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How we see ourselves, how we describe ourselves reveals a great deal about how we see 'others'. In May of this year, speaking to the audience of the International Conference on Thinking, Bruno Della Chiesa invited us to consider how we might approach the question of "who we are?". In responding to such a question, what list of affiliations do we invoke to define ourselves?

Cyber bullying is insidious and it looks as though it's here to stay. The challenge for parents and teachers is to work out how to educate young people about empathy and resilience.

We need interventions that focus on building empathy, identifying escalation, and techniques for stopping the cycles of abuse.

I DON'T think I am a very good teacher, but I try. Some of my students think I am but I don't trust their small experience. Some adults think I am but they've never been in my classes. Frankly, I'm not absolutely sure what a good teacher is. The descriptors are vague anyway: ''has empathy'', ''knows the subject'', ''inspires'' - the more you think about such things the faster they turn to quicksand.

One of the key ways by which we make sense of our world is by analysing the stories that we and others use to describe it. These stories are a construct of our experiences, our beliefs, our cultural perspectives and the interactions between these things. Even when the context in which the story is set is the same, the details and nature of the story that particular individuals or collective share can differ vastly. Only by listening to each story with empathy and genuine desire to understand each individual's telling of this story do we develop true insights. Making sense of the stories of education should be a key process for all educators.

It is difficult to have not noticed that the Presidential Election in the United States of America has been somewhat controversial. The same conclusion can be drawn about 'Brexit'. The implications of these events will keep historians, political analysts and indeed educators busy for many years. Regardless of your political leanings there are genuine implications for educators in these events and a considered response now and in the coming months (even years) will be required. 

We have to find a way to make schools healthier places.

It is almost precisely eighteen years since Donald Rumsfeld uttered his now well-regarded commentary on the danger of "unknown unknowns". At the time his remarks brought more confusion than clarity and reinforced for many a belief that politicians use words to conceal the truth. Somehow though, Donald's words from 2002 seem to fit the world of today, and the challenges confronting educators all too well.