christopher lowe

Even though I am in "traditional teaching" now, I have been teaching nearly all my adult life. Upon graduating college, I decided to move to Nashville, Tennessee to get into the music industry. I did what everyone does upon arriving in Nashville with dreams and aspirations, I got a job waiting tables. I had a great time but heard about a job where they would teach you how to dance and teach you how to teach it . . . and pay you in the process. I was there! I knew one day that I wanted to be able to dance with my wife. Little did I know I was going to meet my wife there and she had a 20-year start on me. Fast forward less than one year and we were married. We were dance partners, traveling the country competing professionally, and eventually owning our own dance studio. 10 years later and two young children, we decided to leave it behind and take a real teaching position in South Korea. 

 

I love to teach. I love that light-bulb moment that goes off in a student's mind, no matter what age they are. When they get it, you know it. Because I was able to be in the classroom as a teacher and then became a teacher trainer, I understand both sides when it comes to teachers needing practical, hands-on help getting full, active engagement from all their students. Becoming a Kagan trainer taught me about classroom management, differentiated instruction, and getting active engagement from students in my classroom. Better yet, I went on to train teachers, giving them tools to use, and helping them to see discipline issues go down, engagement go up, and achievement begin to occur in their own classrooms. Since becoming a coveted certified Kagan trainer, I now hold over 10 certifications that allow me to train teachers and administrators alike. They range from Instructional Leadership, Accelerated Achievement, and Kagan Cooperative Learning to Cooperative Meetings, Brain Friendly Teaching, and Cooperative Learning & ELL. I also am a certified Instructional Coach which allows me to go into classrooms and work with teachers to help them be better educators. I’ve given hundreds of workshops to thousands of teachers in multiple countries like South Korea, Guam, China, the UAE, and the USA.  Becoming a Director of Teaching and Learning, and even a Vice Principal, has been the most fulfilling and rewarding career I could have ever dreamed of.  More importantly, it has even helped in my marriage and as a father. I am a better listener, ask better questions, and can have a growth mindset at home as well as at work. 

 

Our family loved living in Korea and so we ended up staying all these years. Our daughter was 5 when we moved to Korea and our son was 2 1/2. My daughter is now about to turn 21 and is a native Korean speaker which makes her bi-lingual with her English. My son is a junior in high school and a stand-out athlete.  I am looking for a long-term position in an environment and culture that takes advantage of my intricate knowledge of successful teaching and   collaborative, engaging leadership style.  I want to be in a school that will use my unique leadership skills and where teachers will become better educators, in a place where our family can actually settle down.  This is where I will thrive. As for my wife, she thrives by my side.  And yes, we still do dance every now and again, but mostly in our kitchen.