Happy Birthday Tandem IMS

It is, I must admit, not without a little nostalgia that I sometimes look back on my pre-Tandem IMS days. The freedom to be a mum that no-one knew, instead of the mum everyone knows; the ability to choose my own employment opportunities, instead of choosing who to employ; being a parent who can join the PTA and go out for drinks, not the school head who joins PTA meetings to listen to the summary of discussions that were held over a nice glass of wine; being a staff member who can ask for an honest appraisal from a supervisor and be challenged to improve, and not instead, being the one delivering advice and encouragement.

The early days of our multilingual school

That said, not for one moment have I ever regretted this most amazing Tandem IMS adventure! The beginnings were tough – I will not conceal this. We made mistakes setting up our bilingual school and the rough waters of a start-up are sometimes very hard to swim in. Yet, with a lot of help from key pillars of our team, we have strived and made it to the beautiful shores of high-quality education.

Indeed 15 years ago, we had a dream, a passion for education, a good dose of ideology, some well-defined ideas and, what we believed to be, a wealth of international and educational experience. Starting with first the nursery and pre-school in 2004, we have grown into an international multilingual primary school known today as Tandem IMS.

How our school looks today 

It is with a lot of pride that I walk through the corridors of all three of our locations and every day I delight in our fantastic team at work; to see their unfailing motivation, their firm dedication and their lasting commitment as they nourish the young minds given into our care is a joy. There is no doubt that our team acts as catalysts initiating creative ideas in our pupils, together, they sparkle and dance with effervescence, they sail the wind of academic prowess and are all determined to embrace the world we live in.

It is no secret that the current world we need to guide our pupils through is not an easy one. Every generation has its own challenges, but today’s youth, plagued or stimulated by social media (depending on the chosen perspective), need to find their place through focus and ambition.

Children today are encouraged to become confident and independent, helping them grow into balanced adults who are ready to face hazards. They are expected to find a path through the jungle of exciting new endeavours and individual enterprises, and all of this in the constant limelight of the media with a steady buzz of dramatisation. I notice this especially when children enter the Swiss secondary educational system, with its constant need for performance through tests and exams. It is a world focused on the proprium of self-hood and growing up.

Tandem IMS's education philosophy

Tandem IMS philosophy has always been to support our children, to guide them and encourage them. We focus on high performance, yet retaining essential values, integrity and ethics to give them a steady foundation.

We aim to offer a balance between stimulating the individual learner, their aspirations and eagerness to prosper, as well as strengthening the platform for a strong sense of community. We offer that balance between harvesting and yielding the fruits of academic excellence, yet we allow children to mature at a reflective, steady pace.

Tandem IMS was not only amongst the pioneers of bilingual institutions in Zurich, it has now become a reference in the matters of multilingualism, translanguaging, school logistics and management of multicultural teams. Furthermore, we are often asked to lead seminars and contribute to university workgroups doing research in these areas. It is a pleasure to be able to constantly develop new ideas and exchange fieldwork experience, keeping us at the forefront of quality multilingual education.

Balance is key to our world of education today. It is a real pleasure to witness daily the enchanting educational landscape which Tandem IMS has become – and continues to be!

I look forward to every day of the next 15 years and would like to express my sincere gratitude again to our whole team for their commitment – and also to all the parents for their trust and support. And to quote the well-known saying by Martin Luther: “When schools flourish, all flourishes.”, so let our children continue to flourish!