Caring Communicator and Connected Kiwi- Craig Kemp's P3
- Noa Daniel
- Sep 4, 2018
- 4 min read
Craig Kemp is a New Zealand born educator with over 13 years experience both in the classroom and in leadership. He’s an enthusiastic change agent that is passionate about every aspect of education and making a difference. Craig is based in Singapore and is Head of Digital Learning and Innovation (N-12) at Stamford American International School where he and his team support the authentic and purposeful integration of technology to more than 3000 students and 500 staff. He is a professional development speaker whose workshops, seminars, and keynotes not only motivate and inspire educators but also help them develop practical and creative ways of implementing ideas into classroom practice. You can read more about Craig on his website.
Craig is the co-founder of three Twitter chats: #whatisschool, #asiaED edchat and #pubPD. What is School was one of my first Twitter chats and it gave me a sense of the global reach of connected educators and the possibilities of social media in terms of gathering and sharing ideas from across the world. #AsiaEd helps connect educators looking to collaborate on a global scale, as well. #PubPD is exactly what you could imagine: educators gathering around a drink (or more), talking and tweeting about topics in education that help make this Twitter chat adding a layer of social to social media experience. Craig is a globally connected leader and change agent.
When Craig began preparing for his P3, he gave an overview of his choices and the challenges he went through to determine his songs. His nostalgic song reflects his grassroots and the things that inspire him to do what he does now. For Craig, it represents the family values of his upbringing. “No matter how hard things are, no matter what’s thrown at you, you don’t give up, you give more. You strive for success, you keep pushing.” Craig has been taught to keep challenging himself and always keep growing personally and professionally. Today, having very little children, this value is something that Craig wants to impart on his children and the learners with whom he interacts, big and small. He tries to bring positive energy to everything noting, that in our careers, we have the opportunity to help others keep persevere and use grit to get through tough situations to make it better. Here is a song that reflects his family values and one that Craig refers to as a “Kiwi classic”, Crowded House’s Don't Dream It’s Over:
Craig chose an identity song that reminds him of home. “For me, growing up as a Kiwi boy in New Zealand, rugby is life, and we are very down to earth...perceived to be [a] friendly, open sort of people.” Craig had a strong sense of identity which is something he wants to help kids develop in order to ground them in who they are and where they're from. “[My kids] were both born in Singapore. We live in Singapore and have no intention of living back in New Zealand any time soon. As such, for them, home is Singapore, but I still want them to have the identity of being a New Zealander because that’s very important to us as a family, and we go home as much as possible.” Whenever he hears this song, it reminds him of home, and “gum boots” on the farm. There is so much national pride that Craig shared after listening to this song. Here is Slice of Heaven by David Dobbin and Herbs:
Craig’s pick-me-up song is not actually one that he listens to now. Craig grew up in a mixed area of middle class in a financially and culturally diverse area, which made him one of the few white boys in his friendship group. This contributed to his identity and who he is today. Craig added, “I got to learn very quickly that not everyone had it as good as I had.” For his high school’s lip sync competition, he and his friends from the volleyball team chose this song to perform. It was a turning point for him and his friends, celebrating their lives and having a lot of fun. It reminds him of a special time with his mates, and the memory brings him the biggest smile. Craig likes a lot of different music including upbeat and fast ones, so this song seemed like a random choice, at first. After speaking about it with his wife, he said that it just felt right. “This is a song that we played a lot, we sang along to...it was a positive energy song we played at the time.” Here is Fat Joe with Whats Luv? featuring Ashanti:
After sharing Craig’s personal playlist, he reflected on the experience. Craig said that this process helped him ponder his identity and culture in a way that he had never previously considered. “ It makes me remember all the fun times that my mates and I had...what it means to be a New Zealander, what it means about family for me...about values.” Bringing it all into the context of music made Craig wonder what he could do to instill those values for those in his life, especially his children. He said that the process of selecting his playlist challenged him. “It’s really pushed me outside my comfort zone and that's something that I want out of the students and teachers that I work with every day. I want them to challenges themselves and takes risks…”
If you want to learn more about Craig, you can find him on every social media platform. Begin with Craig’s website, Twitter and his blog. You can find Craig on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Google Plus. Here are some of the places where you can be inspired by Craig in person:
9-11 October 2018 Craig will be speaking in Singapore at the 2018 EduTech Asia conference.
18-20 October 2018 Craig will be in Beijing, China keynoting the 2018 ACAMIS conference.
25-28 October 2018 Craig will be in Manila, Philippines keynoting the 2018 #TIESPH conference.
16-18 November 2018 Craig will be in Bangalore, India keynoting an Apps Events conference.
1-2 December 2018 Craig will be speaking in Incheon, South Korea at the Apps Events Summit
If you, like me, want to learn more about New Zealand- the Land of the Long White Cloud, the place we have come to envision as Middle Earth, and the homeland of our guest, click here.
Comments