Welcome

Message from the Executive Director

Welcome to the Fall issue of the EARCOS Tri-annual Journal (aka ET)!

Make no mistake. These are challenging times for every school across our region. Despite the disappointment we share with the pandemic’s unwelcome longevity, we must take pride in that fact that the region’s schools have survived and, in many ways, thrived. We may not rejoice about where we are at the moment, but surely it is important to recognize the perseverance, the innovative thinking, the dynamic new partnerships and the rich exchange of ideas that have taken place across the EARCOS community these past difficult months.

In the absence of our regularly scheduled conferences, EARCOS has been able to continue its commitment to providing our members with professional development through a rich assortment of webinars, Weekend Workshops, and ideas shared through the pages of this journal. I want to especially invite you to use this journal to share the initiatives you have created in the face of the pandemic.

With all the attention and energy the pandemic has demanded, how have you been able to continue your school’s focus on child protection—in both policy development and practice? What is your school doing about the multiple dimensions of DEIJ? Have you been able to engage your faculty, students, board, and community in reasoned and informed conversations about unintentional bias and racism? What changes are you making in your curricula to address DEIJ? Can you share ideas and approaches you have taken that can help colleagues across the region who face similar challenges?

And, how is your school handling the need to educate students (and our communities) on the pressing issues of climate change? (Please see the cover article on one of the region’s most treasured resources, the Biosphere Project in Bali, Indonesia). How are you maintaining your school’s commitment to service learning and action when many students may not be permitted to even leave their homes? As you gaze into your school’s future, how do you envision teaching and learning in a post-pandemic world? What will change? What will be maintained? What will be discarded?

As always, I want to thank our authors who took the time from their busy lives to share their ideas in this issue. This issue is replete with reminders of the professionalism, dedication and re-imagination that make EARCOS such a remarkable community. The region is thriving with creativity, quality research, and powerful programs.

If ever there was a moment in our lives as international educators to pause, reflect and share with one another, surely it is now. We look forward to hearing from you in the very near future as we prepare the Winter 2022 edition of this journal.

Here’s to your continued success and good health as the first semester of the 2021-2022 school year rushes to a close.

All best wishes--and Happy Reading!

Edward E. Greene, Ph.D. EARCOS Executive Director