The Value of Community

The Dragon Fountain (Courtesy of Agus Irwanan)

So much has happened since I last wrote in this blog. Before I revive it fully, I want to acknowledge a moment in my professional journey that has had a significant impact on my growth as a person, and as a leader.

There is no intention on my part to go into details, as the unjust situation our school has suffered, continues to go on. I rather focus on what I believe has been a determining factor in our survival. The crisis, and the associated stress and agony, brought us closer, made us stronger, and showed us and those who watched from near and far, the value of community.

With the help of SACAC counselors and loved ones, our community became a family. We learned about ourselves, we encouraged one another to focus on our raison d’etre (teaching), and we reminded one another that as hard as our own individual experience of the crisis felt to each of us, there were others who were significantly more impacted than we were.

A year and eight months after,  and still waiting to see final outcomes of ongoing legal processes, one thing is clear: the incredibly committed, resilient faculty and staff at our school made it possible for us to come out of the storm, with our heads held high and our spirits unbeaten. Without the hard work from each of our JIS family members (faculty, host country staff, parents and students) and the undeniably strong Dragon Spirit, we would not have come out of this most challenging time in our school’s history, with our integrity intact and our strength rejuvenated.

And so with this short piece, I honor the multitude of people, here and beyond,  who stood with us through it all, allowing us to feel the pride, the love, and the power of what is means to be a community… Dragon Strong!