By Sashi Natarajan, Chairperson, Good Shepherd Asia Pacific Educators’ Committee
“When the sun shines bright
It’s a new day, it’s a new way.
When the catalysts work together
The sun’s energy abounds.
Change comes in mighty proportions
‘Cos changemakers are working the new way!”
The Good Shepherd Changemakers Lab – ME to WE Lab for Educators – was the first of its kind for our sisters and partners-in-mission in Chennai, India.
The event brought together over 200 educators including all the school heads across Good Shepherd schools in India for two days of thinking on 5 and 6 of July – innovating, and co-creating new ways to work together as one unified community.
The support and guidance of the leaders of the two provinces – Sr Lissy Chacko of the Province of South West India and Sr Pushpa Louis of the Province of Central East India and Nepal – was very inspiring for the participants.
Fr Sunny Jacob SJ, Assistant to the Secretariat of Global Jesuit Education, and Jesuit Education Expert with Educate Magis in Ireland, engaged the group of educators with his vast knowledge of the country’s education policy and the need for the educators to shift from ME to WE, from (I)llness to (WE)llness.
The voices of the school leaders and teachers echoed the urgent need for collaboration, networking, and partnership in order to respond to the needs of education in the 21st century.
Participants were challenged to consider the change in thinking to think glocally – globally and locally – and propose concrete steps to inculcate Good Shepherd values and principles among the staff and students in our schools, so that they may in turn be warriors of justice and peace.
One of the proposed paradigm shifts that is urgent for sisters and teachers is to move from subject-oriented to pupil-oriented education.
The group discussed, discerned, and emerged with valuable suggestions to continue this journey of co-learning. They visually represented a common identity for the Good Shepherd schools with a shared vision and mission.
Truly, we are moving!
