Celebrate

I celebrate learning

One extra busy and unusual week is almost over. I have been away from home for almost a week. Someone else taught my class. My family took care of themselves. My week was a mixture of intensive learning and enjoyable tourist experiences.

In addition to PD discussions, group work and creating presentations I was lucky to visit two different schools in Amsterdam. 

One of the schools was a pre-vocational school. It is a school for students who after national testing at age of twelve are set on vocational track. In this particular school they had three options: fashion and design, business and computer science. I was gobsmacked to see that there was a classroom where 14 year olds could learn to be hair stylists. I visited a class where 15 year olds were creating their own media centers. I saw classrooms that looked traditional and I sat for a few hours in a class where the teacher was very forward thinking. He had dreams about change, support from the leadership and he had already taken action to give more ownership of learning to the students. This teacher spoke passionately about project-based learning; the importance of relationship building; the independence, freedom, choice and responsibility of learners; involving parents and the community. He is slowly inviting other teachers to experimetnt togehter with him and some are becoming his allies. He was an excellent example how one teacher can become an agent to change.

The second school was Montessori school with I-Pads. Montessori schools are known for their very hands on sensory methods. In this school all the traditonal Montessori activities were still present, but additionally they had includd modern technology. Sometimes schools with old traditions and well functioning methods may be reluctant to accept change. In this case the school had understood that rather than to fight reality of technology they can incorporate it from the start and still stay true to their values. This was a wonderful example how the school staff was working all together to discuss and decide how to proceed and how to solve problems and make sure the children got what was best for them.

Over and over during our discussions we found how important are common values, communication, collaboration, and trust in order to support the development of children. Since the onset of the course was focusing on the trends and sub trends that influnece the education systems in the changing world we kept discussing the challenges. Listing them all seemed scary but we finished with a positive note. Instead getting down by the challenges we could look at them as opportunities to problem solve and improve. 

I celebrate free time

In the past when I have been on a course in a foreign country the days have been filled to brim with the educational meetings with only little time left for seeing the city. I really appreciate that the organizers this time had included free time to explore the city. On Saturday I took an hour long boat ride on the canals, walked in old town and visited Anne Frank Museum. I don't like to say that you must go to this museum but I encourage you to not get afraid of the more than an hour long que, the experience of seeing the hiding place is worth it. Thumbs up and a big smile for the boat ride on the canals. On Wednesday I ventured to a KattenKabinet ( a cat museum) and Tassen Museum ( a bag museum.) I am not a big fan of cats nor bags but both places surprised me positively. 

On Friday afternoon after a course out of Amsterdam we rented bikes (recommended cultural experience) and ventured to a 19 kilometer trail. We drove past the fields and fields and fields of tulips, and some fields of daffodils and hyacints. Happines is riding a bike in a sunny spring weather, birds chirping, inhaling the fragrance of flowers, light breeze brushing away age, laughing together with friends in front and behind.

This morning I plan to visit Van Gogh Musem.

I loved my week but now I am ready to go home. I should get there by midnight.