Dear all,
Finally I am writing a report of my (of our!) days in Odense.
It was a very enhancing experience for me, full of thousand shades. I am very grateful to have been there!
I would like to tell you my point of view using two metaphors: I love talking in metaphors, I think they are excellent tools to describe the reality, especially the more personal reality.
The first metaphor: the meeting as a set of landscapes.
It was the first time, for me, to attend a transnational meeting. It was beautiful, in the course of hours, day by day, to focus on the names, the faces, the particularities of each of you, of each of your country became clear to me. I found exciting to be able to get an idea of​​the different landscapes present, like when we are visiting a metropolitan city, composed by many different quarters. The Irish (great energy and leadership); the Finnish (great warmth and great ideas, despite the hard temperatures); the Swedish (great professionalism and participation); the Danish (excellent teamwork, enviable management skills); the Portuguese (great desire to get involved and hospitality); the Spanish (full of great humour and seriousness); the French (great humility and initiatives at the same time). About the Italian: Shall you tell us?!
I really loved comparing myself with you; you have allowed me to look into your school and into your cultural realities. The digital theme was the common word and became the prospective through studying and talking about other topics. What I have enjoyed much, in fact, is this: we have deepened into the digital innovation not only in terms of quantity (how many tablet or laptop per student? How many of didactic projects 2.0?), but also of quality (how to use them? With which age group? In which way to promote them?). We thought not only on what we should use, but also on how we should use it! I think that this is the most serious thing that a common table of teachers and principals can do together.
The second metaphor: the bridge.
I will borrow this metaphor from our visit to the secret place: the bridge connecting the mainland with Zealand (what a great experience!). I think that it is an excellent image to describe the architecture of our meeting. The meeting had two faces, one of the partners and one of the participants. It was very nice to see how the work of the teachers was mixing in the work of leaders. In everyday life, teachers are those who walk along the educational path inside (like us, inside the bridge, in a kind of marathon!). The success of the training allows us to see the sea, the swans, and the beauty of our work with the children. Leaders are those who cultivate the high view of the actions. Their task is to observe the path from above and drive it giving good directions. If they are good, maybe, they will see the sea from 250 m high (like us on the terrace, after the endless elevator ride!). For me it was very nice to be able to compare my ideas with the teachers, and with the principals. Both of them taught to me a lot, but in different ways.
So, to conclude, what do I bring home without metaphors? A wonderful experience for my professional growth. The possibility to touch your motivation, when you are performing your work (see the other’s motivation is a great way to feed ours!). A lesson about how principals and teachers can work together for a common purpose. Then, the real substance of the event: many concrete ideas, from the simplest to the most challenging, to spread the use of digital in our schools and to practice citizenship.
I cannot wait to see you again.