ABSTRACT
With the 21st century underway, rapid change is the hallmark in all modes of human endeavor. The economist Eamonn Kelly describes how the world is “increasingly messy, complex and interconnected”: and that we are now living in a “change of age” that will “demand an openness of mind and an openness of heart that do not come readily” (2006, p. x.). Given these challenges of modern life, then, how do early childhood educators help young children grow up to be adaptable and productive contributors to such a turbulent world? The concept of a Protean self, as predicated on Proteus, the Greek sea god of many forms (Lifton, 1993) who is able to adapt readily to a rapidly changing context, while still being able to maintain an internal sense of direction, may offer a helpful metaphor to express these necessary human qualities.
