St Claire Adriaan is a distinguished alumnus of Nelson Mandela University, where he earned a BA in Education, BAHons, and BEd (Postgraduate). Currently residing in Los Angeles, California, he serves as Principal of PUC CALS Middle School and Early College High School, part of the Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC Schools) network.
Growing up under Apartheid in South Africa deeply shaped his educational philosophy and commitment to democratic citizenship. In recognition of his leadership and impact, he was honoured with the Nelson Mandela University Alumni Achiever Award in 2020. Today, he continues to bridge scholarship and practice as a doctoral candidate at the University of Miami, while leading schools and contributing to global conversations about education, democracy, and critical thinking.
1. What inspired you to write a book, especially since writing isn't your primary profession?
Two urgent realities compelled me. Growing up under Apartheid in South Africa, I witnessed firsthand what happens when people are denied the tools to think critically and question power. Democracy is fragile - it requires citizens who can reflect, reason, and resist manipulation.
Then I watched a new threat emerge: the digital age and screen culture quietly eroding our children's capacity for deep thinking. When I saw “brain rot” becoming normalized, I knew silence wasn’t an option. Writing became an act of democratic resistance. This book isn’t just about education - it’s about survival of the kind of society Nelson Mandela sacrificed so much to build.
2. In a nutshell, what is your book about?
Metacognitive Clarity is about teaching students to think about their own thinking - and why that matters more than ever.
We present a three-part framework built around:
-
Clarity of Purpose
-
Clarity of Process
-
Clarity of Ownership
Simply put, we want every learner - regardless of background or zip code - to understand:
-
Why they’re learning,
-
How to monitor their understanding,
-
How to take genuine ownership of their education.
In a world flooded with dubious messages, social media manipulation, and political disinformation, a student who can pause and ask, “How do I know what I know? Am I being manipulated right now?” is a student equipped for democratic citizenship.
Metacognition isn’t a luxury skill - it’s a survival skill.
3. What motivated you to share your knowledge publicly at this point in your career?
Timing is everything. I’m at the intersection of practice and scholarship - a sitting principal, a doctoral candidate, and someone with lived experience on both sides of democracy’s fragility.
I felt a responsibility to bridge those worlds. Too often, the people closest to children - school leaders and teachers - aren’t the ones writing the books. Academic research sits in journals that practitioners never read, while classroom wisdom never reaches the research community. I wanted to change that.
And frankly, the current global climate - the erosion of democratic norms and the rise of misinformation - created an urgency I couldn’t ignore. This felt like the right moment to say something that matters.
4. What was the biggest challenge you faced while balancing writing with your professional responsibilities?
Protecting time for deep thinking while leading a school is genuinely difficult - schools don’t pause.
The hardest part wasn’t the writing itself; it was carving out the cognitive space to write well. A school principal lives in a world of immediacy - urgent emails, student needs, staff dynamics -and writing a rigorous book demands sustained, uninterrupted reflection.
Ironically, I had to practice what the book preaches. I had to be intentional and metacognitive about my own process. Early mornings before the school day began became sacred writing time.
I also leaned heavily on my co-authors, Dr. Bloomberg and Isaac Wells. That collaborative accountability kept us moving forward even when life got overwhelming.
5. What did the publishing process teach you that surprised you most?
That clarity of message matters more than volume of content.
I came in thinking that more depth, more research, more pages meant more impact. The editing process humbled me. Great editors ask the same questions we ask students:
-
What are you really trying to say?
-
Who is your audience?
-
What do you want them to feel and do differently?
The publishing process is itself a metacognitive exercise - you are constantly interrogating your own assumptions and refining your thinking.
I was also surprised by how collaborative and human it is. I had imagined it as a solitary, transactional process. It turned out to be deeply relational.
6. What advice would you give to students or alumni who have an idea for a book but aren't sure where to start?
Start with your why - not your topic, your why.
What injustice, gap, or possibility keeps you awake at night? That emotional and intellectual urgency is your fuel.
Then talk about your idea out loud, repeatedly, to anyone who will listen. If you can explain it clearly in conversation, you can write it.
Don’t wait until you feel ready or credentialed enough - Nelson Mandela didn’t wait for perfect conditions to act.
Write messy first drafts. Find co-authors or thought partners who challenge you. And remember: your lived experience is scholarship.
The world needs books written by people who have actually been in the room - with children, with injustice, with complexity.
That’s you.
Start now.