As June is slowly but firmly approaching, i can’t help looking back on this academic year that has simply slipped away faster than usual. IES Deulofeu in Figueres has been quite a challenging human experience for me, more than academic really. I had low levels this year so I could in a way relax in terms of homework correction and class preparations but I had other tasks to focus on. This school has been going on for 27 years and some of the teachers have been there from the start. That naturally speaks itself for experience, management, long term friendships and loyalty and so on. I had the feeling of entering a well established community of teaching and learning where I could learn a lot. And so it has been. Most of my colleagues are over 50 and have already been there, everywhere. They have long past the time for unhealthy competition, envy, results, acknowledgement… they’ve had it. it was encouraging to see the dignity of their final years, their engagement with everyday tasks, their savoir faire… i would like to picture myself in this way in 30 years time…
Thanks to my colleague Cathy i’ve take part in an exchange programme with Germany and in a Comenius with Hungary, Germany and Poland, visiting Hungary in May. Professionally very rewarding and a highly recommendable experience.
As usual, some of my students were excellent, some were ok and some were poor students. I’ve learnt from all of them, and I realize more and more that teaching involves first a human relationship of mutual respect and trust and after come the contents… whatever these are. Authority is no longer feared, looked up to, badly needed. Quite the contrary. It is often put into question and challenged. Authority from a teacher emanates from respect but not in a very strict, unflexible, violent, threatening way but cooperative, firm, kind manner for most of the students. Some have different pathologies which need special treatment (psychological, medical, law…) yet there are very few who do not respond to the warming-treatment, affection and attention. We all like to be cared for, don’t we?