121. Understanding Global Citizenship with Brantley Turner

In the U.S., we say we’re growing global citizens, but are we really? Being a global citizen means that we’re willing to have uncomfortable conversations, we are willing to see others’ points of view, and we’re cooperative across borders about global events.

It’s interesting to look at how other countries’ educational systems operate and believe that we can all learn so much from one another.

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Brantley Turner, the founding American principal at Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School and new director of East Asian Education for the Dwight Schools Network. As someone who grew up in the U.S. education system and has in-depth knowledge of the Chinese system, Brantley has a unique perspective of global citizenship and preparing children in a variety of cultures.

Brantley shares why local learning is so valuable, what people need to know about global education systems, why we need to truly let our kids fail (instead of just telling them they can), and why a cooperative model is important in China and beyond.

For the past 10 years, Brantley Turner served as the Founding American Principal and a Governing Board Member at Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School where she passionately led all aspects of the school’s international administration. August 2022 she will take on a new role as Director of East Asian Education for the Dwight Schools Network.

While operating Qibao Dwight, Brantley took the school from a start up to an institution that is peer-recognized as showcasing excellence in teaching and learning, management and curriculum innovation. This success story of China’s only cooperatively-run, independent Sino-U.S. high school is thanks to her abilities as an innovator and solution-oriented creative thinker.

Brantley brings every ounce of her knowledge of multiple different industries to the challenges of international education. These broad reference points and an extremely open-minded approach to her close collaboration with the Principal, Wang Fang, set her apart in the industry. She has impeccable written and spoken Mandarin.

Her goal is to share the incredible successes of the Qibao Dwight faculty and students and the approaches that best supported them, so that others may enjoy also being swept up by the vital work of educating globally-minded students. Connect with Brantley on LinkedIn.

• [2:05] - Comparing and contrasting US and China education
• [3:30] - Are we up for continued dialogue
• [5:02] - Not all children can attend certain schools in China
• [6:48] - Why cooperative model is important in China and beyond
• [9:20] - Addressing the hate and negative stereotypes in media of the Chinese
• [10:10] - We can’t solve global crises without cooperation
• [11:27] - Changes in life and relationships from living abroad
• [13:08] - Living abroad is an unshackling
• [15:31] - Key takeaways for global citizenship
• [19:00] - How kids in China respond to “What are you interested in?”
• [19:55] - Don’t negate what’s important to the culture
• [21:25] - 3 things that can better prepare our youth to be global citizens
• [26:12] - Internationalization of education isn’t the westernization of education
• [28:12] - Turbo Time
• [30:10] - What people need to know about creating global systems
• [31:40] - What Brantley brings to global education
• [33:55] - How others can be activists
• [36:18] - Brantley’s Magic Wand
• [38:05] - Maureen’s Takeaways

• Connect with Brantley on LinkedIn
• Tim Ferris TED Talk: Why you should define your fears instead of your goals
• Email Maureen

• Maureen’s TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep