School of the Nations
Macao
About School of the Nations
School of the Nations, an internationally-oriented day school, was founded by members of the Macau Bahá’í community exactly 30 years ago to serve the local and expatriate communities. At present, over 650 students from age 3 to 18 are instructed by a professional and diverse teaching staff.
Our school is dedicated to nurturing the physical, intellectual and spiritual development of children and youth, and developing their capabilities to contribute to the well-being of their families and communities. We are constantly innovating in order to achieve this. Read about our History.
What makes us different?
It is not uncommon for parents to say they chose our school because of our “framework” yet struggle to explain exactly this means to them. In brief, School of the Nations is a Bahá’í school, which means it aims to operate in ways that reflect the high ideals contained in the Bahá’í teachings.
At the level of belief, this Bahá’í-inspired framework underscores that we are all created noble and part of one human family, that scientific and religious knowledge is progressively refined and clarified, reality encompasses both material and spiritual dimensions, and that we can only truly fulfill our purpose of developing our full potential in the context of selfless service to others. In action, this finds expression as individuals strive to being increasingly selfless in approach, open in seeking truth, collaborative in style, honest and kind in speech, trustworthy in action, humble in manner, and optimistic in disposition.
We are working hard to raise generations of students who become protagonists of their own development and the transformation of society. Considerable distance must still be traversed and we invite you to learn more about our our framework, approach to education, and curriculum.
An IB World School, we offer the IBDP Diploma to Form 5 and 6 pupils, while students completing Form 3 and 4 are prepared to sit the IGCSE Exam. Yet our programmes are all integrated and go well beyond these exams, especially in the area of character development. As such, it is worthwhile to explore our Programmes.
What makes a suitable teacher?
Many schools, including ours, seek educators with demonstrated teaching skills in areas including content delivery, classroom management, lesson preparation, and assessment. Further, we look for teachers with the ability to facilitate inquiry and team/project-based learning and follow differentiated strategies to serve the needs of individual learners.
Yet above this, the ability to fully engage with the life of the school and contribute to its advancement is often connected with how flexible teachers are. Specifically, being eager to understand our school environment, which has been shaped by our students and our unique philosophy and grow within it. With flexibility, teaching becomes an exciting pursuit to set aside many of the underlying assumptions about education and human nature underpinning past training and classroom experience in order to explore it from another perspective.
We constantly question, assess, and evaluate every aspect of the education we provide. Every year we continue to make progress towards realizing our vision and we welcome you to apply to join us on this thrilling journey. Learn about Teaching at SON and complete our application checklist before applying.
Location
I am both a teacher and a parent. Being at SON is a truly enriching experience for my son and me. The warmth and kindness of the staff, students, and parents has not only made our move to Asia worthwhile, it has also warmed our hearts.
- IB English Teacher and Parent, from Kenya, 2020The SON understanding of the relationship between individual capacity development and contribution to society is that individuals should develop their own capacities not just to benefit themselves, but to enable them to better contribute to society as a whole, thereby benefitting everyone and making society better.
- Teacher 2016In today's fiercely competitive society, many schools place more emphasis on knowledge and examinations due to competition and pressure to enter higher education. However, in addition to teaching knowledge, SON pays great attention to the development of moral education and attraction to beauty. It is a model of balanced education.
- Hu Yuanjia, Parent, P1 and P4, 2020Having worked at SON for a few years, I can say with confidence that I haven't been at a school with as a lofty and admirable a mission as here. The school's aim is to create a well-rounded learner who is capable of being a positive contributor to their community.
- Teacher, 2019My favourite aspects of teaching here at SON are definitely the people – both students and teachers. I have known schools that have caring people in their community, but not to the extent that I have experienced here.
- Ms. Marion, Primary 5 Teacher, from Australia, 2015