Profe Jones, a beloved middle school Spanish teacher, has recently announced that he will be leaving his current teaching position to become an academic principal at the new Barstow School campus in Turkey, called INO. Here is a look at what that will be like for him.

Profe Jones has been teaching Spanish for 2 years at this campus, and during this time, he has become a very important part of the school community. He has worked very hard to create a welcoming and inclusive environment in his classroom, where students feel valued and supported. 

He is very sad to leave the Barstow community, but also very excited for the new life ahead of him. “What I think I’m going to miss the most is the people I work with. My fellow teachers are so good at making the days better than they already are. I’m also going to miss my students because it’s very different over there [Turkey]. I feel very comfortable with my classes here, so we will see what it’s like over there,” Profe Jones said.  

Despite his success as a teacher, Profe Jones has always been open to new opportunities. He has long been interested in pursuing a career in educational leadership, and when the opportunity arose to become an academic principal at the Barstow school in Turkey, he knew it was the right decision for him.

There are many things he is especially interested and excited about for his new role. “I am excited to be back in administration. I love being an administrator because I like managing people. It will be really exciting because this will be a new experience for Barstow and for the school there currently, INO. I am really excited to have the opportunity to get this program started,” he stated. “I am also excited to basically help build something from scratch and really make it tailor-made to what the needs are at that school.”

Moving to a new country and starting a new job can be challenging, however, Profe Jones has an advantage because he is already very experienced in Turkish culture. He said, “I lived in Turkey for seven years before I came to Barstow, I speak Turkish fluently, my husband is Turk, we have family in Turkey…I make Turkish food, I sing Turkish music, I had a Turkish Kina, which is a henna night, at my wedding, so I feel pretty integrated into the Turkish culture.” 

His new role at the campus would be the academic principle. While he does not know exactly what that would entail for him, he thinks he would be managing classrooms and curriculum to line up the INO campus curriculum to back here in Kansas City. 

While Profe Jones’ departure is undoubtedly a loss for his current school community, his colleagues and students are happy for him and wish him all the best in his new adventure. They know that his enthusiasm, dedication, and passion for education will make him an excellent academic principal at his new school.