TFS - Canada's International School

the University of Toronto, Ms. Bolotenko was sent by the Canadian International Development Agency to Kyiv, Ukraine, to work for a non-governmental organization. She went on to receive a master's degree from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto in teaching global education. Upon being placed in a school with a large Muslim population, she realized that she knew very little about their background, and decided to do something about it; she moved to Abu Dhabi for three years to teach and learn. She also spent two years teaching global perspectives and research at a school in Kazakhstan, where she created a partnership between her students and those at a boarding school for children with disabilities caused by radioactive testing. Of her positon at TFS, Ms. Bolotenko says, "The most important aspect is that student life is not separate from the academics. Everything at the school is about teaching and learning, and student life is integrated into what is happening in the classrooms, and supports well-being and whole-child development." One aspect of that learning involves our Indigenous peoples. During the November break, Ms. Bolotenko accompanied a group of Grade 7 students to a leadership camp in Bethany, Ontario, where they learned about permaculture, sustainability and First Nations' cultures, histories, traditional teachings and current issues. As part of our shared history, including that of land use, economic development, and intercultural relations, the students came to understand the why of Truth and Reconciliation, and the unique Indigenous perspectives on learning and ways of knowing, historically based on a holistic and interdisciplinary approach. "It provides another framework for how our students can see the world," says Ms. Bolotenko. When Level V student Adam B. graduates in spring 2019, he will have been at TFS for two years, after spending his formative years in Texas, where his family moved to from Barbados. When his father was transferred to Toronto, the city itself helped expand his international perspective, with its multitude of cultures and dense, urban living. Transitioning to TFS was a bit easier, since he had attended the Dallas International School, which also teaches the curriculum of France and the IB programs. On having an international perspective, Adam says, "You need to be adaptable, to be able to relate to others and share experiences. It's about communicating." For the collection of works this aspiring architect is creating for his Higher Level art course, he is tackling the transnational issue of climate change. His vision is to create structures that fuse "nature with the man-made, so that it's sustainable and a better way to live." Born in Tehran, Iran and raised in Cannes, France, Neda Ipchilar came to Toronto at 11 years old, where she continued her education in French. While majoring in kinesiology at York University, she missed French and so added a second major to complete her degree. She then obtained her bachelor's of education degree from the University of Ottawa. She started her career at TFS 15 years ago and now teaches Intro Junior Kindergarten at La p'tite école. As widely travelled as she is multilingual (Persian and Turkish, in addition to English and French), Mme Ipchilar finds her young students are equally enthusiastic about expanding their intercultural horizons: "Many of my students are new to both A d am B., L e v e l V Sa r a h M . , Le ve l I V French and English, and they are so excited that they will know three languages. The ability to communicate, to understand other languages and appreciate different cultures, prepares them to be a better fit for our world. They are learning a unique international perspective without even realizing it." From their families and diverse teachers, subjects at school, to student life and exchange experiences, TFS students are provided with learning experiences that allow them to develop an international perspective and intercultural competency. It becomes integral to how they think, treat others, and engage in the world around them. It is what will nurture them as individuals who reflect, citizens who act. "The most important aspect is that student life is not separate from the academics. Everything at the school is about teaching and learning, and student life is integrated into what is happening in the classrooms." —TAMARA BOLOTENKO 13 TFS ENTRE NOUS 2019

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