Welcome to issue 56 of the International House Journal of Education and Professional Development.
A lot has been written about the topic of sustainability in recent years, but it is worth looking back at the origins of the word for a fresh perspective, one that goes beyond the typical theme of environmental sustainability. Teachers are interested in sustainability in that sense, certainly – I see it myself when members of the team use recycled paper or go digital instead of making photocopies – but the roots of the word reveal just how deep our shared interest in sustainability runs.
The word traces its origins to Latin – surprise, surprise – and is formed of the prefix sub- for under, and the verb tenere, which means to hold. Holding up from beneath; supporting; keeping up or maintaining – that already sounds like a lot of what we do, and so it is only right that this issue’s special feature on sustainability looks at so many of the ways that we offer – and look for – support in our work.
Stephen Farren kicks off the proceedings with an article about sharing ‘green’ proverbs on social media; there are then articles that consider how professional development can be made more sustainable, and beyond that how we can build a career that doesn’t burn itself out; Miles Newmyer offers a novel approach to structuring lessons so that attention and student energy levels can be sustained; and Anna Machura tells us about what she considers the sustainable mind.
In their own way, the other articles in Issue 56 also deal with the topic of sustainability – reading them will help keep you going through the next few busy months at your school (and yes, I understand that almost every month is busy in one way or another!). So dive in, explore what our talented team of writers have concocted for you this time around, and as always, I leave you with the thought that if what you read inspires you to contribute to the next issue, I’m already accepting submissions for Issue 57!
