Being a Head of School is a super complex role. Managing people, crises, change, curriculum, parent expectations, owners, your sanity, the list goes on! Additionally, it can be hard to find people who really understand what you are facing and can offer ideas and support. Here is a place to find support and ideas that can help you through this incredibly difficult job in these uniquely challenging times. It doesn’t matter if you have been a Head for ten minutes or ten years, a community of people in similar roles will be a great source of professional wisdom and support. We will bring together people from a similar context to share solutions. challenges and experiences, and make all our lives just a little less complex. This community is here to provide support and connection, and offer an oasis of sanity in our crazy professional lives.
Hackathons · Pop-up communities · Affinity Group deep dives
Members propose new themes, spin up sprints, or keep their group going.
Live Session Schedule
These are crucial opportunities to connect, share ideas, and learn from each other.
All live sessions take place on Microsoft Teams
Live Session 1
October 16, 2025,
Thursday,
8:30 – 10:00
(GMT +8)
Live Session 2
November 6, 2025,
Thursday,
8:30 – 10:00
(GMT +8)
Live Session 3
March 12, 2026,
Thursday,
8:30 – 10:00
(GMT +8)
Live Session 4
April 23, 2026,
Thursday,
8:30 – 10:00
(GMT +8)
Meet Your Hosts
Greg Smith
Greg was a Head of School, Principal, Coordinator, Superintendent, Curriculum Director, Schools Advisor, Teacher in Primary, Middle and, High Schools, and all round good fellow through a long career inside schools. After escaping his native Western Australia in 2005, he had stints in senior educational administration in Beijing, Vientiane (Laos), and Shenzhen. He squeezed in a few years in between to start a recruitment company with a good friend in Australia (its called Schrole) but felt the lure of school leadership so, went back to the best job (and perhaps most challenging role) in the world in Shenzhen. After enjoying all that the pandemic had to offer, he found himself the Vice President for International Schools Services, the 70 year old leviathan of services to schools across the world. Now overseeing the management of ISS schools, PD, consulting services, and recruitment, he is fortunate to be in a job that has all the fun and none of the downsides of running a school.
Ildiko Murray
Ildiko Murray is the Head of School at Changchun American International School in China. She also serves as an instructor in the IBEC Leadership program at Western University. She has been involved with the IB/CIS/WASC for over twenty years as a teacher. coordinator. workshop leader. examiner. evaluation leader. principal and now head of school. Her masters and doctoral research at the University of Toronto used IB program implementation and development as case studies. She has presented her research at various international conferences. and she is a frequent contributor to panel discussions and special focus groups.
How to Join This Community
There's two ways in:
My School does not have PeerSphere yet
No membership yet? You or your school can sign up now and pay later.
Just knowing that other Heads of School have similar staff issues at times, knowing this helps me not feel like I'm living in the twilight zone...
Being able to connect with other Heads in our Association through this platform allowed me to feel less isolated and learn from others. The meetings positively impacted my own sense of well-being and in turn had a positive impact on our school. It is a great way to connect and learn from our community.
Connecting with peers is an invaluable resource. You get to learn how people are dealing with a myriad of compliance issues and other impediments to learning.
Please note:
This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin.
Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.
Report
You have already reported this .
Get in touch to learn how we can tailor PeerSphere for your school’s needs.
You can book a free professional development consultation directly with one of our co-founders below or, email us at [email protected].