Mr. Jones’ experience at INO-Barstow was full of many firsts, but it’s also a story of success.

Mr. Nick Jones has returned to his job as a middle and upper school Spanish teacher here at Barstow, but last year he spent time in Istanbul, Turkey at INO-Barstow during its first year as a partnership school. His experience overseas, in both its challenges and successes, taught him a lot about himself and the roles teachers play in the lives of students. 

Before the partnership, İleri Nesil Okulları (INO) was a newly established independent school with a goal of raising environmentally-conscious generations in addition to fostering the values of creativity, individuality, and collaboration. 

Classes at INO are divided by language, Turkish and English, with Barstow taking up the operations in the English-speaking classes. Mr. Jones was the key orchestrator and guide for the INO staff on how to integrate Barstow-style teaching into their program in a way that does not overshadow traditional Turkish education. 

One of the most notable differences between Turkish and American culture is the culture surrounding technology at a young age. Most parents in Turkey are reluctant to expose their children to things like phones, iPads, and laptops until they’re in eighth grade. Similarly, most instruction in the classroom is done with textbooks and workbooks instead of online. 

Because the MyBarstow system has proven to be so effective and efficient for both faculty and students here at Barstow, an appropriate introduction to similar systems was a focus of Mr. Jones during his time at INO-Barstow. He worked with both students and teachers to promote technology literacy in the classroom. This way, classes at INO-Barstow are now student activity based and have the ability to take instruction to the virtual realm. 

Another difference between INO and Barstow’s environment before the hybridization is the time spent outside. At INO, students had a break between every class to spend time outside, and they started every morning playing on their sport court before school started. Mr. Jones spent a lot of time working out a new block schedule to allow for more time in the classroom, but still prioritize the valued outdoor breaks to mirror more of what the schedule looks like here at Barstow. 

In addition to a year of finding balance, it was also Mr. Jones’ first time holding a position in administration. He’d spent eight years in Turkey before taking the position at INO. This familiarity with the country and the Turkish education system made a huge positive difference in his transition between roles. 

Mr. Jones worked directly under Mr. Shane Foster, the President of the Barstow Schools, and played a similar role at INO-Barstow as Dr. Tom Niermann, the Senior Vice President for Academics for the Barstow Schools, and Dr. Jenny Marien, the Director of Upper School, do here at Barstow. Most of his time was spent educating and training teachers at INO in project-based learning and other teaching styles Barstow uses, but also keeping track of progress and other administrative dealings, something that INO had been struggling with previously in its infancy. 

One of the biggest obstacles Mr. Jones faced initially was timely communication, “In Turkey, it’s very acceptable to communicate ideas very late in the game, which doesn’t really work well with how I operate.” 

After he was able to convey his need for punctuality as an administrator, the communication patterns changed. As it happened, staff members at INO adjusted to the new normal and were able to accomplish so much more without the added stress. 

Children’s Day, the celebration of the culmination of the efforts of the first year as a partner school, was one of Mr. Jones’ favorite memories from his experience at INO-Barstow. He’s really proud of the way that it was organized, and how the faculty and students communicated with each other in order to produce an event that was well put together. Children’s Day is similar to Barstow’s Field Day, except with the addition of some booth related activities and a talent show. Many students and parents came out to enjoy the event, and it was a huge success. 

On a day-to-day basis, Mr. Jones’ favorite moments were “the times when I stopped in the hall and thought ‘This doesn’t feel like it’s not Barstow.’” 

When he saw the younger students walking quietly in a line, building each other up, and had students approach him for hugs, it “felt like home.” Those little moments he shared with students and faculty were what helped solidify the accomplishments and milestones he made at INO-Barstow. 

Mrs. Minka Rudman, the Director of Early Childhood here at Barstow, has taken several trips to Istanbul. Most of her early work was spent helping to get the school running, and working with the faculty at INO-Barstow to implement project-based learning and STEAM education. 

She worked closely with Mr. Jones during his time as an administrator, and reflects on how big of an asset he was in the process, “[Mr. Jones] was so awesome to work with…He did such a great job meshing the two programs together, and we’re so lucky to have someone with his knowledge and be willing to help us.” 

Ms. Elizabeth Bartow, Mrs. Maureen Whittaker, Mrs. Christina Kieffer, Mrs. Lisa Tillema, and Mrs. Chloe Friesema ‘11 are among other staff members who went over to INO-Barstow while Mr. Jones was working there. They spent a lot of time working together to plan lessons and events for the school, like Children’s Day, and to help with day-to-day operations while they were there. 

An example of the collaboration and transition between teaching styles comes from Ms. Bartow’s trip to Turkey. She spent time in a fifth grade class using the TPRS method to teach a set of vocabulary words to students. This way, she was able to help make an impact in the Turkish students’ English language acquisition through fun storytelling and repetition. 

The impact teachers have on the lives of students was one of Mr. Jones’s most important reminders from his experience at INO-Barstow.

“There’s a difference between teaching the book and teaching,” he explains. The effort and energy put into a class can completely change the way students engage with the material and whether or not they retain it. Thankfully, Barstow is lucky to have a faculty full of teachers who strive to make that impact on their students. 

Above all, Mr. Jones wants to remind us that people are people, and Barstow’s global network of schools is meant to foster a sense of community among students all over the world. He encourages students to seek out more information about these schools and connect with their students, including those at INO-Barstow. You might be surprised by how much we have in common. 

If you’re interested in participating in the student exchange trip to Turkey later this year, one of the prerequisites is joining Mr. Jones’ Turkey Club. Be sure to stop by his classroom to seal a spot in the club and learn more about Turkey, if you haven’t already!