On the borders of aloneness.

I believe that education is a vocation.

That I work in the service of others; for the betterment of society, and by extension the world.

Lofty, I know, but it is this belief that makes the work so richly rewarding, the days so manageable, the future so hopeful.

Yet I wonder as I watch education evolve, if I will soon be marooned on an island of misfits - those who valued service over self, those who valued empathy over ego - cast adrift by the commodification of learning, and criticised for clasping at the last vestige of what education truly was - the greatest equalizer of all.

With some quarter of a century spent in education, perhaps my idealistic notion of what it should actually be is coming into direct conflict with the chaos of a world that cares more about possession than purpose.

For the sake of clarity, I am not a service provider; service as I know it, and live it, means I find fulfillment in the success of others, I find strength in supporting others, and I find spirit in the stories of others.

There are brilliant educational thought leaders of our time, but I find few speak to the soul, few speak to service and the powerful interconnectivity of both; particularly in education.

We design frameworks, build pyramids, draw pictures and test hypotheses and while all have their place, we must not negate that at the centre of all of this thinking lies - the moral imperative.

I do not, nor will I ever, have work/life balance.

I have one life; and at its centre my purpose.

We are all searching for something, but I do worry, in our haste, that our search may be skewed by that which education (like politics) does not need - ego.

I had not heard of Freda Bedi until the brilliant Shirley Blair gently placed her story in my hands, and in reading her journey I came to learn of the absolute power of purpose in all of our lives.

Of that which can be achieved by so many, with so little.

It quite simply reinforced, that I should be content to be on my island of misfits; if my mission matters more to me than material gain.

On the borders of aloneness, Freda espoused, 'there comes another feeling, of being given the strength to carry on, of not being alone anymore.'

I know that like me, there are vocationalists the world over, who see what is happening in education, and will work harder to bring it back to the rightful place of empathy and of equality.

There is something so very awesome about sitting on the border of aloneness, I quite like it here.