Editorial

Education has become an unusual boom within the policy areas of many of the countries, whether they are or not industrialized, developed or developing. Much of the present rulers indicate that it is the way to a new society, the path toward development as well as the key strategy for the competitiveness and many other ideas.

And they are right. Education is the most powerful weapon available to the human being and as any weapon it can be used for good or for evil. It is no a secret that Education can perpetuate ideologies that have sparked wars between brothers and sisters, that have converted human beings into slaves of the most powerful people, conglomerates or industries. But also, it can be the door of the liberation of men and women with critical thinking, able to coexist peacefully with the differences, managers of their own destiny, builders of societies equitable and respectful of the environment, in the end human beings more human.

However, to achieve this, a change is needed in teachers and fathers and mothers. In the first place the mothers and fathers, who have as obligation the formation of their sons and daughters as responsible and active citizens, who have the ability to transform their social environment, and then, accompanying on this action, the teachers who are obliged not only to provide instruction, but also to educate in values to those children and adolescents.

In this arduous task, teachers must be prepared to show their students the opportunities offered to them by knowledge, but to do this they must teach to access that knowledge. And

for that this teaching is effective, the teachers have to become researchers of their practice, thinking about it and comparing it with theories on education proposals. Only in this way, they are able to meet the challenges imposed by the current society.

Since 15 years ago, our magazine Zona Próxima has sought to be (and we believe that in part is what we have achieved) in a space of dissemination, discussion and reflection on the educational activities in all areas of knowledge. In the beginning, it was a very hard work because in our environment there did not exist the culture of academic writing. The publication of each issue was a titanic work, arriving very few contributions. Today, on the contrary,we receive many contributions of colleagues, not only from Latin America but from other places, who want to share with our readers their educational experiences, their research in education and their reflections on topics such as reading, early childhood education, the use of ICT in education, among others.

This situation makes us happy because it is evidence of an awakening of the teachers who increasingly want to impart to our profession a scientific nature, but without straying from humanism which, we believe, must always permeate education.

Thanks to you, readers, as well as the people who have collaborated with their writings in these years, as have been the support that had allowed us to stay in this fight, and so issue for this number 22 of Zona Próxima.

Jorge Mizuno
Francisco Moreno