ITP - 124: Raising Kids Across 30 Countries (Is It Worth It?)

Greg:
Welcome everyone to the International Teacher Podcast. I'm Jacqueline from JP Mint Consulting and I'm here with Greg the Single Guy. Hey Greg, what's your nickname today?

Greg:
Well, it is May the 4th as we record this, so may the 4th be with you all.

Jacqueline:
Yes, Star Trek, live long and prosper. That's right.

Greg:
We're gonna maybe have to cut that out because that's not even Star Trek. This is Star Wars, JP.

Jacqueline:
Okay, okay. And today I'm very excited to say we have a return guest, Greg. We have Noah Spaulding calling in from Pakistan and he was on episode 12. Woo, we love returning guests.

Greg:
Woo!

Noah:
Hello!

Jacqueline:
Noah, so you were on with the OG, I think, Greg. Greg, can you tell us a little bit about episode 12? Was that also Matt the Family Guy in there?

Greg:
No, it was just Noah and I shooting the breeze because back then we couldn’t get things organized. Even then, Noah, we were just doing it early morning or whenever we could. Whenever we got a guest, we’d be like, we’ve got a guest, it’s Noah. Noah and I know each other from way back when.

Noah:
Yeah, and I think for me, what I remember was just shooting the breeze with you, catching up on old times and talking about how quickly the time has gone and where we've been. It was a good time.

Greg:
Well that was four years ago, Noah, so we need to refresh our listeners on some of your story. I’ll let JP organize that a little bit and I’ll just chime in with some jokes and wait for Kent to show up.

Jacqueline:
All right. So Noah, can you tell us a little bit about your international journey, where you came from and where you are?

Noah:
Sure. I had to write things down because my memory is not so good anymore sometimes. I started off in Honduras. I taught for eight years in Honduras, three years at a main international school, and then five years on top of a mountain at a Canadian one-building schoolhouse.

Then six years in Qatar, two years in China, and my wife and I are finishing up our eighth year here in Pakistan.

Jacqueline:
Wow, so you went South America, Asia, and then Asia again. Excellent. And for our listeners that are the linguists, where is this accent coming from?

Noah:
I am originally from Radford, Virginia, so it's a bit of a southern accent.

Jacqueline:
Okay, I wanted to guess but didn’t want to be wrong. I was thinking southern United States somewhere, but Virginia is kind of in the middle, isn’t it?

Noah:
It could go either way because Northern Virginia is primarily professionals that have come in, and they wouldn’t consider themselves Southerners. Growing up in southwest Virginia, I was around a lot of deep-root Southerners, and that’s where I got my accent. The rest of my family doesn’t have it at all.

It’s funny, I was in a kindergarten class in Sri Lanka just last week because my football team went for a tournament. A kid from Tennessee recognized my southern accent and thought I was from Tennessee. It was a bonding moment because we were neighbors.

Jacqueline:
A little taste of home.

Greg:
So you took kindergartners on a football tour and visited Sri Lanka. That's amazing, Noah. And by the way, you need to pardon JP because Jacqueline has no idea. The Southern United States is just south of Canada and she lives in Mexico, which is like south south.

Jacqueline:
Virginia is just south of Washington DC. I do know US geography. Noah, can you tell us how you learned about international teaching and even started thinking about going to Honduras?

Noah:
Yeah, it's one of those real secrets. I was teaching in Virginia for six years. I met my future wife there. She's from Honduras and had gone to college in the United States. She was working on her visa when we started dating.

It got serious, and I said, let’s go to Honduras. I’d like to meet your family and learn Spanish. Are there any schools I could teach English at? She said yes, and next thing I knew, I contacted the international school in San Pedro Sula and was offered a contract about two weeks later.

Once I got there, I eventually moved to the Canadian mine school after three years. They wanted me to eventually be the principal, and they sent me to Lehigh University for principal accreditation. There I met teachers from all over the world.

Once you learn about teachers who do this as a career, not just for two years, it changes your thinking. I became interested and asked my wife, would you like to go to Qatar? She said, where’s that? I said it’s in the Middle East, and we went.

Greg:
Another phone call. So wait a second, Noah. You said you worked in Honduras, and I forgot that it was a mine school. I thought you said mime school. How did you speak Spanish, mime?

Jacqueline:
No, not mime. I was like, why is he doing that? Mine, as in mining minerals.

Noah:
Mine, mine.

Greg:
Minerals, mine with an N. I thought you said mime, like a mime school. I’ve never met anyone who’s been a principal at a mime school.

Noah:
It’s that southern accent again.

Greg:
Southwestern Virginia with a little bit of Chinese and Arabic.

Noah:
You’ve been up at El Mochito, Greg, right? So at the time it was primarily zinc, but I could be wrong. It’s changed ownership. I think now a Swedish company owns it. I was just there last summer actually.

Jacqueline:
And just to clarify, this was a school for the children of the engineers. They wanted an English medium school for their kids.

Noah:
Yes, but it wasn’t just Canadians. We had kids from Mexico, Peru, Canada, both English and French-speaking. We had some Québécois who didn’t speak much English.

I had a combined fourth and fifth grade classroom.

Jacqueline:
Sometimes those smaller company schools just stay open as long as the operation continues. So how did you learn about Qatar?

Noah:
That was through TIE Online. I contacted a friend from Lehigh who worked in Qatar Foundation schools. He gave me the lay of the land and said it was reputable.

I had a non-teaching spouse and two kids, so I didn’t have a lot of offers.

Greg:
And now she’s teaching.

Noah:
Yes, she started as a librarian, got her master’s, and now teaches Spanish and is the DP coordinator.

Jacqueline:
She’s now the one with the trailing spouse.

Noah:
Exactly. My daughter’s in college and my son is about to graduate. That’s why we want to go on a new adventure.

Jacqueline:
Did your kids go to the same school in Qatar?

Noah:
No, I was at a special needs school. My kids were at Qatar Academy, and later ACS Doha. My wife eventually joined my school.

Jacqueline:
And tuition was covered?

Noah:
Absolutely.

Jacqueline:
Then China?

Noah:
We went to the Bangkok job fair through Search and ISS. It was exhausting. We got an offer and took it instead of going to another fair.

Jacqueline:
Where in China?

Noah:
Dongguan, between Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Greg:
Done what?

Noah:
Dongguan. We had a great experience.

Jacqueline:
And then Pakistan?

Noah:
Some schools weren’t interested because my wife isn’t a US citizen. But ISOI encouraged me to apply anyway. We interviewed and have been here eight years. I’ve loved every minute.

Jacqueline:
Rose Puffer has been there forever.

Noah:
About 30 years. She’s incredible. Very supportive. When my father passed, the support I received was amazing.

Every year her retirement gets pushed back.

Greg:
Inspiration.

Greg:
I have a Pakistan story from the UNI fair. I met people in an elevator who knew the same teachers from Cambodia. It’s such a small world.

Jacqueline:
Seven degrees of Kevin.

Greg:
It’s the smallest district in the world.

Greg:
Can you imagine your network after eight years in Pakistan?

Noah:
It’s amazing how small it is, especially with CISA schools.

Jacqueline:
CISA is a regional association for South Asia schools.

Noah:
We compete with them. It’s great. Teachers need to remember how small the world is because burned bridges come back.

Greg:
Regional competitions include sports, MUN, arts, and more.

Jacqueline:
Choir festivals too.

Greg:
You were just in Sri Lanka?

Noah:
Yes, I took five major trips this year. Volleyball to Sri Lanka, basketball to Doha, NESA in Greece, soccer to Sri Lanka, and a personal trip to Spain.

Jacqueline:
That’s a lot.

Greg:
Just five.

Noah:
There are also Week Without Walls type trips.

Jacqueline:
Lots of travel opportunities for teachers.

Greg:
But it takes commitment.

Noah:
Definitely. I tell my kids to get certified even if they don’t teach. It’s a valuable skill.

My daughter is getting certified in elementary, my son is considering math.

Jacqueline:
Your kids are third culture kids.

Noah:
Yes, born in Honduras, raised across countries. My son learned Chinese and negotiated in markets. My daughter speaks Spanish fluently.

Jacqueline:
Did you teach them?

Noah:
Yes, both of them. They called me dad in class.

Greg:
That’s normal in international schools.

Noah:
One of the best parts is seeing them during the day. We even went to prom together as chaperones.

Jacqueline:
Different culture.

Greg:
Same school life though.

Noah:
Exactly. It’s just like teaching in the US, just somewhere else.

Greg:
Teachers should know about this option.

Jacqueline:
It’s not for everyone, but almost everyone can find something good in it.

Greg:
Best kept secret in education.

Jacqueline:
Benefits for your kids?

Noah:
They’re open-minded, globally aware, and comfortable with different cultures. They’ve been to around 30 countries.

They have no limits the way I did growing up.

Jacqueline:
Education quality?

Noah:
IB has been fantastic for them.

Jacqueline:
Next steps?

Noah:
We’ll recruit next year and look for a new adventure. Stay open to opportunities.

Greg:
Would you go back somewhere?

Noah:
Maybe not Honduras, possibly Doha, probably not China right now.

Jacqueline:
Some people only want one country.

Greg:
I want to try new ones.

Jacqueline:
Hidden gems are getting rarer.

Greg:
Job fairs open your eyes.

Jacqueline:
How many countries?

Noah:
Over 30.

Jacqueline:
51 or 52 for me.

Greg:
About 70 for me.

Greg:
We once sat in Venezuela during a blackout naming countries alphabetically.

Noah:
I meet embassy families and sometimes know their schools and teachers.

Jacqueline:
What do your families think?

Noah:
They resisted at first but eventually accepted it. Now my daughter cares where we go next.

We love Panama and visit often.

Jacqueline:
Popular choice.

Noah:
We also returned to Honduras after 14 years.

Jacqueline:
Three things you bring?

Noah:
Nothing really. I don’t get attached to things.

Greg:
Except JP’s carpets.

Jacqueline:
Now magnets.

Greg:
Customs story?

Noah:
In Jordan, I forgot my son at security. They questioned him to confirm I was his dad. He thought they were going to take his Nintendo.

Greg:
You were close to trouble.

Jacqueline:
Still married though.

Greg:
Final thoughts?

Noah:
I’m grateful for the experiences. It’s been a whirlwind and I’m excited for what’s next.

Jacqueline:
Try two years. Anyone can do it.

Greg:
Thanks Noah. Amazing career.

Jacqueline:
Past guests, come back anytime.

Greg:
You can find JP Mint online, Noah somewhere in Pakistan, and me not in Kent’s room 303 but room 107.

Thank you very much.

Jacqueline:
Thank you.

Greg:
I’m not very good at the ending.

[End of transcript]