Mark Steacy

I am an Assistant Principal at an international school on the island of Borneo with responsibilities for Whole School Systems as well as Professional Learning and Development. Originally from a farm in Ireland, I have been based in South East Asia since 2009 - first in Cambodia before moving to Malaysia.

As an educational leader, I believe that people, schools, educational systems and organisations can better learn from models and metaphors based on the natural world around us (rather than the paradigm of machines). When walking through rainforests, the principles of interconnections, reciprocal relationships, support networks, sustainable growth and authenticity come to life. The highest purpose of any person should be to help others realise their ‘hidden potential’ and allow, in the words of poet John O’Donohoe, that ‘quiet light that shines in every heart’ to be illuminated. As leaders, we should be helping people engage in, what the poet David Whyte calls, the ‘conversational nature of reality’ and allow people to make sense of their living experiences through dialogue and reflection in a compassionate and caring environment where new possibilities and opportunities can emerge. We all have the means to live in a sustainable way with the world around us - if, on an ‘island of sanity’, we (re)consider who we choose to be, who we choose to become and how we choose to belong. How we choose to ‘live the questions’ determines the future we create together. 🌱☘️🥭🌳