Graeme Malcolm

Coming from a family of teachers, it was always Graeme’s destiny to join the profession; a decision he never regretted for a second! After graduating from Lancaster University with an honours degree in History, he completed my Post Graduate Certificate in Education at Durham University, which is in his native Northeast of England.

Graeme began his teaching journey in the UK, before making the decision to move into international education. He spent six years in a premium British international school in Bangkok, before moving to Dubai in 2014.

Graeme’s educational philosophy, which resonates closely with the DBS vision of ‘Enjoy, Aspire, Achieve’, is rooted in the belief that everyone in a school community must be encouraged to dream big and be given opportunities to flourish, and this can only happen with a highly personalised approach to learning and pastoral care. If we get this right, there should be nobody left in the shadows.

Graeme believes that aspiration and achievement flow naturally from enjoyment. Enjoyment is something we create through our own endeavours (Aristotle called this eudaimonia), which is different from pleasure as this is something that happens to us (Aristotle called this hedonia).

It follows then that students will find enjoyment in school if they have a sense of purpose; something they aspire to. Their achievements will flow naturally from that. With this in mind, expect to hear Graeme asking questions like, ‘Tell me, what gets you out of bed on a morning?’

Finally, Graeme is a big believer that strong relationships blossom when we talk to one other, and one of the things he enjoys most about working here in Dubai is the opportunity to chat with students, colleagues and parents from such diverse backgrounds. He can’t help but feel that something important gets lost along the way in the impersonal aspect of an email interaction and he believes we’re stronger when we communicate face to face.

With that said, he looks forward to meeting you all face to face.