Safe Passage, how mobility affects people & what international schools should do about it

Finally! A book that speaks to the heartache and how to heal it for families that move around the world and are a part of the international school communities world wide. Thank you!

I grew up as a child who moved a lot within my passport country. I am a Mum to two Third Culture Kids and an Educator who has taught in both local and international schools. Whilst teaching in an international school, I began to notice children in my classes who clearly had blockages in their learning but there was no evidence of cognitive or behavioural difficulties. The common factor for all of them was mobility so I began digging to see if there was any research on mobility’s impact on learning. I found Douglas Ota and his book Safe Passage: How Mobility Affects People and What International Schools Should Do About It. This book has changed my life and the lives of many children and their families.From the moment I read the Preface I knew that I had found a seminal resource, a pioneering book that would go on to the lay the foundation for my parenting, teaching and indeed, my career. It has become my ‘go to’ reference when working with domestically mobile, globally mobile and culturally diverse students, their families and the schools who educate them.Safe Passage is not a sit down, cover-to-cover read whilst on your Summer Holiday book – well, not for me anyway. I needed time to process the wisdom exuded in each chapter. The book is structured in such a way that you can either read the chapter/s pertinent to you or start at the beginning and work your way through page by page. I did the latter and would highly recommend that approach because Ota has scaffolded the content so that each chapter builds on the knowledge and understanding gained in the previous chapter. Broadly speaking, Safe Passage is structured into three parts though every word has value and purpose (whether it be the letters addressed to each key stakeholder in a child’s education or the Afterword and Appendices).Beginning with an eloquent (read: laymen’s language) overview of current research, the Attachment Theory and the importance of a life story, Ota lays the foundation for the practical elements that follow. I had so many “aha” moments just reading the first two chapters. I was cast back to my own mobile childhood and, as an adult, was finally able to make sense of a few very bizarre happenings. As an Educator with a MEd in Literacy, the chapter reinforcing the importance of having a life story resonated. Used as a metaphor and a tool for managing mobility, Ota takes his audience on a journey towards understanding the challenges associated with unmanaged mobility and the responsibility schools have to support their community.Part II works through the practicalities of developing a comprehensive program to support the school community through the process of transition. As a visual learner, I particularly appreciated the diagrams imbedded throughout the text. The focus on all key stakeholders in a student’s education reinforced Ota’s belief (and mine) that “We want people to feel safe, seen, included and cared for so parents can parent well, teachers can teach well and all in the ultimate service of achieving a goal common to all schools, namely that students can learn well.” From that first meeting of like-minded individuals to the fully embedded comprehensive transitions program, this book provides the stepping-stones - but don’t expect a complete “How To Manual.” As every educator, parent and globally mobile student knows, no two schools are the same so the principles can be adapted for any educational institution. In fact, I have used them in a variety of contexts, including a Boarding School and our family’s recent repatriation transition.Now that I work with schools to support their community through the challenges of mobility, I have found Part III of Safe Passage invaluable. Ota brings his knowledge and experience to offer resources for assessing the individual, the school transition program and the worldwide network of schools. That last point – the network of schools – is vital and Ota leaves the reader in no doubt that schools need to work together to support their globally mobile community through the challenges of transition.Safe Passage has become a treasured resource, filled with highlights and anecdotes scribbled in the margins, for working through the challenges of mobility - both personally and professionally. I highly recommend it to anyone in the globally mobile world – International School Executive, Teachers (compulsory for newly appointed staff), Counselors, Psychologists, Parents and Children. Safe Passage will help you make sense of the globally mobile world and give you the tools to support your community (and yourself) through the triumphs and challenges of transition – whatever the context.Jane Barron - Educator | Global Mobility Advisor | Founder of Globally Grounded

I wish I could have met this book and the author at the early stage of my internationally transient life. During my journey of an expat family life for twenty years, not only did I enjoy surprising opportunities but also struggled with unexpected challenges. Now I know the cycle of the transition and can predict the next stage. However, this does not mean that moving is easy; it is still hard and hurting.Since I quit my job and became a trailing spouse in the US, it was very difficult for me to get support and advice, especially about my children’s education. I began to lose my confidence and felt that my situation was not common. That annoyed me a lot and I tried every possible measure to make the situation better. Volunteering in many organizations including my children’s schools was one way of coping with the challenges. When I worked as a Korean teacher and staff at QSI Bratislava, I translated Ruth Van Reken’s seminar script to distribute to the Korean community and met the famous lady. It was the first time that I knew the concept of TCK/ATCK and clearly understood my situation, and it was not uncommon. Since then, I kept seeking the way to amplify the advantages of globally mobile life, to prevent any harm from it, and to help other TCK families land softly as a Korean Parent Ambassador at BIS Bratislava. I finally met Douglas Ota, the author of <Safe Passage: How mobility affects people and what international schools should do about it> to help his research project in the Netherlands and Vietnam.Beginning to read the book, I could not put it down; this book is so compelling that I found myself crying and saying aha while reading. This book is very practical and systematic to implement Transitions Program, by including various stakeholders around international schools: administrators, board members, parents, students, counselors, teachers, staff members, HR managers, admissions directors, and even empty-nesters (alumni parents)! I think the best part of this book is the author’s approach from the perspective of teamwork, not from individuals. Actually, I was amazed by his leadership and teamwork to carry out a study involving many people in different continents.I recommend this book especially to those who start their journey as an expat family. This book will lead them to the safe passage!

I spent my pre-teen and teen years moving around a lot, from ages 10-19 we moved 6 times. During this already formative period in my life these moves had a bigger impact on me than I could ever find the words for. Reading this book was like finding those words in a way that finally captured the depth of my experience. It was sort of unsettling to not find the words but when I did, more than 10 years later, I felt a sense of being seen and understood that has made this book one of my favorites. Doug has a deep understanding of the highly mobile experience out of which he designed the Safe Passage program. As a school counselor myself I highly recommend this program to anyone wanting to meet the attachment needs of their school community. If you're looking for ideas on how to support leavers and stayers in your school, or just looking to understand yourself a little better as a highly mobile person, this book is great!