The Continued Importance to Research Before You Make a Commitment in 2011

There are fine International Schools in every country of the world. But when it comes to unscrupulous schools taking advantage of international educators, little has changed since International Schools Review first went on line in 2003.  Go to complete article.

Expats in Political Hot Spots

Any place in the world can turn into a political Hot Spot overnight. To facilitate sharing information on various Hot Spots around the world, ISR created a Blog category titled  Expats in Political Hot Spots. Currently, you’ll find Blogs covering Libya, Bahrain, Pakistan, Tunisia, Mexico and Egypt. We invite teachers and expats in these locations to take advantage of this new Blog venue. Scroll down to find Blogs covering Bahrain, Mexico, Tunisia, Pakistan, and Egypt open for your questions and comments.

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Mexico: Current Teacher Status / Job Seeker Advice

Not many years ago Mexico was a tranquil, peaceful country. Today it is riddled with kidnappings and murders as a result of violent drug wars. What is it like to teach and live in Mexico in 2011?

To see all locations covered under the category of
Expats in Political Hot Spots you may need to Click here

Libya: Current Teacher Status / Job Seeker Advice

The crackdown in  Libya is the most brutal repression of the anti-government protests that began with uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.  One  day after commandos and foreign mercenaries loyal to Moammar Gadhafi attacked demonstrators with assault rifles, these forces fired machine-guns at mourners participating in a funeral march for anti-government protesters in the city of Benghazi. Libya hosts International Schools that employ teachers from around the world. If you have information to share about our colleagues in Libya, please post it here.

To see all locations covered under the category of  
Expats in Political Hot Spots you may need to Click here.

Egypt: Current Teacher Status / Job Seeker Advice

Hundreds of our colleagues work in more than 25 international and American schools throughout Egypt.  If you were in Egypt during the protests, here’s a place to share your experience with colleagues. Additionally, are schools endangering their foreign hire staff by asking them to return to Egypt?  How does the future look for recently hired teachers who will be arriving for the 2011/2012 academic year?

To see all locations covered under the category of  
Expats in Political Hot Spots you may need to Click here.

Bahrain: Current Teacher Status / Job Seeker Advice

Feb 17: In a pre-dawn attack, Bahrain exploded into brutal conflict between club-wielding riot police and anti government protesters sleeping in Pearl Square. The capital was later shut down and military check points set up. Do you have  information to share?

To see all locations covered under the category of  
Expats in Political Hot Spots you may need to Click here.

Tunisia: Current Teacher Status / Job Seeker Advice

A State of Emergency was declared on 1/14.  The curfew was lifted on 2/15 but the political situation in Tunisia continues to show rapid and dramatic changes and further unrest is possible. Have any information to share?

To see all locations covered under the category of  
Expats in Political Hot Spots you may need to Click here.

Pakistan: Current Teacher Status / Job Seeker Advice

Some media reports have falsely identified diplomats, Western journalists and NGO workers as intelligence operatives or private security personnel.  U.S. citizens have been victims of attacks in the last few years.  Do you have information to share?

To see all locations covered under the category of  
Expats in Political Hot Spots you may need to Click here.

 

Educating for an Unknown Future

The one thing we can say with certainty about the future is that we don’t know what it holds for us as a world community. Did You Know, a popular YouTube video, suggests ” We are currently preparing students for jobs and technologies that don’t yet exist….in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.” Did You Know has received 4.5 million viewings.

Obviously, no one knows which of the skills we teach today will enable our students to solve unknown future problems and make meaningful contributions to their societies. This is a dilemma facing us all as educators.

A recent post to an ISR blog caught our attention because it took the Did You Know theme a step further to say “institutional education is heading down a path that no longer serves the coming generation. A revolution is coming!”

A revolution is coming to institutional education as students continue to be “schooled” for a future that no longer exists. More and more, noted educators like John Gatto and Sir Ken Robinson are willing to say, “The Emperor is naked!”

We, home schooling parents, who have totally stepped out of the institutional school model are raising our children to have the time and resources to maximize their natural talents and creativity. As the rest of the industrial world continues down a path that no longer serves the coming generation, I beg credentialed teachers to be willing to ask the “unaskable question” (the one that is on the tongue of every student), “Why do I have to learn all this stuff!?”

ISR invites you to share your opinion:
Do you believe the “stuff” you teach will be relevant in the rapidly accelerating world of technology and skills? How individualized and focused on personal talents and creativity should education be? Should our present model of teaching past knowledge be our curriculum guide as we educate and prepare children for an unknown future? Has the Emperor become, indeed, completely disrobed?

ISR Invites YOUR comments