ITP - 85: Let’s Talk LinkedIn and China

Greg: Welcome to the show.

JP: Oh no.

Greg: Oh my God, we're recording. Let's make sure—is it tapped?

JP: Hello.

Greg: Bueller. Bueller.

All right. This is Greg from the International Teacher Podcast. Welcome. I'm here with my friend JP Mint. Kent is not here right now. JP, how are you doing today?

JP: Hello, good morning from Mexico.

Greg: Well, I tell you what, JP, this is the first interesting, super interesting episode that we have because I totally screwed up.

JP: What happened? Ask me what happened.

Greg: Yeah, what happened?

JP: We have this great guest and we talked for like an hour and a half. Do you remember? It wasn't halfway through—I think it was about 20 minutes, to be fair.

Because you know I have FOMO. I have real FOMO. So I don't want our listeners who have FOMO to be triggered that they've missed half of the episode.

So in fact, listeners with FOMO, you probably only missed about 15–20 minutes, and Greg and I are going to recap. We're going to do that little puppet show recap.

Greg: JP, wait a second. What does FOMO mean?

JP: Fear of missing out, you know. Generation gap or something.

Greg: It's FOMO. So for those that are listening that don't have FOMO—those that have are afflicted, and it is an affliction. Those who have FOMO are the first ones to arrive at a party and the last ones to leave because they don't want to miss anything—any of the gossip, any of the fun stuff.

There's nothing worse for a FOMO than to go home and then hear after you've left, “Oh, the party really got started.”

JP: But don't leave then.

Greg: Don't leave, right? Stay with us. Even FOMO—stay with us because we're going to make it up to you.

This is a great episode. We're going to jump in in a little bit, but our guest is Doctor Wayne Russell, and we had a great conversation with him. I can't wait to share it.

But you know what? Tell us a little bit about what they missed, JP. Tell us a little bit about Doctor Wayne Russell.

JP: So to tell you a little bit about our guest, I saw him on LinkedIn. I'm in a number of international teacher and international school groups on LinkedIn, and I kept seeing this name pop up—Doctor Wayne Russell.

He has such a great following, and he asks these very poignant questions of his followers or connections, and they chime in.

He writes an article on his website and then he adds people's comments as part of the article. So this article is constantly changing until such time he goes to the next article, and then he asks his audience again, “Hey, what do you guys think of this? What are some of the qualities you're looking for in a teacher?”

Then they all chime in in the comment section.

I was part of that group, and I thought this is really interesting. I think we should have him on the show because I've never seen LinkedIn used this way, where it's almost like an organic article that's in formation as people are commenting on it.

So I reached out to him on LinkedIn and said, “Hey, would you have any interest in coming on the show?”

He's located in South Africa, Greg, but he's an international teacher and a former international principal. So I thought this is great—this is both international teacher experience but also this interesting LinkedIn approach.

So what did they miss? Do you remember what they missed about his international journey?

Greg: Well, the most important part, I think, is that he has a lot to talk about China because he's been in several different schools. He has some good information about China.

I'm glad that we didn't miss too much of the beginning with him. I want to jump into it because China is not something we've talked a lot about.

We've talked about it with Brantley a little bit. We've talked about it with a number of other people, but Doctor Wayne Russell gets really into it in our discussion coming up.

Okay, so without further ado, here is Doctor Wayne Russell.

All right, and I think we're just getting into the fact—we're going to jump in just as he's explaining about LinkedIn.

Okay, so Wayne, let's talk a little bit about LinkedIn, your goal with LinkedIn, and the international teaching topic.

Wayne: My goal, I would say, is just to be a positive voice for international schooling. Not many people outside of international schooling quite understand what it is.

So I try to just be a voice and get engagement. I put some stuff on there that might be a little bit controversial about international schooling and what makes a great international school, and I just encourage the dialogue.

I've got some posts that have received a hundred comments because people are disagreeing or not seeing it quite like maybe I'm seeing it.

But I am open to changing my ideas. I get what they're saying, and I'll make a comment that accepts their point of view, and then I will edit some of my work on my blog to reflect what other people are saying.

Greg: You're doing the university professor thing by putting a little bit of controversy in there to develop dialogue and to look at different ways of looking at it—get people talking about the topics in education internationally.

JP: Yeah, well, that's why I reached out, Greg, to Wayne, because I commented on one of his posts. It was talking about accreditation in international schools.

I felt comfortable talking about Canada and how Canadian schools get accredited through the Ministry of Education and then, if they're international, through provincial ministries.

I commented something like that, and then the next thing I knew, his article changed on his website and included that point.

It felt very validating. Then I saw other people's comments and his blog article transforming.

So where did you learn how to do this? Because I'm quite impressed just with the LinkedIn part.

Wayne: I don't know if I learned. It just came. I like giving feedback to teachers and getting their perspectives.

My method of observing teachers would be to go into the classroom and then ask what went well, what didn't go well, and then have a meeting afterwards.

Do they agree or disagree? Because my perspective is not perfect.

I think maybe it's that I'm pretty open-minded. I've been working in PYP IB schools, so that's one of the learner profile traits—being open-minded.

But to be honest, sometimes I get annoyed at some of the comments. Initially it annoys me, but then I speak it over with my wife, calm down, and think more clearly.

JP: And do you have trolls? Are there trolls on LinkedIn?

Wayne: I haven't encountered a troll yet.

JP: When you were working in schools in China, were you a principal for elementary or secondary?

Wayne: Initially elementary, but in my last post I was a secondary principal—middle school and high school.

Actually, my wife and I and our family are heading back to Shanghai in August. One of my schools welcomed us back, and I'll be a director in the elementary school again.

Greg: So China keeps drawing you back. Can you tell us why?

Wayne: I think it has some of the best international schools. China has the most international schools.

Beijing has ISB and WAB, Shanghai has Shanghai American School and Concordia.

Also, our family goal is for the kids to be fluent in Chinese by the end of high school.

And then the lifestyle—expat life—there's more exploring and traveling.

And saving power. You can save a lot even while living well.

Greg: That's why we call this the best kept secret in education.

JP: Exactly. The lifestyle, the adventure, the learning.

Wayne: My kids have been learning Chinese on and off for about 12 years.

JP: What do you see with new teachers coming to China?

Wayne: They usually have a fantastic time. They grow professionally and personally.

Most of them stay in the international system after experiencing it.

Greg: Did you work in other cities?

Wayne: Yes, Shenzhen in Guangdong province. It's growing rapidly, near Hong Kong, with many new schools opening.

But Shanghai feels like home—cosmopolitan, huge population, lots of opportunity.

JP: Shanghai is incredible—the restaurants, the schools, the energy.

Wayne: Yes, places like Nanjing Road and the Bund are very popular.

JP: It can be overwhelming but exciting.

Wayne: For new teachers, be open-minded, be a risk taker, explore local culture, and build relationships with locals and expats.

Greg: What are you most excited about returning to?

Wayne: Working with my old school, reconnecting with colleagues, and enjoying the city again.

As a family, we're excited for restaurants, transport, and travel.

Greg: Funny enough, the best BBQ I ever had was in Shanghai.

Wayne: I need to find that place.

JP: The restaurant scene there is amazing.

Greg: Let's take a moment for a little commercial about how to get in touch with us.

You can find all four of us at itpexpat.com, email us at [internationalteacherpodcast@gmail.com](mailto:internationalteacherpodcast@gmail.com), find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/ITPExpat, and on Instagram at ITPExpats.

Wayne: Everything is on WeChat in China—payments, communication, everything.

JP: China was ahead of the curve with that technology.

Wayne: Yes, especially after the pandemic, you need apps for daily life.

JP: What about safety?

Wayne: China is very safe compared to many countries. Serious incidents are rare.

Greg: And the school supports you if anything happens.

JP: Wayne, final thoughts?

Wayne: Use recruitment agencies, be open, manage expectations, and keep trying. It's a positive field overall.

JP: Don’t give up. Keep networking and applying.

Greg: Wayne, thank you for coming on the show.

Wayne: Thank you.

Greg: And we will see you next episode. Let's go to China.