With a firm belief in education being pivotal in building a better world, Mrs. Shehla Ghouse, Director of Curriculum and Deputy Head works with  the faculty at BISNY to inspire young people to become lifelong learners and compassionate, creative, courageous and intelligent citizens. As a school leader and committed educator who always wants better learning and more thoughtful students, she believes that all teaching/learning processes and school decision-making processes need to be ‘thinking-centred’. Therefore the curricular choices for her are not ends in themselves but ideals to inspire motivate and direct her work and develop classroom cultures that promote curiosity, scepticism and open-mindedness and foster attitudes of empathy, tolerance and respect.

With Honours degrees from University of Bombay and Pune and a Masters in Primary Education from the UK, she worked for several years teaching a variety of grades at the International School of Amsterdam before becoming the school’s IBPYP and curriculum coordinator. On moving to New York she worked at the United Nations School prior to joining BISNY.   A founding member of staff, she has led BISNY through the authorisation process with the IB and with determination and enthusiasm has taken on the implementation of the Middle Years Programme at the school.

She has been a trainer for the Africa/Middle East/Europe region and since moving to New York has been training in North America. As a trainer and a member of authorisation and evaluation teams she has enjoyed many enriching cultural experiences in countries such as Kazakhstan, Romania, and Italy and has grown professionally as an international educator. Among her extensive international professional development studies and presentations is her on-going involvement with Project Zero at Harvard University.  The work of Project Zero includes investigations into the nature of intelligence, understanding, thinking, creativity and other essential aspects of human learning.  She has regularly coached their online courses as well and continues to serve as a member of the faculty at their annual summer institute.

A global nomad, she was born and raised in India and spent some time in Nairobi where her father was working for the Commonwealth government. Then as a travelling spouse she lived in London, Geneva, Luxembourg and Amsterdam and raised three children. She loves to travel and particularly enjoys the natural and scenic beauty of varied landscapes and the cultural heritage of places.

As an advocate of a more vibrant and relevant education she reads avidly and keeps current with research and pedagogically sound curricular initiatives from around the world that increasingly urge greater attention to “21^st century skills including thinking skills, deeper understanding of the disciplines and of technology and a more insightful view of our complex multi-ethnic world.  She finds reading, painting, cooking, visiting museums and trips to Broadway relaxing.

At BISNY she likes to think of herself as a school leader who is an advocate everyday for every learner.

Qualifications

M.A. Primary Education: Curriculum & Assessment, Open University UK
B.J. (Distinction) Bachelor of Journalism, University of Pune, India
B.A. (Hons) English and French, University of Bombay, India