Hawaii: Pleasing Pele

There can be few more visceral travel experiences than eyeballing a volcano. And an active one at that. Hence, the opportunity a few weeks ago ~ after the gathering mentioned in the last post ~ to visit Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.

Wrap up the meeting notes (some one has to do this, right?), check out of the hotel and drive across the island away from the hordes attending the annual Ironman competition in Kona. Suddenly you seem to have the world to your own. Leave the blue and green of Hilo behind and the 30 mile road to the volcano passes tawny grasses and dark patches of hidden black lava fields. The road follows a gentle incline up and up and up and up.

As you focus on the steam vents swirling outside the car, your eyes play tricks and you see a vision of a monster mountain further ahead: Mauna Loa rises to 13,677 feet and cousin Mauna Kea, to the northwest rises to 13,796. A few minutes ago we were having lunch by the sea. Indeed, the tourist brochure says that here on the Big Island, eleven of the thirteen climates of the world can be found.

But it is spewing, smoky volcanic fumes that tell us we are close to Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes. Parked just above the Jaggar Museum lookout ~ you peek down into the vast caldera and the smaller crater where legend has it that Pele, the goddess of fire, lightning, dance, volcanoes and violence resides. Her ‘anger’ lives in the hot, fiery red lava that flows through the East Rift Zone down to the blue Pacific six miles away. It is a beautiful sight and smart visitors leave colorful leis or other gifts to appease her fury and might.

This is mother nature.

Big World, Big Problems

I drafted this some weeks ago for a meeting in Hawaii (someone has to do this job) in anticipation of being asked a question about issues facing international schools. My responses was to be based in part on the findings of John Littleford ~ see below. However, all this was before the meltdown in the financial markets which will surely add a few more problems for schools world-wide. The State of Hawaii announced two weeks ago (while we were there for the meeting) that it would be cutting $50m from its educational budget and eliminating some 150 teaching jobs before winter.

Once in awhile something arrives in the mail that is good ~ very good. And how often does it relate to your work or profession? Seldom ~ if ever.

So imagine my surprise some weeks ago when a mailing arrives (not an emailing but a postal mailing) that has nothing to do with buying another credit card but addresses the current issues in independent (US) and international education.

The author of the newsletter is none other than John Littleford, a well-known consultant who knows his way around the world of education. John spent much of last year talking to the Executive Directors of independent and international school associations and came up with a list of the most compelling issues facing schools now and in the future. Independent (US) schools and international schools have some common ground (and many differences, too).

Here’s John’s website if you want to get to know him and here are the results, too:

http://www.jlittleford.com/

1) Governance
2) Proprietary Owners
3) Head/Leadership Shortages
4) Recruiting Faculty (especially internationally)
5) Corporate models applied to schools (transferring the assumptions doesn’t work)
6) Increasing popularity and cost of the International Baccalaureate Program (IBO)
7) Assisting Board Chairs (positively in understanding their roles)
8) Weakening Dollar
9) Emerging Technologies
10) Safety & Security

A Birthday for the Blog

The Clermont Blog is one year old. That’s an achievement in self-discipline if nothing else.

The original intention was to practice some web 2.0 technology ~ a blog being the easiest way to interact with others in the spreading blogosphere.

Blogs come in different flavors, of course, and the Clermont was originally intended to be an edublog with a focus on international education (the area in which I have dabbled for 35+ years and the career which also pays me some money to engage my thoughts and experience). But the mind wanders and it is easy to write about travel, sports and literature.

There have been 85 posts or about 1.5 per week ~ and definitely slowing down these past few months. At the very least writing something each week keeps the pen sharpened and the mind thinking. My 7th grade English teacher would have been proud.

A few friends have sent along encouragement (thank you) and some strangers have added the odd comment (including someone else who has traveled to Medellin, Colombia and also loved the spotlessly clean metro there).

This summer I was going to add some bells and whistles but didn't achieve that goal. Where does the time go?

Alas, back to work (real work) and here’s a toast to the future of the interactive web.

CHEERS, dears.