We decided to meet at the St. Paul’s metro station located in the oldest part of Paris peppered with huge villas from the pre French revolution era. Jon suggested an old French restaurant situated in the middle of a large square. Following lunch we ventured to the surrounding streets to get a glimpse of old Paris and several big villas that had been converted to museums. It was a lovely afternoon; but what made the experience greater was the fact that right through the lunch and the excursion that followed, Jon was talking about Janusz Korczak a Polish Jew probably the only ‘Martyr’ in the field of education and his philosophy in education. I was inspired by his life and the way he handled children. It is sad but true that most of us in India have never even heard of him and his contribution to education.

Right there I decided that Mentor should dedicate a section to the ‘Legends of Education’ and bring forth their philosophy, pedagogy, experience and learning. How often have we heard of terms like ‘Experiential Learning’, ‘Project Learning’, ‘Learning through Choices’ and used these methods and practices in our schools and in our training without even knowing how and where they originated, their core philosophy and meaning in the larger sense of life. Starting this month Mentor will feature a new segment titled ‘Legends of Education’ that will bring alive the life and works of great men and women who have left an indelible mark in the educational arena and added value to generations of learners across the globe.

It is the beginning of a new academic year and we have been working overtime to bring a lot of newness and excitement to our Mentor Family. Mentor comes to you with a new look and new design and it features new sections all aimed at making your reading experience more meaningful. Candid Melee is being merged with the Have Your Say section and it will feature questions from Educators being answered by Educators. Just feel free to write to us on any question or query that you need an input from another educator and we will find suitable educators to respond to your queries. This section will bring in a lot more interactivity between our readers. Infact that is the direction we are taking this year to ensure that ‘Educators are Connected’, keep reading Mentor and very soon you will realize that we will enable all educators to connect, learn and share!