What does it mean to be a leader?
Who gets to claim that someone is a leader? Is it Oneself? Those who collaborate with us? Those who observe the work we do with others?
According to Dictionary.com “A leader is the one in the charge, the person who convinces other people to follow.”
I partially agree with this definition because leaders do not have to be in charge. They are most certainly people who inspire others to follow, and I strongly believe that anyone can be a leader.
When the opportunity to speak to first year college students at the UCLL in Leuven emerged, 6 leaders in our primary school team were interested in leading a conversation. We met, planned and wondered what we could deliver as an important message to college students. Inspiration was our answer.
On an afternoon on Wednesday, October 16, 2025, we set off to Leuven with nerves and wonders. When compared to talking to children, talking to adults is a different ball game. But we had stories to tell. The spirit that brought us together as a team made us feel relaxed.
Six different people, whose stories crossed paths while working at an International School in Diegem became messengers. What brought us together? That was the narrative of our story.
Caitlan
Caitlan’s story actually started at UCLL in Leuven. With parents from different parts of the world, she grew up in Belgium with an international mindset. Having the opportunity to do her practice at Bogaerts International School North Campus, she felt at home right away. She was accepted as a team member and loved the international atmosphere, so after graduating she applied for a position and got it. Her message to the students was to take the opportunity to teach in an environment that you love, whatever the type is; international, local, Montessori, or Freinet. And most importantly, stick to what you believe in, no matter what your influences are.
David
My story also started in Leuven at Groep-T, where he had the opportunity to do his teaching practice in Portugal. As this was an eye opening experience, he decided to teach abroad and got a job offer in China. China became his second home, where he got married and started a family. After 19 years of teaching in different cities and schools, his daughter wanted to move to Belgium. He started working at a local school, but that wasn’t his cup of tea, so he applied for a job at Bogaerts. His takeaway for the students was that international teachers are open-minded, willing to adapt and always willing to help each other.
Raphael
Raphael is from a small island in the Mediterranean, he grew up in Cyprus. He was an internationally minded student and applied for an Erasmus exchange. Raphael was very fortunate to go study in Sweden for several months. This completely changed his view on teaching and it was the moment of affirmation that he belonged in the classroom. He worked in a school in Cyprus teaching in English, but he knew he wanted to expand his horizons. A friend of his had made the decision to study in Leuven and this inspired him to apply for international teaching jobs in Belgium. His open-minded view on the world and passion for breaking barriers was contagious during his presentation.
Javier
Javier reached Bogaerts International School in a similar way. While studying early years education, he had the opportunity to go to Italy for his internship. And for his primary education degree, he packed his suitcase and temporarily moved to Finland for his internship. Javier made a wise choice to study diversity during his masters. At our school his focus on social emotional learning is an important part of being the student-life coordinator. Javier shared the importance of social emotional learning in schools and hopes that future educators have a similar vision.
Elena
Elena’s story started when she wanted to see the world that surrounded her homeland, Iran. The first decision she made was bringing the world to her. She started working in the tourism industry, but when she saw the opportunity to experience a new culture, she grabbed it and moved to Thailand. This decision empowered her to pursue another passion of hers, working with children. As she was looking to broaden her mind, Elena moved to Belgium to deepen her educational studies and got a job at our school. Her long term goal is to help internationalise the education system in her homeland Iran. Elena’s message to the young student-teachers is to explore the world, step out of your comfort zone, and build bridges (figuratively). She believes that diversity matters, so she encouraged teachers to represent it.
Anna
Anna has rich experience working for international schools around the globe. She chose to focus on inclusion and neurodiversity. In her presentation, she shared about the different tiers of international schools and how these differences can impact the education of children. Her experience has taught her that international schools are very different from each other and some have great support and resources for children with neurodiverse challenges whilst others may be lacking in this area.
She highlighted the challenges that some parents face when sending their children to international schools if their child is neurodiverse. She emphasised the idea that teachers have the responsibility to work closely with parents to see each child as a capable individual, because every case is different. She also placed special emphasis on the fact that teachers play a key role in inclusion.
So, how did we demonstrate leadership by presenting at a teacher’s college? What impact did we make? While it’s hard to see how we inspired others right away, the questions asked during the Q&A session helped us see that curiosity had been sparked.
The experience felt strange at first, but once the students started leaving the classroom, there was excitement in the conversations they were having. Some students came to ask more questions, and we even had the chance to pick up conversations in Flemish.
On the way out of the building, some of the students shared that it was the most interesting topic of the day. Thus, being the highlight of a day in a students’ lives can be the highlight of these educators who sought to inspire students.
This was definitely an experience worth repeating.
October 21, 2025
David Lambert
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