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School culture and community
Starting a new job is always a challenging experience, requiring time to adjust to a new environment, build relationships with colleagues, and understand the unspoken rhythms of a workplace. But beginning a role at GISB brings an additional, exciting layer of complexity — one must not only navigate the professional learning curve but also bridge two distinct cultural traditions, educational philosophies, and often two languages. Whether it’s understanding the structured rigor of the German academic approach alongside American creativity and flexibility, or simply knowing when to say Guten Morgen versus “Good morning,” the experience is as enriching as it is demanding, offering a uniquely rewarding opportunity to grow both professionally and culturally.
Take the time to review the following resources as you settle into your new role.
Understanding and Navigating Cultural Differences at GISB
At GISB, students, families, and staff come together from more than 45 nationalities. This diversity is a defining strength of our community. It brings a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and expectations into our daily work and school life.
At the same time, navigating these differences is not always straightforward. When different cultural approaches meet, especially within German and American educational traditions, new ways of thinking and working emerge. In many cases, this creates a dynamic and enriching environment. In others, it can lead to misunderstandings, particularly in moments of stress or when expectations are not shared.
This guide has been developed to support a clearer understanding of these dynamics. It draws on common patterns in intercultural communication and highlights examples that may feel familiar in our context. While German and American perspectives often shape daily interactions at GISB, they represent only part of a much broader and more complex cultural landscape.
The goal of this document is to make these differences more visible and easier to navigate. By recognizing how expectations, communication styles, and educational approaches may vary, we can work more effectively together, support our students more intentionally, and strengthen our community as a whole.
General Conferences: what and when they are
The school holds a series of General Conferences (GCs) throughout the school year. These are all-staff meetings with the aim to bring everyone together and provide updates, share thank you’s, discuss school wide events, etc. ASP staff are usually unable to attend due to their work schedule, therefore the Director or Assistant Director of After School Programs relays the information shared with their staff members. There is always an assigned note taker who circulates minutes in the following days. If you are unable to attend, it is your responsibility to read the notes to stay informed.
Getting settled
- Be sure you are following the conversation. When you are new, there are many new names and acronyms and it’s not likely that you will know them all! Look at the GISB Acronyms page anytime for some common ones.
- There are no stupid questions. Ask your onboarding ‘buddy’ anything while you navigate your first weeks at GISB. Members of your section or department will always be a resource to you, so don’t be afraid to tap into their knowledge.
- We are neither a German school nor an American school- we are unique! You may come across things that are new or different than what you are used to. A successful employee at GISB is comfortable with ambiguity and not afraid to proactively seek out information.
Showing up: you at GISB
Come as you are at GISB, but please:
- Be clean and scent-free
- Choose appropriate business casual clothes suitable to your role. Jeans and sneakers are fine but please, no ripped jeans or crop tops. Remember that you are setting an example for our students
Policies to remember:
- Harassment will not be tolerated. Review the harassment policy in the Employee Handbook. If you experience harassment at work, please reach out to the HR Manager
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