I was asked to think about strengths and weaknesses of the year, just like Crónica, TN and other channels do at the end of the year. There are thousands of moments that can be considered strong or weak enough to be mentioned in this post. Maybe I rather choose things that I want to do or have again next year and things from which I have learnt so as not to repeat them.
And now that I come to think again, at this time of the year, it sounds like a Christmas wish or plead to Santa!! I know I will have it, but I want to insist on this, just in case! I want to work with Clau again. That has been my strength this year, my support when I felt I was falling to pieces. So practical, she always has the exact words to make you feel better after the Tsunami. Always willing to work, always willing to make changes and to make things more interesting and funnier. She led me through the tangled world of 6th form, full of extra activities and responsibilities. I think we became a good team, with lots of ideas and open to suggestions.
Now, regarding the things I consider that I need to change for next year, I must mention first “communication” in general. Communication at school is not flowing fluently all the time. We are lacking moments in which we can sit down and reflect upon our work throughout the year. Fridays are not enough and the focus of our attention gets diverted to other aspects which are also important but may not be fundamental. I think we need to tackle obstacles when they occur, not at the end of the year when nothing can be done. We need to talk things over collaboratively, so as to find solutions to situations as a team. If I am to be specific, I’m referring to parent’s meetings. I take responsibility for the communication that failed between parents and me. I am responsible for the misunderstandings that occurred for things that I took for granted. Yet, the amount of things we are asked to bear in mind during the year is overwhelming if we consider the little time for reflection we have.
This year has been a hard one for me, as I couldn’t reach the main objective: help students work their differences out, help them develop empathy for others. I know I failed. Today I came across a blog post which mentioned the 4 principles which should be present in the XXI century education: learning to know, learning to do, learning to be, learning to live together. (Delors, 1996). I feel I could develop the first two, but I couldn’t accomplish anything valuable regarding the other two. Thus, these four pillars will be taken into consideration when planning lessons next year.
Delors, Jaques et al. (1996). "The Four Pillars of Education". Unesco. Retrieved 17/12/2015 from:
http://www.uni-kassel.de/wz1/mahe/course/module4_1/01_delors96.pdf
Clau & you make an excellent team!
ReplyDeleteAlthough its true that your group couldnt accomplish the ''learning to be' & (most importantly) the ''learning to live together', i dont agree on the fact that it was tour fault, since you were more than successful with these issues with previous groups. Hope these sts become aware of their flaws and also take them un consideration when planning their year
I know how you feel about he aspects you could not achieve as expected, however you should be pleased by understanding you have done the best you could, and this is connected to the message I passed on my speech: you should be pleased with the results you have achived provided you have done your best and there is no doubt you have worked a lot!! I like the principals you have selected to consider as a basis for next year.
ReplyDeleteDai,I love reading your reflections!!! I always learn a lot from you and on top of everything you include a pinch of good humour!!!! I know you have had a long hard year concerning work and academic aspects but don´t be depressed aabout it because you did your best and you always try to look for new solutions and options. You will have a WONDERFUL 2016, I´m sure.
ReplyDelete