Deidre Fischer: Bringing CIS closer to the community

For most Cebuanos, the Cebu International School, or CIS, is just another school for the rich, the foreigners or the sons and daughters of expatriates. But for the school’s newly-appointed superintendent Deidre Fischer, CIS is a whole lot more and she wants the community to get to know the school better.

“Those who do not know us think that all our students are foreigners. You’ll be surprised to know that forty-five percent of our students here are locals,” said Deidre Fischer, the school’s newly-appointed and dynamic superintendent.

Ms. Fischer, who is only into her third month here in Cebu, is no stranger to international schools. From 1998 to 2002, she was connected with Brent School Baguio, then moved on to the Beijing BISS International School in 2002 to 2006, and then to the International School of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia in 2006 to 2008.

“Students in international schools are unique. Each child brings to the classroom his or her experiences. They have a wider perspective in life because of their varied backgrounds,” she said.

Describing herself as firm but fair, Ms. Fischer, who teaches at Grade 11 and 12, shared that she chose teaching as a profession because she wants to make a difference, especially among teenagers. “I have tried teaching in elementary but I think teaching teenagers is a whole lot easier, even with all their problems,” she said, laughing.

Being the superintendent of the only international school in Cebu, Ms. Fischer said, is a tall order especially since CIS is the only international school in the country that is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the Council of International Schools and the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities. Aside from the different accreditations, CIS also offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, a comprehensive and challenging pre-university course for students in grade 11 and 12. This allows CIS students to move on to university studies in all parts of the world.

To make sure that the standards of an international school are met and maintained, Ms. Fischer has lined up different projects for the school such as professional development and curriculum development. Having worked in three different international schools, she hopes to bring her experiences to CIS and see if these experiences will spell improvement and will help her and the faculty run the school.

She also plans to improve the school’s assessment of students. “Tests are not the only tools to assess students. Tests are just one tool. There are other ways to check the children’s assessment,” she said.

But apart from academics, Ms. Fischer wants to impress on CIS students their responsibility to the community they belong to – the Cebuano community.

A member of the Rotary Club International, Ms. Fischer said that service is a part of her life and she would like the whole school, especially the students, to understand how lucky they are that they privileged. “I am lucky, we are so lucky. It is therefore our responsibility to help others. I want to educate Cebuanos what CIS can do for Cebu,” she said.

As a way of introducing and promoting CIS to the community, Ms. Fischer, in just a few weeks after she assumed the position of superintendent, paid a courtesy call to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Vice Mayor Michael Rama and the Cebu City Councilors. She also visited Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.

“This is just the beginning. Cebu International School will be more visible to the community. I will really work hard to let Cebu know that there are so many good things about CIS,” she concluded.