I am a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia (1967-69) and now I work as a school psychologist at the Colegio Nueva Granada in Bogota, Colombia, returning to Colombia after a 43 year absence. Prior to working in Colombia, I worked as a school psych. for six years in New Delhi, India, five years in Jakarta, Indonesia, two years in Brasilia, Brazil, and three years in Panama City, Panama. I also worked as a school psychologist for eighteen years in Iowa plus four years in New Mexico. My wife and I feel lucky to have returned to Colombia and have returned together to my former Peace Corps site.

My approach in school psychology is to discover strengths (personal, cognitive, social, creative, etc.) in the students I work with so that they might see themselves as more varied, nuanced, and capable. I also have the same hope that parents and teachers will begin to see the child in that way. I seek these strengths through developing a supportive relationship with each child while observing them carefully, asking questions, listening carefully, noting their strategies and successes. This approach takes a bit more time but I believe the benefits justify it.

It is fun to work in international schools with students from all around the globe. In many ways I see that our similarities (hopes, goals, motivations) are more than our differences. I also enjoy the differences in cultures and perspectives because it causes me to view things in a different light.