Latest / Be A Global Citizen! / 174. HGSE Global Citizen: Lydia Musliu: Learn, Live, and Lead with Excellence

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174. HGSE Global Citizen: Lydia Musliu: Learn, Live, and Lead with Excellence · Be A Global Citizen!

0:04
Hi there and welcome to Be a Global Citizen, the podcast that
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explores the concept of global citizenship through the lens of
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value creating education. My name is Scott Bauer and I'm
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Ahsoka researcher and educator. I hope you find the discussion,
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stories and insights on this podcast to being valuable and
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inspiring as we strive to become global citizens who are
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committed to living a contributive life.
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Enjoy the conversation. Hi, my name is Lydia Musu and
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I've grown up and lived most of my life from the Javitsa, Kosovo
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and I am the Elementary Principal at Kosovo Leadership
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Academy. Hi, Lydia, thank you so much for
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being on the podcast. Very happy to have a principal
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on the podcast. You know, such such leadership
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and responsibility. And you know, you're also part
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of the amazing cohort and master's program through
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Harvard. And it's just been such a
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wonderful journey that we're both sharing in and it's
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actually coming to an end very soon.
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So I think this is a perfect time to, to think back on what
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got us to this point. And also just kind of like what
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led you to want to do this work in the 1st place.
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So I'm, I'm very excited to see how you you share out your story
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and how we make connections with global citizenship.
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You know, you're, you're so far away.
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You're in Kosovo and I'm, I'm in California over here in the US.
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And, and yet we're able to still connect and inspire.
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So it, this is a yeah, precious face that we're holding.
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And I appreciate you making the time.
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So, you know, I wanted to pass it over to you and ask about.
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Yeah. What, what brought you to the
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world of education? What led you to this path as a
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elementary school principal, elementary school and middle
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school? Did I pick that up right?
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Just elementary. Oh, that's enough.
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Yeah. That's plenty.
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Yeah. So, yeah.
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What led you to the work? And yeah, you can start, you
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know, wherever in the timeline, so.
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Yeah, well, thank you so much for having me.
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I'm excited. I've listened to a lot of your
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other podcasts and it's exciting to to be here.
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So my my story, I feel like kind of starts before I was born,
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when my mom was five months pregnant with me.
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And after just 11 months of marriage, my father passed away.
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And so that really kind of put my life on a, a different path.
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And my mom was an educator and she was, she is an educator and
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she's passionate about, about educating kids.
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And so I've kind of lived my my childhood in many different
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places, starting in when I was four years old, I had
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kindergarten in Peru, where my mom taught me and another young
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girl their kindergarten. And then when I was 8, we moved
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to Albania, where my mom taught a group of kids from an
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orphanage, from a local orphanage.
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And I was able to kind of help out with those classes.
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And we spent two years in Albania when someone had
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approached my mom about starting an educational center in Kosovo
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for the kids who had just recently lost parents and loved
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ones in the war that happened in 1998, Nineteen 99.
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And so we moved to Coastal in 2001 where my mom started an
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educational center called the House of Laughter.
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And it was the purpose of the center was basically to bring
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laughter back to these kids who have lost everything.
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They had lost their parents, they lost their home and, and it
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was just to bring joy into their lives.
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And as an educator, we had, my mom had English classes and some
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math and they speak Albanian in Kosovo.
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And so Albanian classes to help kids along their, their
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educational path. And it was actually here.
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I was only in 7th grade when I started teaching my first class
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regularly. I, I taught English to 3rd
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graders as a 7th grader. And it was, it was around that
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time that I just, I realized that I wanted to be a teacher
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and that's what I wanted to do with my life.
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And so Fast forward many years. Well, actually we find again, it
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was at the House of laughter the, the very first day that we
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opened that I actually met my husband.
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His father had been killed in the war.
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And he, he came to the House of laughter to learn English
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because he believed that learning English was a path to a
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better future education was a path to, to a better future.
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Was that hope for for him and for many of the kids who were in
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Kosovo during that time? And so Fast forward now several
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years, and my husband and I both were able to return to America
5:04
where we got our education. And while we were in America, my
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mom decided that it was time for her to close the house laughter
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and begin working towards actual school because the needs of
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Kosovo had changed. And it's it's a developing
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country. And she realized that that we
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needed a structured private school in in our city of
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Mitsubiza, Kosovo. The public education system in
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Kosovo was very weak. It has actually scored in the
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bottom three countries of the last two Pisa tests that have
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come out and and the people are hungry for an education.
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And so while we were in the States, I majored in secondary
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English education and my husband majored in business
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administration. And we both even chose our
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majors based on how we could help with the school that we
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wanted to start in Kosovo. And when we returned to Kosovo
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in 2015, we, we, the, the process obviously, and the, the
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planning, the preparation happened, you know, several
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years before that. But in September of 2015, the
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doors to the school opened and the school's called Kosovo
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Leadership Academy because we want to raise up the future
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leaders and educate the future leaders of Kosovo.
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And so I, I also had my daughter and 2014.
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So when we moved to to COSO, we had a A1 year old and then I
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shortly became pregnant again. And so I was very busy being mom
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for the first several years, but I helped out wherever I could.
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I went in once a week to do the library to I, we said we had a,
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a donation of about 3000 books. And during the summer, I would
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bring my little one in and we would work together to set up
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the library. Then during the year, I would go
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in once a week and and you know, help check out books to kids.
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I planned and ran activities like fall festivals and things
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like that. And then after my second son was
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born, so several years later, when he, when my second son was
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about 6 months old, then I began teaching at the school and I was
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the high school English teacher. And so I, I started teaching in
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2018 and I taught high school English for about four years.
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And being a, a smaller school, there are always needs in a lot
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of different areas. And so the way that the school
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grew was we started as a 6th through 9th grade school and
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then we added on to every so every year.
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So our 9th grade, when they moved to 10th grade, obviously
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we we grew with them. And so after we had our very
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first graduating class that next year, we went back and we
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started our kindergarten. And so then we started growing
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our elementary. Well, when we were in about our
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third year of elementary, we needed some more English
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teachers in elementary. And so I was be a 10th through
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12th grade English teacher and then I was pulled down to the
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first grade. And so I, I taught first grade
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and then 10th through 12th grade English for one year and then
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realized I needed to take a little bit more off my plate.
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And so I, but I kind of focused a little bit more on elementary.
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So I gave up one high school class and then I had more
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classes for first grade and then the year after that I
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completely, well not completely. I still didn't want to give up
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my seniors because I, I had my 10th graders.
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I had them for two years and I did not want to give them up for
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their senior year. But then I was teaching 2
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elementary classes and I was finishing up their, my seniors
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year. And then I moved completely to
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elementary. And by that time when I moved
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completely to elementary, it was obvious that our, our school
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needed an elementary principal because we had again, the way we
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were growing. We had one school general school
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director, but we didn't. But now that we were growing, we
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kind of needed to separate the different areas of leadership.
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And so my first year of Harvard, I was actually the assistant
9:54
principal. And then last year, this past
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year has been the, the board asked me to become the, the
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elementary principal And it was, it's, it's been very exciting.
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I never really expected that I would be in leadership.
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But I think after, after several years of, of teaching and just
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being in the school in a lot of different aspects, you know,
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from activities coordinated to librarian to I taught preschool
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also in there for a little bit. And I just saw where there were
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needs for different types of leadership.
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And so I began applying for programs, and I applied for
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Harvard, not ever expecting honestly to get in.
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But here we are today. Wow, I what a what a journey.
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And it's just so evident that like your, your passion for
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teaching, you know, all, all learners and, and how that's
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tied in with, you know, the country, right, that you love so
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much, Kosovo, really wanting to give back.
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It's, you know, you've been on this mission for for decades.
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You know, at this point, building out a model in the form
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of a private school that would really help jump start, right,
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And change education, change within the wider ecosystem,
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right, So that more and more of the young people there have
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access to, to really quality education and just, you know,
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hope in general. I mean, it all sounds, it sounds
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like almost like predestined, you know, like ever since you
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were like in the womb, right, your your mom, who is this, you
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know, sounds like she's a bad ass teacher.
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You know, going from country to country was, you know, really
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wanting to, to go where like there was the most need, it
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sounds like. And so I, I just kind of wanted
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to maybe ask a little bit more about, about your mom, since it
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sounds like she was such a, a major influence in your life
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and, and actually brought you to these different countries and
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got you involved in like education, right?
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Being a teacher. You, you mentioned like you, you
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lived in Peru and then Albania. Like, that's so cool.
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I didn't know that because I, I used to live in Peru briefly.
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I was not 4 though. I I was a little bit older, but
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yeah. Do you have any, any memories of
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kind of what, what, what was it like, you know, kind of moving
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from one place to the next? Did you, did you feel like, I
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don't know, like it can be very jarring, but I mean with your
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mom and like, how did, how did you kind of navigate that at
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such a young age, like some of those major transitions?
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Yeah. So in terms of memories in Peru,
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I'm not sure if if I have memories or if I just see a
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picture and think, Oh yeah, I like, you know, creating my own
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memories. There is one that like I
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remember 'cause we lived in Iquito Sprue, which is like in
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in the Amazon jungle. And so we would go and visit an
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orphanage and we would like travel by boat and everything
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and on the weekends. And so I would swim in the
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river, in the Amazon River. And I thought I, I, I thought I
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had this memory of seeing crocodiles on the other side of
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the river and my mom's like, that never happened.
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And I was like, oh, I'm pretty sure it did.
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So who knows, Maybe it was just logs or something over there.
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I don't know. But no, it was for me honestly,
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like I never, like, I felt different when I would go to the
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states then and, and would, you know, be with a group of people
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my age in the states. Cuz then it's like, oh, that's
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not normal. Like it's not normal to go to
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these places and to do these things and stuff.
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But I, I pretty much always, there was a short, a brief time
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when we were in Albania that I was kind of resentful of being
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taken out of, of the US. Cuz I had, I had lived in the US
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for three years between Peru and Albania.
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And so I had gone to a, a school there and I had made friends and
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stuff. And so I was a little bit
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resentful of her taking me out of that.
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But her, her solution was we had a friend who was visiting the
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States and she sent me with that friend to go to the states for a
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month. And I hated it.
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I hated, I hated being away from her.
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I was 8. Well, I hated being away from
14:30
her. And and then when I came back, I
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was like, OK, I'm good. I'm not going to complain
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anymore. And so, and really when we moved
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to Coastville, I found, I found my place.
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And this is, this is home for sure.
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This is I feel much more at home, much more comfortable here
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than in the states or any other place in the world.
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And I think it really comes down to, I know a lot of like third
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culture kids who, you know, can't wait to get back to the
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States or can't wait to get out of, you know, whatever their
15:02
parents put them in. But I think it's it has a lot to
15:06
do with just your own perspective of what what are you
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going to choose to take out of it?
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And and if you choose to be, you know, bitter and resentful and
15:17
think of the things that you missed, then, you know, the
15:19
possibilities you could have had, then yeah, it's not going
15:23
to be you're not going to get a lot out of it.
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But if you choose to to see what you do have that a lot of people
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don't, you know, and you get to see the world and you get to
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really understand things that people who, you know, live in in
15:41
the States all their lives and, you know, a small bubble really
15:44
don't understand, then you're going to be walking out of that
15:47
experience much different. Yeah.
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And I. Appreciate, you know, you the
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way you shared it and you know, I could tell like, you know, you
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is you're being very honest about it, right, Not looking
15:59
back in like rose tinted like glasses, right, But saying that
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like, you know, there there was this feeling of discomfort,
16:06
right? And a little bit of that
16:08
resentment at certain points of like, why does it have to be
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like this, right? You know, you know, feeling like
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kind of getting pulled along, you know, because of, you know,
16:18
the decisions that your mom made.
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And of course, your decision making, your mom making those
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decisions with the best of intentions in terms of her own
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sense of like wanting to contribute as an educator, but
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also of like kind of showing you as like a young person.
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Like this is what it means to like live like a fulfilling
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life, you know, and, and then these kind of opportunities to
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go between cultures, live in different countries will will
16:48
make sense later. And so you know, it, it brought
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you to to Kosovo, right, where this incredible, like, you know,
16:56
initiative was, was launched that the House of laughter.
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I love that name, by the way. And I'm just curious though,
17:03
because was like, why was it just like, oh, someone, like a
17:08
friend of your, your, your mom was just like, we need, we need
17:12
like help in in Kosovo. Or was there like a deeper
17:15
connection? Like do you have ancestry there?
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Or was it just like, no, this was this is the calling.
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And then you guys went, I would love.
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To have ancestry here. I would love to have some
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Albanian blood in me because I feel like I deserve it.
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I feel so much more Albanian than I do American.
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And who knows, you know, I have never taken one of those DNA
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tests. Who knows, maybe we have
17:36
something, you know, someone from around here.
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But no, it was, it was legitimately, it was a a man who
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would come and help at the orphanage sometimes he was a
17:45
German man. He would come and help at the
17:48
orphanage sometimes and he would go back and forth from Kosovo to
17:52
Albania, helping with relief in refugees.
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At that time when we moved to Albania, the last refugee camp
18:00
within the city that we were in had just shut down.
18:03
And so they were, you know, thousands of, of displaced
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Kosovars were in Albania because they, they weren't, it wasn't
18:12
safe, you know, to be in, in their homes.
18:15
But we, it was interesting because he had mentioned it to
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my mom and she just kind of was like, no, you know, we enjoy
18:22
Albania. We, we are happy doing what
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we're doing right now. We don't need to go anywhere.
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And then he kind of was a little bit more insistent.
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And so my mom was like, OK, fine, we'll come and visit and
18:33
we'll see. And then and then just to kind
18:38
of like appease him, right. And not I don't think she was
18:41
really seriously considering it, but we came and it was probably
18:47
the worst trip of my life. It was so cold.
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Here is probably one of the coldest winters.
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And we stayed in a place where it was like there was no central
18:57
heat. They just had a wood stove and
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then that you know, once the woods goes out at night, there's
19:01
no heat in your own. Also, I got really bad food
19:05
poisoning and it was it was just it was not a pleasant
19:09
experience. And but when when we left, my
19:14
mom felt like we needed to come here and, and for for my mom and
19:19
myself, like our faith is a big part of what we do.
19:22
And my mom really felt like God was calling her to coastal and
19:26
to help the the people here. Yeah, no, I mean, there was no
19:32
question in my mind like in order to like make such a
19:35
courageous decision like that, the, the element of faith had
19:39
to, you know, be a part of it. And, and I think that, you know,
19:43
like actually seeing with, with, you know, your own eyes, right,
19:47
the circumstances, but then meeting the people and really
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understanding like I can, I can help, right?
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There's something I can do here, making that decision and then
19:58
seeing like, and not knowing where that's all going to lead.
20:02
I think it's, it's like such a crucial moment in in both of
20:06
your lives, right to to make that.
20:09
That decision, right? So, so, yeah.
20:11
So the House of laughter, right? It's kind of the, the name I
20:14
think is very fitting for for young people, right?
20:18
Because I, I think, you know, childhood should be a time for
20:22
them to like, learn, get curious about the world and enjoy.
20:26
But then you have these terrible circumstances where society is
20:31
fractured. War, it could be war-torn.
20:34
It could be plagued with so many other different kind of issues
20:37
and, and in this instance, right, you were trying to, to
20:41
kind of heal those, those, those young people's like kind of
20:45
traumas, but also educate them and, and instill this sense of
20:49
hope. I'm, I'm just, I, I the House of
20:54
laughter. Who, who came up with that name?
20:56
I'm just curious so. It was actually my mom came up
21:02
with the name and it's it's from a a verse in the Bible.
21:08
Actually, let me just pull that up really fast in Psalm 126 two,
21:14
where it says our mouths were filled with laughter and our
21:16
tongues of songs of joy. And it was said among the
21:19
nations, the Lord has done great things for them.
21:22
And so that was just kind of the idea of, you know, just that
21:25
hope and that joy that we want, you know, to bring into to their
21:30
lives. And so that's, that was, that
21:33
was my, that's my mom's idea. No, that's.
21:36
Great. No, I appreciate you sharing
21:38
that. And again, the faith piece of it
21:39
and you know the the you said that when you moved there
21:46
eventually they kind of set you up, you know as like, you know,
21:50
you were teaching like younger years, like elementary school.
21:55
Could you maybe like take us back to that period where you
21:58
just like had your full class and, and what was kind of going
22:01
through your head like weren't were you thinking like, hey, I
22:04
shouldn't, shouldn't I be like just the student?
22:07
Like why am I suddenly now the teacher or because of your mom's
22:10
influence was just so ingrained with within you, Like you just
22:13
felt natural and like, yeah, because normally there's that
22:16
dichotomy, right? Of like teacher, student.
22:18
But now suddenly you were like teacher and student.
22:21
Like, how did you hold those things together?
22:23
And and what was your understanding of of learning at
22:26
that moment as like a 7th grader?
22:30
To be honest with you, I don't remember fully, you know, what,
22:35
what I was feeling back then, but I don't, I don't ever like
22:40
really remember being nervous or not knowing what to do.
22:44
I, I really think that it just, it kind of felt natural and, and
22:52
one aspect of it was the fact that I was American, it
22:58
immediately gave me the respect of my class.
23:02
And so, you know, I, OK, I was four years older than them, but
23:07
also that, that the American part of it, I think just, it
23:16
gave me a legitimacy, I guess, in their, in their eyes.
23:19
And I never felt like, what am I doing here?
23:22
Like I don't belong here. Kosovars in general have an
23:27
incredible respect for Americans.
23:30
I, I think you will be hard pressed to find any country in
23:32
the world that loves America the way that Kosovo loves America.
23:38
And it was because of their involvement in in ending the war
23:43
and how Bill Clinton had signed the whatever he needed to sign
23:48
for NATO to go in and and basically stop what was
23:52
happening. And so you go any place here and
23:57
you say you're American, you are going to be open with welcome
24:00
arms. You're going to be, you know, if
24:02
it's a home, you're going to be, you know, taken into the living
24:05
room, served tea, served, you know, whatever they have to give
24:08
you, they're going to give you with, with joyful hearts because
24:13
they are still, you know, even 20 plus years later after the
24:17
war. They are incredibly grateful to
24:20
America and to Americans. And so I think that that really
24:23
helped with that aspect with with both my mom and myself
24:29
going into into the country and is being very accepted.
24:36
Yeah. No, I understand that.
24:37
I I when I was working in Brazil, there was a similar kind
24:42
of like awe factor of like, wow, you know, international teacher
24:47
from the US and there's so many kind of yeah, like preconceived
24:52
notions, right? They, they watch like Hollywood
24:54
movies, they love friends, the TV show and and then they think,
24:58
wow, you know, like there's something special, right?
25:02
And I think that to a certain extent, like, you know, we can
25:04
benefit from that and it helps with that legitimacy piece.
25:08
I also know that like, as I continued working, you know,
25:11
years past, my students really got to know me.
25:15
That wow factor quickly faded and they were just like, it's
25:18
just, it's just Scott, you know, like he's just a normal dude and
25:22
trying to make his way in, in, in in this country.
25:26
And and so then like the respect, you know, in terms of
25:29
like how you bring out like the best in your students and how
25:32
you show up and really model that kind of behaviour.
25:35
And, you know, like teaching, There's, there's just so much
25:38
nuance to it and it can, to be honest, be quite overwhelming,
25:42
right. And to see someone do it well
25:45
and to to sustain that career over many, many, many years, I
25:49
think it's quite admirable, especially as you're kind of
25:52
like aligning towards like this, you know, larger mission that
25:56
seems to be much more than just a private school, right?
25:59
But like all of education in Kosovo.
26:03
So, you know, that's, that's, that's really inspiring.
26:07
But I know that like, you know, to get to that big change, it
26:11
starts at the individual level. So I'm curious as a, as a
26:17
teacher and, you know, being surrounded by, you know, other,
26:21
other leaders and, and then even thinking back to your mom, what
26:25
is it about like the teachers that have been most impactful in
26:28
your life that you like? What, what quality of, of them
26:32
do you think is, is really essential or that like really
26:34
moved you to, to kind of continue doing what you're doing
26:38
or to, to learn in a different way?
26:41
And, and that quality can be shared amongst all the, the
26:44
great T-shirts that you've had, or it can be something very
26:47
personal and tied to a specific individual.
26:50
I'm just curious. My personal education journey is
26:55
very interesting because with all of the travel and
26:58
everything, I've pretty much been home schooled for a lot of
27:04
time. And so my mom was the greatest
27:10
educational influence in my life for sure.
27:12
And the, the thing that that stands up most to me when I
27:15
think of when I think of her is her creativity.
27:18
She's one of the most creative people that I know.
27:21
You can give her, you know, 5 minutes and give her a random
27:27
science or math topic and she will, you know, come up with
27:30
something that is incredibly engaging.
27:32
She'll probably come up with some kind of song that you know,
27:35
will help you memorize whatever you need to memorize.
27:38
And just that she just has a, a mind, a creative mind.
27:45
I've never, I've never seen the likes of it any anywhere else.
27:49
And so definitely creativity is, is huge.
27:53
I think one thing that I really missed being home schooled a lot
28:00
was just having like a personal connection and a personal
28:05
relationship with, with teachers.
28:09
Thinking specifically like about my, for example, my senior year,
28:14
I, I had an online program, but this was a long time ago and so
28:20
online programs were not the same as they were or as they are
28:25
now. And I remember like I would
28:28
submit assignments and I would get comments back saying, you
28:31
know, good, change this, fix this, whatever.
28:34
And it was just so generic and, and I just remember that you're
28:40
specifically just really wishing that I had somebody that would
28:44
just, you know, come alongside me and, and encourage me and
28:48
know me, you know, and, and help me not just in, in my studies,
28:54
but just in, in life in general. And so I think that is some
28:58
something that I've really strive to become for the
29:02
students that I have because I felt like I, I kind of missed
29:06
that opportunity specifically, you know, with like when I, as I
29:11
was got older in my, in my high school years.
29:17
Yeah, thank you so much. That that really that resonates,
29:20
I think with with me and and I think with a lot of people in
29:23
terms of education being more than just the the content of
29:28
like how to get better and how to get to to do better on a
29:32
test. But you said like someone to
29:34
encourage you, someone to, to really like know you And, and
29:39
especially when, you know, you're at that age, right,
29:42
adolescence, teenage, you know, teenager, you're, you're trying
29:46
to figure out a lot of things like I don't know who I am.
29:49
And so to have someone kind of more anchored in their own sense
29:53
of identity and to be able to like see them like, you know,
29:58
very clearly and like for who they are, I think is this is
30:02
part of the job of a, of a really good teacher.
30:05
Yeah. And then the creativity piece.
30:06
Yes, I totally get that, right. It's like that spark that really
30:09
gets someone motivated right to to just latch on to whatever the
30:15
topic is and, and to get excited about learning.
30:18
I think if if it comes from the teacher, it makes it so much
30:21
more joyful. And so I think, yeah, that's,
30:25
that's an incredible quality to to have.
30:28
And so, you know, the, the, the progression right from House of
30:32
Laughter to now the, the start of this, this new private
30:36
school, the Kosovo Leadership Academy, right?
30:41
Yeah, it's still still relatively new, right.
30:47
I mean it's you said 2013, but I'm sure with like all the
30:51
different things going on like I think you mentioned like earlier
30:55
in another conversation that like the 10 year mark or like
30:59
there's like a celebration, you know, of like 10 years.
31:03
It's very exciting and congratulations First off.
31:09
But yeah, I wanted to ask about like the the decision of like
31:12
having it be called a leadership Academy because I feel like
31:17
there's so much intention, intentionality that comes into
31:21
like what you want to name a school and then also what the
31:24
mission of that school is, right?
31:26
Those are kind of like the North Stars.
31:29
And so you explained about the House of Laughter and why it was
31:33
called that in the context of it.
31:35
So now I'm thinking about what was happening in like, you know,
31:39
kind of like the the 20 tens and then the decision to call it the
31:43
Leadership Academy. Could you maybe share a little
31:46
bit more about that? And then like, what do you like
31:50
when thinking about leadership, does that potentially tie into
31:54
this notion of like global citizenship?
31:56
I wonder if maybe we can make a connection point with that as
31:58
well. Yeah.
32:01
So Kosovo became a country in 2008 and so it is the youngest
32:07
country in Europe and 2nd youngest in the world now with
32:11
the South Sudan being younger, but it is also the youngest
32:16
country in Europe in terms of population.
32:20
We have a very, very young population within within Kosovo
32:25
and we're a new country and we need leadership.
32:30
We need people who are going to be the future of this country,
32:35
who are going to lead the people out of the the state that it's
32:42
in right now. Kosovo is kind of in a crisis in
32:46
terms of you're, you're very hard pressed to find a Kosovar
32:51
who is very happy to stay in Kosovo.
32:54
Many, many people want to leave. They cannot wait to go to
32:58
another place in Europe or they cannot wait to go to America
33:01
because they think that they're going to have a better life in,
33:05
in, you know, either in Europe or, or America.
33:08
Because they don't see a future in Kosovo.
33:12
They don't see a future with the medical system here.
33:15
They don't see a future with the political system, with the
33:18
judicial system, with the educational system.
33:21
They, you know, there's corruption and, and they, they
33:27
think that it'll be better for them to just go and, and go to a
33:32
well established country and just kind of live their lives
33:36
there. And we really want to fight
33:39
against that because we don't want people to be going to try
33:44
to find a better life somewhere. We want people to stay and make
33:47
better lives here and make the country a wonderful place to be.
33:52
Kosovo is, is an incredible country and, and it, it
33:57
sometimes Hansi, it breaks my heart for the people here to not
34:01
see what a gift is to be here. And I understand that it is
34:05
difficult in, in several different aspects.
34:08
And but that's why that's why we're here.
34:11
You know, that's why we are investing in the young people to
34:17
hopefully, you know, hopefully have them stay.
34:20
And in, in the classes that I teach in, in all of my
34:24
interactions with people, I try to, you know, communicate that
34:28
it's like we are not trying to educate you for you to leave the
34:31
country. Like we are not doing that.
34:33
We don't want to teach you to learn English so that you can go
34:36
live in England or go live in America.
34:39
We want to teach you to learn English so that you are, you
34:41
know, well educated and you can stay here and you can, you know,
34:46
be an international relations person or, you know, something,
34:51
or, or, you know, have a job online, but be here, you know,
34:54
and, and we want to open the, the world of possibilities to
34:59
them, but it can be in their country.
35:02
And so our, a, part of our, our mission statement is that we are
35:07
raising leaders to learn, live and lead with excellence.
35:12
And, and so that's, it's, it's actually kind of like a chant
35:16
that we, we say it's like learn with excellence, live with
35:20
excellence, like lead with excellence.
35:22
And we sometimes we add love with excellence and then and we
35:28
have the kids kind of say that sometimes, but and it's also our
35:32
call to work for our elementary when when we want them to be
35:36
quiet, the teacher says learn it and then the kids repeat live it
35:40
and then they they're supposed to be quiet.
35:42
Sometimes it doesn't happen. But and so like we really try to
35:46
kind of, you know, include that and even like the everyday
35:49
little things that that we do, but it's just leadership is not,
35:57
you know, something that somebody does who's way over
36:01
there. You know, leadership is what
36:04
every single person should be doing within their own own
36:09
circle. And you know it, it's influence
36:11
and how you can influence the people who are around you.
36:15
And I think one of the greatest gifts that I've been given in
36:19
the principal role is been able to work with the teachers that I
36:23
have. And, and I just, I have to give
36:26
a shout out to them. I work with the most incredible
36:30
group of teachers. I think that exists personally.
36:34
I, it is, it is incredible to me that the challenge that they
36:39
face when they come to teach at our school and we have a group
36:43
of 15 teachers within the elementary and they are absolute
36:48
rock stars. They are close to our teachers
36:53
and all of them except for two are close to our teachers.
36:57
They've come from the broken public education system
37:01
themselves. The university does not teach
37:07
teaching in the way that, that we expect teachers to teach at
37:12
the Coastal Leadership Academy. And, and they come in not
37:17
knowing our system at all, not knowing the curriculum.
37:23
They come in having to teach a lot of, a lot of what we are
37:28
teaching in English, so in a second language.
37:31
And, and I have just been so privileged to be able to work
37:35
with them and, and they're doing a fantastic job at it.
37:39
And I, I applaud them because it is not easy.
37:43
They're, they're coming in from something completely foreign
37:46
and, and they are, they have embraced the, the culture of
37:52
coastal leadership Academy and they, they're all in and they're
37:57
committed. And, and that is, to me, that is
38:00
what being a global citizen really is.
38:03
It is somebody who sees where they are, sees how they can
38:07
impact the people around them and, and just goes all in.
38:12
And, you know, being, being a global citizen doesn't mean that
38:15
you're looking, you know, into the other parts of the country
38:19
or the other parts of the world. It is being present where you
38:22
are and, and speaking into the lives of the people who are
38:27
around you and enriching them in the ways that you can.
38:30
That's personally what I think being a global citizen is.
38:36
Beautifully said. You know, I I love how you, I
38:40
mean, you, yeah, you dressed everything in those those
38:43
questions. I don't like about like the
38:44
leadership, like why? Why is it called Kosovo
38:48
Leadership Academy? Why is it so important for the
38:51
country, Right. And, and it's kind of this this
38:54
very early stage, right? Where it's.
38:57
Yeah, I, I did actually know that it was like the youngest or
39:01
like the yeah, most recent country in, in Europe.
39:05
And yeah. And like all of that is to say
39:08
that you, you were like pioneers.
39:10
I mean, that in my head that I translate that as like
39:13
pioneering spirit, right? Creating something brand new,
39:18
right from, from kind of nothing, right?
39:20
I mean, you have to create the model and you have to go
39:24
forward. And yeah.
39:26
And then, you know, as you were talking about this, the the
39:31
newness of Kosovo and like wanting to like foster this next
39:35
generation of leaders who want to stay in Kosovo.
39:40
And and then also how you talked about just the community that
39:44
you have at your school with your teachers.
39:47
The, the through line that came to my mind is appreciation.
39:50
You know, it, it's just so evident that you have a deep
39:53
sense of appreciation for the people culture, right?
39:58
The the history of of Kosovo And, and then that extends also
40:03
to the, the school, right? And and like the the teachers
40:08
that you're supporting and that. You're, you really believe that
40:13
you're laying like this, this, this foundation for a great new
40:18
future for this country. And I think that's just again,
40:22
very noble and allows you to kind of anchor yourself in, in,
40:27
in your purpose and values so that you know, with every, every
40:32
word that you say and then every action that you do for another
40:36
student or a teacher or community member, whoever, it's
40:40
backed by that same sense of like appreciation that I think
40:45
people really feel that, you know, they take to it.
40:48
And, you know, I'm thinking about myself, you know, I was
40:51
born and raised in Southern California area.
40:57
Very nice, right? And yet I never, I don't think I
41:01
appreciated it when I was growing up.
41:04
And then I found myself living abroad for almost seven years.
41:10
For you, you know, you can tack on four more years if you
41:13
include my undergrad experience kind of going off and like
41:16
living in the dorms. But I think when I like found
41:20
myself like living abroad, there was so much that I was able to
41:24
like expand like in terms of my perspective and my abilities.
41:29
And then, you know, I found myself circling back.
41:31
And now I'm back in my hometown with the sense that like, you
41:36
know, I really believe that I can, I can, I can contribute.
41:40
And I think maybe in a similar way, right?
41:43
The, the students that you have, you're educating them, you know,
41:46
they're getting skills like, you know, language abilities, like
41:50
being able to communicate with people in English and, and just
41:53
multiple languages is like such a superpower that, you know,
41:57
maybe there will be a time where they're studying abroad and
42:00
they're, they're going off and like working.
42:02
But then to have that sense of appreciation for like Kosovos,
42:07
that's where my roots are. That's where I want to like
42:10
really allow my like full array of like skills to just kind of
42:14
like flourish. You know, you want to go there
42:16
and just, you know, start a business or you want to go and
42:19
take up political office or whatever it is, start a school,
42:22
right? That's it all sounds very, very
42:24
meaningful. And it ties back to the mission
42:26
of, of, of your school, right? The mission way is learn live
42:33
and lead and love with excellence, right?
42:36
Yes. I love that you guys made it
42:38
into a chance. Yeah, Learn it, live it.
42:43
It sounds kind of like that T-shirt that we made in like
42:46
first. Right, I had suggested that in
42:48
one of our classes I was like, we could always do learn it.
42:50
This is what we do. And then it became love.
42:52
It listed so. You were close though, Yeah.
42:56
Inside joke, right? But it's, yeah, it's, it's
42:59
powerful, right? Words are powerful.
43:02
And then the last piece about your, your, your sense of like
43:05
being global citizen is kind of ultimately about like
43:09
recognizing your own impact and just going all in.
43:13
I think that, you know, having that ink ring and like being
43:18
present. And then I love the the way you
43:20
said, like speaking into the lives of people around you.
43:23
I feel like that's just so, so poetic.
43:25
It's like that kind of like manifesting, you know, that like
43:28
this is what it's gonna be, I think is really, really
43:31
powerful. And yeah.
43:33
And so, you know, you're at this moment right where the, the
43:37
Kosovo Leadership Academy is soon to have its, it's 10 year
43:42
anniversary. Congratulations.
43:46
What's the conversation moving forward?
43:48
What does the next decade look like?
43:50
I'm curious, can you kind of let us know what's what's been kind
43:53
of like rallying everyone to to kind of continue in advancing
43:58
the mission well. That is, that is a really good
44:01
question. I'd like to know the answer to
44:03
that as well. We, I think, I think we have, we
44:09
have moved so quickly and I mean, OK, 10 years sounds like a
44:16
long time, but it really isn't. And, and I'm looking forward to
44:22
really just kind of creating that, that stability in terms
44:29
of, you know, the, the teachers that we have really training
44:33
them. And, and I would love to see a,
44:37
a broader teacher training for, for close relationship
44:41
accounting to be a teacher training base pretty much.
44:44
And because we don't, we don't want just to be the best school
44:50
in town. We want the public school
44:54
systems to improve. And, and so I would love to see
44:58
we actually, I had a a senior, they have to do a capstone, A
45:03
capstone at the very end of their of their senior year.
45:06
And one of the girls asked me to be her mentor and she it was her
45:10
idea to have a public school partner with Kaylee.
45:16
He called for short Coast Relationship Academy is Kaylee
45:20
to partner with Kaylee. And so we were able to, to put
45:25
together a professional development kind of seminar for
45:29
the teachers from the public school.
45:31
And so I spoke there and then one of our elementary teachers
45:36
spoke and then one of our middle teachers, middle school teachers
45:39
spoke. But it was just, it was really
45:41
neat to see them coming in and learning just sometimes, you
45:46
know, things that we think is like simple and basic things
45:48
like it is, it's completely new to them.
45:52
And, and they were able to to take some of the things that
45:56
they learned and implement them into their school.
45:59
And so just knowing that we had that impact, you know, it was
46:01
really, really cool. But eventually we would love to
46:05
have the, the KLA be kind of like a lighthouse school for the
46:12
schools around for for the schools in Mitsubita and in the
46:16
surrounding cities. I think that for me would be
46:18
the, the biggest dream. Yeah.
46:21
Yeah, and I, I have no doubt that you will achieve that
46:25
because, you know, like to garner that kind of like
46:29
respect, you know, it takes time, but you've, you know,
46:33
already proven that dedication over a decade, right.
46:37
And I think that also it's kind of like the mentality of like,
46:41
if it's not KLA, then who's going to do that?
46:44
Who's going to take responsibility?
46:46
And and that takes a lot of courage as well on on, on your
46:49
part to to have that as like the driving force.
46:54
And then to also consider the wider ecosystem, right.
46:57
Where it's not enough to just have one standout school just,
47:01
you know, absolutely crushing at it, crushing it, you know, like,
47:04
yeah, we're, we're doing so great.
47:06
Look at us. But finding ways to to, to raise
47:11
that tide, right, for everyone to benefit and to have that
47:16
like, you know, partnership too, right?
47:18
Not being a stranger, not being that kind of like ivory tower
47:21
right from up up on high. You can look below and be like,
47:25
oh, that's a little bit too messy.
47:27
I'm OK, I'm gonna stay up here. So I think it's great that you
47:32
are all leaning into that. And yeah, and you know, with,
47:36
with the, you know, soon, like we're, we're going to be
47:39
graduating from from Harvard. And so, you know, I'm sure you
47:43
will appreciate having more time back so that you can really
47:48
focus your energy on this next decade of, of work, right with
47:52
KLA, with, you know, all the work that right is going to kind
47:55
of, I, I would imagine, you know, the, the, the impact that
47:58
you you're making at KLA will only increase.
48:01
And yeah. And, and it's just, it's very
48:04
clear that through the middle school and not middle school,
48:08
through the, through the elementary school, the, the work
48:11
that you're doing as a principal with the teacher training, with
48:14
the connections to the public schools, you're probably going
48:17
to find yourself even more busy, which is fine.
48:21
And yeah, you know, it's just it's an exciting moment to kind
48:25
of like reflect and just kind of redetermine, like where you're
48:28
going to set out from here. So, you know, I wanted to ask
48:32
one more question, and this is kind of one of the last
48:34
questions that I like to ask my guests.
48:36
And so it's a book or a movie recommendation.
48:40
So, anything you'd like to share with the listeners?
48:43
Yeah, so this is it's a little bit random, but this is actually
48:48
just have a very brief back story to this.
48:51
I've read this book previously, but one of the teachers that I,
48:56
I, she was one of my first hires last year.
48:59
She was our 4th grade teacher and she left our school at the
49:04
end of the year. I was so, so, so sad that she
49:06
left. But she went into politics and
49:10
she was a candidate for, for the parliament here and she was
49:18
recently elected. And so she is a parliament
49:20
member and very proud of her. And so she wanted to, to, I,
49:27
well, I wanted to stay connected with her and we came up with
49:30
this idea of doing a book club. And so she had at one point
49:33
asked me if I had any advice in, in terms of like her going into
49:41
politics. And I'm like, I, I don't know
49:43
anything about politics, but I had previously, previously read
49:47
this book and I feel like there's so many good lessons on
49:50
leadership and, and just in general.
49:54
But this book is called Team of Rivals and it's the political
49:57
genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Goodwin.
50:01
It is it just kind of goes through the life of not just
50:05
Lincoln, but also the other persons in people in politics
50:12
during his time and how he he brought together a group of men
50:17
who who were who were not in support of him necessarily, who
50:25
thought differently than he did. And, and how he valued the
50:30
diverse thinking in the diverse minds of these men.
50:35
And he highly respected each of them for their individual
50:39
perspective. And he was willing and open to
50:41
have that, you know, brought into his into his space.
50:45
And, you know, he, I think that's one of the things that
50:49
definitely made him a wonderful leader.
50:52
And I think that's something that we can all learn as
50:55
leaders, as global citizens, to make sure that we are not being
51:01
narrow minded in terms of, you know, just only hearing people
51:06
who we think would agree with us, but opening it to opening up
51:11
ourselves, you know, being vulnerable to listening to other
51:14
points of view. Awesome.
51:19
Thank you so much, Lydia, for for sharing that book
51:21
recommendation. And yeah, it just ties in really
51:25
well with this conversation about global citizenship.
51:28
What does it mean to be a leader?
51:30
And and then I think also it it, it definitely touches on the
51:37
inevitable like tension that comes with making any kind of
51:41
change and that you really have to understand the people that
51:45
are around you, both allies and and rivals and, and put that
51:50
kind of like, you know, like and establish that kind of trust.
51:54
I think really. And so it's, I think it's, it's
51:57
a great recommendation. So thank you so much.
52:00
And, you know, we are coming to the very end of this
52:03
conversation. It's just been such a joy to to
52:05
learn about your, your educator journey.
52:08
It's just, it's, it's amazing how how like from a very, very
52:13
early age, it seems like you've just been set on this path to
52:17
get to Kosovo and then to really contribute to the development of
52:23
of this young nation. And that, you know, I have no
52:26
doubt you, you are an honorary. What is it?
52:29
Kosovo and Kosovar? Kosovar.
52:33
OK, you are an honorary Kosovar. I actually do have.
52:37
Real citizenship. So I am.
52:38
I am official as well. I just don't have them.
52:42
Great. Yeah.
52:43
No, no, I, I, I think of myself as an honorary Brazilian.
52:46
And so although I don't have citizenship, I have like just,
52:50
you know, the time spent there and, and the memories, but, and
52:54
the friends too. I think that's also another part
52:56
of it that maybe we can like kind of end on is that, you
53:00
know, throughout these journeys that we've, we've both had of
53:04
seeking to make impact in, in like where, where our feet are
53:08
planted. It, it requires so many people,
53:12
right? Both for family, but also fellow
53:15
teachers and yeah, the community at large.
53:19
And so really creating that kind of culture where you can
53:24
appreciate one another and through that trust one another
53:28
and hopefully call each other friends, you can make it that
53:32
much more attractive for people to to really believe in the
53:36
mission and see the hope and commit to wanting to stay.
53:42
And so, you know, you, you play a very important role in that.
53:46
Lydia. And yeah.
53:47
And I just wanted to give the last few words to you.
53:51
Any like final thoughts about, you know, the conversation that
53:55
we've been having or thoughts about what's to come, you know,
53:59
just any, anything you'd like to share as we kind of wrap up our
54:02
conversation? Yeah, I think, you know, dreams
54:08
take a lot of people to realize and, and I have been blessed to
54:15
be around incredible people in my whole life.
54:19
I think I, I know I would not be where I am today if it was not
54:25
for my mom, but also my husband. He has been, he has been just an
54:33
incredible support and, and anything that I wanted to do, he
54:40
has been there. You know, when I was doubting,
54:43
you know, Harvard and, and whether, you know, I should or
54:46
shouldn't like he was never, never in doubt.
54:50
A single moment ended with, you know, personally, professionally
54:56
with the school. He has brought it such a long
54:59
way. And I just I just am very
55:06
grateful for like you said, that the support network that I've
55:10
had, it's been it's been a huge team effort and has not been
55:18
without its bumps in the road. You know, it's, it's really nice
55:22
to sit here and just, you know, just talk briefly about, you
55:25
know, all of the cool things about it.
55:28
But I'm working, working on something that has such a, a
55:34
huge impact and a huge vision also comes with a huge amount of
55:39
challenges as well. And just, I just want to
55:43
encourage people who you know, who are pursuing their, their
55:47
dreams and, and trying to, you know, change cultures or change
55:52
systems or whatever it may be, that you know, you are not alone
55:56
when you face those challenges. And finding the people who are
56:00
going to be by your side and walking through it with you is
56:05
is essential. And to make sure that you find
56:09
your team, make sure that you find your people and just know
56:12
that that you're not alone.