I became a teacher at IIS-Jubail 17 years ago. I was already very sure of one thing: that I wanted to provide a good education to the children of the Indian community. I had been many things in my previous life in India: I worked at various businesses after studying business administration, I had briefly even run my own enterprise, and I had been a law intern. These experiences coalesced beautifully to inform my values and methods as I taught my students social sciences. I always tried my best to fill in the gaps I saw in education. I spent a lot of time and energy bringing real samples into the classroom - from volcanic rocks, to marine coral, to many million-year old fossils, to ancient coins and pottery. The interest and joy shown by students, though fulfilling, is a sad reminder of how the education we usually impart is mostly rooted in books and not real-life phenomena they can observe, or tactile objects they can touch and work with. As a Social Sciences teacher, I also tried my best to challenge my students, to study complex, relevant issues in the world, and to be free to discuss and form their opinions. I firmly believe that we need to equip our students by teaching them HOW to think critically rather than WHAT to think. Our school mission and values statement mentions that our students should be 'Global Citizens'. My vision as a Principal (Interim) is that our students should be prepared for the wider world that lies beyond Jubail and Saudi Arabia by experience-based education and hands-on learning. They need to be challenged to think critically and produce high-quality, independent work at par with any educational institute in the world. Another goal of mine is be to empower our female students, who have been short-changed for too long. Many of them do not question the inequalities they are sometimes subjected to and do not dare to dream of more opportunities. I value fairness and social harmony. It is also on my agenda to ensure complete transparency and openness in our systems. Above all else, my focus will be on the well-being of our students in every sphere of their lives. A regimental, authoritarian atmosphere leads to students' energy and creativity being wasted and leads to harmful dependences on social media, a general mistrust and fear of teachers, and other unhealthy ways of expressing frustration. A happy and supportive atmosphere at school is key to children expressing themselves in healthy ways, for example, by being involved in fun activities like scientific excursions, sports, arts, or interesting academic pursuits. That has always been my vision for IIS-Jubail, since I became a teacher. As Principal (Interim), I will work relentlessly in the time I have to make this come true