, go watch it, because I was like I'm not watching Barbie. Are you dumb?

Speaker 3: 26:28

Like no, it's surprisingly good. It's surprisingly good. I thought the same thing, but I actually went with my school admissions team to go and watch it. It was actually a really good laugh, really good, really good kind of team. We all had our pink jackets and pink loads on and went together after school. So, yeah, it was really worth it and, as you say, it is a good message for young girls and, you know, make sure it has got some good messages for women. So I recommend it.

Speaker 2: 26:56

Really Okay, I take your recommendation, I'll watch it. I won't go to the theater or the cinema, sorry, and I won't wear pink. Imagine me in pink, like what. That would ruin my street cred. People, I wear black. That's it. Thank you for being a good sport, jasmine.

Speaker 3: 27:13

Thank you, lou. I really enjoyed it. It wasn't as bad as I thought. I thought it was going to be very scary. I'm a good girl. I'm a good girl. Thank you so much. I love you. I love you. I love you, I love you. Thank you so much. I look forward to the next one, awesome.

Speaker 1: 27:25

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