– The MS Activities and Athletics Director
“My biggest highlight was at the MS track meet in Jakarta. I saw our entire track team running on the field inside the track, encouraging our relay runners to keep going. It was such incredible team spirit!”
Meet Paul McTigue, the MS Activities and Athletics Director who joined the ISKL community in 2023. Originally from Yorkshire, UK, Paul has been teaching for 16 years. He taught in the UK, Egypt, Germany, and Indonesia before coming to Malaysia with his wife, Ailsa, a G4 teacher, and their two young daughters.
During his free time, Paul enjoys golfing and traveling with his family.
Here is Paul’s story:
Please tell us more about yourself, e.g. (Where were you born, your background, and where did you live and work before coming to ISKL?).
I’m from Northern England, a small town in Yorkshire called Ilkle. My wife, Ailsa, teaches in G4, and we have two daughters in G1 and Prep Reception.
This is my 16th year teaching internationally. Before arriving in KL, I taught in the UK, Egypt, Germany, and Indonesia.
When and why did you join ISKL?
We joined ISKL this year after working at JIS, a fellow IASAS school – being at an IASAS school was important to our family.
Leaving JIS after eight years was tough, but we feel lucky to have landed in such a similar school, and KL is a great city to live in.
Can you tell us more about your position as the MS Athletics Activities & Director? What are your daily activities?
I have the best job in the world! My role is to encourage students to explore their passions, whether music, drama, dance, academics, or sport. I organize our rigorous after-school program, plan spirit activities to challenge the students in our house competition, and am the number one cheerleader for all students representing the school.
What is the most enjoyable and most challenging part of your job?
The most enjoyable part of my job is traveling with sports teams or watching school performances. These are the occasions when you see students thrive outside of the classroom.
The most challenging part of my job is juggling my to-do lists. Everything is important, but I sometimes prioritize one important job over another. For example, travel deadlines or parent emails may get priority over a meeting.
Can you tell us something you are working on now that you are excited about?
There are so many opportunities for our students here at ISKL, and I am genuinely excited about all the amazing activities we have in our schedule. I have seen the impact of school spirit in other schools and hope to build on what we already have in place to push school spirit to the next level.
Can you tell us more about your hobbies and interests? What do you do after work?
I am a keen golfer and hope to play some of Malaysia’s amazing courses over the next few years. Travel is also a big part of my life, and now that our girls are a bit older, I look forward to showing them and visiting some amazing new places together.
Who or what inspires you?
IASAS schools are different, and what inspires me is the impact of the many faculty members on our students. The quality of the faculty is so good that our students will always succeed.
This has been demonstrated in trimester 2, with the range of success stories outside of academics. Our students have thrived in drama (the school play), dance (recent lunchtime shows), music (AMIS Strings and Vocals), MUN, and sports (a huge success both in AIMS and travel teams).
The impact of teachers on this should not be underestimated, and this is an inspiration.
What is your best memory (or most memorable moment) so far working at ISKL?
My biggest highlight was at the MS track meet in Jakarta. I saw our entire track team running on the field inside the track, encouraging our relay runners to keep going. It was such incredible team spirit!
What does ‘”Know yourself, care for all, and create a better world” mean to you?
ISKL doesn’t just teach students to pass exams; it teaches the ‘big picture.’ This means that our students understand what it means to be a global citizen, and they know they are future leaders who have a platform to make the world a better place.
Do you know of any student, teacher, parent, or staff who always have an anecdote to tell, love to share some insights into their passions and interest, or simply is a Panther through and through? Nominate them to be featured in our Panthers of ISKL stories by sending in your submissions here.
