Machines will not replace humans for meaningful tasks, says Principal Myong Eiselstein

In an exclusive interview with Edarabia, Myong Hwan “Moo” Eiselstein, Elementary Principal of St Paul American School Hanoi, Vietnam, shares his thoughts on learning and assessment, the future of job automation, and his goals and plans for the school.

Mr Moo is the first principal from South East Asia to contribute to the Educator Series, a series of articles and interviews featuring influential educators and principals across the globe.

1. Assessments are considered to have a positive impact on student achievement. How do you plan to implement an “authentic” assessment strategy at St. Paul American School?

Authentic assessment strategies are directly related to the goals and objectives the school community has for its students. Once these goals and objectives have been identified, instruction and assessments should be designed to ensure that every student can meet these goals from where they are in their current educational journey. I am a fan of backwards design because it helps to create purposeful and targeted instruction. Formative assessments can either validate the instruction or show educators where adjustments need to be made. Lastly, the assessments should be meaningful and appropriate for the task. I believe there is a place for all types of summative assessments and they should be used as appropriate.

2. Proactive parent involvement has been shown to yield positive results for schools and students. What is your approach?

We use a variety of activities to increase parent involvement. Many of our homework assignments require parents to read to their children. We recently created a new parent volunteer group called PALs (Parents as Leaders) and their stated mission is to help the school community plan activities and meet the needs of our students. We host monthly Parent Coffee meetings that gather stakeholder feedback, disseminate information and provide helpful tips (last month’s topic was health and wellness). We also host parent activity nights, like STEM night. This year, we hope to have a math night to introduce our new math curriculum to our parents.

3. How does St. Paul American School attract and retain the best teachers?

I believe we have successfully recruited and retained some of the best teachers in the industry because we provide an environment where educators truly feel safe, valued, respected and appreciated. We take a shared leadership approach (as much as possible) and enlist the feedback and contributions of our teaching staff. Additionally, we do our best to provide the professional development that top educators expect: from individual feedback to workshops, conferences and teacher-led instruction, I believe we do a good job of giving our teachers the tools they need to improve instruction in their classrooms.

4. Having spent years in the education industry, what have you learned and what are your plans for the year ahead?

Over the past few years, I have learned the meaning and importance of individual needs. I think the term “individual needs” is often cited as something important to the school community, but it can often become a buzzword that we truly focus on. I have learned that students, parents and teachers all have individual needs and it takes knowledge and experience to meet these needs. To reach every stakeholder in our school community, I believe it is vitally important to identify individual needs and do everything we can to meet those needs. In planning for the future of St. Paul American School Hanoi, my hope is to create an awareness and systems to help us accomplish this.

5. In your opinion, what are the key issues/challenges involving teaching, learning, and assessment in Vietnam’s current education landscape?

I can only speak to the international education experience in Hanoi. I believe the biggest challenge is for parents and students to find the right school for their teaching, learning and assessment needs and expectations. Students have individual goals and finding a school that helps them meet their goals is extremely important. Each international school in Hanoi has unique characteristics that provide different educational experiences for students. Therefore, it is important for parents and students in Hanoi to research schools and work with educators to identify the right fit. Unfortunately, many parents and students choose the schools that are the most popular even though this does not lead to a successful relationship.

6. What are your thoughts on automation and the future of employment for graduates?

Personally speaking, I have never had much success with automation. When I lived in the US, I tried to use the self-checkout lines in grocery stores. However, the end result was that I had to rely on a human employee to finish my transaction. I do believe automation will be useful in the future, but I believe this is a distant future. I feel future graduates will offer unique skills and traits for organizations and this will never change. Our current students are more innovative and prepared for future employment than my generation was and organizations will benefit from everything current students are accomplishing in the classroom. So, while a machine may be able to pour a drink at McDonalds, I do not believe they will be able to replace humans for more meaningful tasks in the near future.

About Myong Hwan “Moo” Eiselstein

Myong Hwan “Moo” Eiselstein is the Elementary Principal of St. Paul School Hanoi, Vietnam.

Mr. Moo is from the state of Virginia in the United States. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Master of Business Administration degree, a Master of Science in Education degree, and an Education Specialist – Educational Leadership degree. He is currently working on his dissertation for the Doctorate of Education – Educational Leadership program at the American College of Education. He has a current administrative (school principal) credential through the District of Columbia in the United States.

Mr. Moo is married to his lovely wife, Dee, and together they have two children: Jade is four years old and Evan is three years old.