SCHOOLS have more than one curriculum. Whether you are a student, parent, teacher or manager, allow yourself to forget the acronym-laden world of PYP, MYP, ICP, IGCSE, GAC, DP and CIC for a moment. These are taught curriculums, and though a school's "taught" curriculum can impart its values on a school's "living" curriculum, the two are not the same. The "living" curriculum is the manner in which a school's teachers, managers and support personnel help students learn by the examples they set as role-models for good decision making, effective communication and respectful, ethical conduct.

The analogy of children being sponges, though age-old, is accurate. Children learn and grow from everything they experience. Thus, it is correct to assume they learn about appropriate behavior, language, ethics, displays of frustration etc. from observing the way adults behave toward each other in a community. Simply applied, in schools where adults demonstrate a high level of respect, empathy and tolerance for one another, children are being exposed to a high-level "living" curriculum. Though there is no tool at present for measuring the impact or strength of a school's "living" curriculum, it is hard to argue against its potential impact.

On the surface, it would appear international schools would be outstanding places for children to grow from a "living" curriculum, as they are diverse, multi-cultural, almost utopian environments where cooperation and understanding usually prevail.

Nonetheless, international schools can also be incredibly challenging places to work, as one's every move can be interpreted from a myriad of cultural perspectives.

This suggests the potential also exists for cultural conflict and misunderstanding between colleagues and constituents in our school communities, and when students witness or perceive conflict or disunity between adults it weakens a school's "living" curriculum.

Therefore, in today's Shanghai, where a growing number of international schools are seeking to facilitate educational advantages through fusing Western and local culture in the workplace, the importance of facilitating cultural understanding is widely acknowledged.

Doing this effectively can strengthen a school's "living" curriculum and result in a more harmonious environment within which students can better work and learn.

With this goal in mind, I offer seven - a lucky number in the West - New Year's tips for Shanghai's international school personnel and their communities that might improve their "living" curriculums in the Year of the Rabbit:

1. Western teachers and school personnel should understand that their Eastern colleagues and parents may expect them to go the extra mile for their job, staying late sometimes and even working on weekends. However, Eastern parents and colleagues can gain from remembering that in Western culture there are sayings like "work to live, don't live to work" and "work hard, play hard," which demonstrate the Western belief that our identity beyond our jobs is important to us.

2. Western parents and employees are very comfortable challenging leadership. They see challenging leadership as a natural phenomenon, which both sides can grow from. Eastern leaders striving to accept this and embrace confrontation as a path to progress will do well, while Westerners should remember that once you become a leader in Eastern cultures, you should be accorded greater respect.

3. Western directness can stifle Eastern sensibilities. At the same time, the Eastern parent or staff member that might seem to be skirting an issue to avoid conflict can frustrate the Western teacher or manager. Westerners would benefit from tempering directness in their schools. The Easterner might be encouraged to take risks and embrace a bit of conflict, as it can lead to better feelings and faster resolutions, improving results when there is difference of opinion.

4. In like manner, a good colleague or honest Western parent might be purposefully critical of a teacher to help them grow. In Western culture, accepting this and trying to grow from it is called having "thick skin." For an Eastern teacher or member of a school's support or ancillary staff, harsh criticism can lead to loss of "face." If you are on the Eastern side of the spectrum, remember critical feedback is not always a bad thing. For Westerners, know that if you cost someone "face" in Asia, you too will lose "face."

5. Expo spin-off and/or other motivational school slogans can be a turn-off for Western families and teachers who may have been brought up to question such advertising and promotion. Easterners should seek to understand this aversion. Western teachers might reflect on the way that such slogans can galvanize community spirit and promote mass action, and seek ways to embrace them for the good of their school.

6. Western teachers are often very good at "thinking on their feet." Yet our enthusiasm for the spontaneous can frustrate our Asian partners and/or school clientele who require more rigorous advanced planning to feel comfortable. The best of both worlds can be achieved by meeting in the middle, as too much spontaneity carries risks.

7. One of the biggest challenges for Western personnel working in Chinese organizations, particularly schools, is how plans can change at the last minute. This can also upset parents, but is a way of life in China, and it is remarkable how easy-going Chinese people can be when faced with sudden changes. My parting advice to Western families and international school staff is to relax and go with the flow when things don't work out exactly the way we expected. On the flip side, the amount of respect Easterners can gain from keeping to an agreed routine might benefit their school's PR and staff relations.

As we say goodbye to the Year of the Tiger and the Expo, I leave you with these seven thoughts and one final sentence that is eight - a Chinese lucky number - words long. Better understanding, better "living" culture, better school tomorrow.