Lessons From People

1. Bobby Hart

1.1. Bobby taught me so much and I will forever be grateful for him.

1.1.1. He taught me confidence, and bravery. He gave me a million chances and built me up at every opportunity.

1.1.2. He taught me that life has a million paths and that it was okay to fail. He gave me insight into his own journey of becoming a teacher and shared how his failings only made him better and he encouraged students and me everyday to do the same. To go out and try and if it doesn't work out, to go find something else that does.

1.1.3. Bobby taught me about the behind the scenes of MYP. How a curriculum is build and all the things you truly need to be thinking about.

1.1.4. He taught me how to create a safe environment within the classroom. One that allows me to both be the teacher and give the support to students on a social and emotional level.

1.1.4.1. Bobby made me feel like I could do the job. And that is a feeling a will forever be grateful that he sparked.

2. IES Companions

2.1. To the people who I travled with, I learned so much. I learned a million different perspectives and what it was like to collaborate and produce something meaningful in real time with others. I learned what a support system of teachers can do in a school environment, and I learned the importance of having friends and people who relate and who you can talk to when your half way around the world and everything seems new and terrifying. I couldn't have asked for better people to be on this journey with!

3. Taso Notaras

3.1. Taso taught me the benefits of confrontation, and fo fighting for what I believe even if its not the schools normal. It was Taso who often showed me what to look out for when it came to problems within the school and its was also him that told me of the progress made, and most importantly that progress could be made.

3.2. Taso also suprisingly taught me about admistration and hiring. He showed me what it was like for those on the flip side, what they are reading on your resumé, what they are really looking for in an interview. He even had me do a mock examination, looking through three candadites that he was about to interview, to see if I could understand and see what he and the principle Marc were seeing.

4. Book Club Students

4.1. These students were some of the most welcoming kids I ever met. They stayed after school and they enjoyed watching movies and reading books.

4.2. This was a non formal educational space in which I learned much from the kids perspectives. I learned what it was like to move around the world so much, and to make friends with kids twice your age because you are all at the same school.

4.3. I learned the power of finding one teacher (or librarian) that you connected to. So in a school so wonderous you felt very special.

4.3.1. These kids showed me great kindness and opened up this safe space for me to infiltrate. In doing so they taught me what it was like to be student in an international school like this.

5. Year 3 Students

5.1. The year three students taught me fun. From sleepovers at the school, to gym class games that they always dragged me into playing with them. These young kids reminded me that what I was doing was supposed to be fun. I always wanted to be a teacher, but sometimes the stress of being perfect at the job clouds the fact that I love the job and am supposed to and allowed to have fun doing the job.

5.1.1. Being fun and having fun is not a weakness, but a great strength.

6. Year 6 Students

6.1. There were a few lessons learned in this class some more personal and some a little comical.

6.1.1. I learned just how important it is to take the time to bond with students. Due to my busy schedule and the fact that Jill was also in this classroom I did not have a lot of time to just bond with the students, rather I just jumped (or rather was shoved) right into teacher mode. While some kids were fine with this and adapted quickly, during my one on one time with some of them I learned a lot of the class was actually quite scared of me. Now I'm not sure I should admit this but in order to rectify this situation I ended up using a lot of my one on one meetings with students to bond with them. This made the rest of my time in their class a lot more enjoyable for everyone.

6.1.2. I experienced and learned How hard this job could be. I learned that I couldn't help everyone and that it was going to hurt a lot when I couldn't

6.1.2.1. To this point I also was told by Kevin the year 3 teacher, through Bea that I needed to find a way to detach, because as harsh at that sounds, if I kept up what I was doing I was going to burn myself out.

6.1.2.2. I learned how hard it is to be in a school that does not always match up with your cultural beliefs and how hard it is to accept that this might mean you cannot help.

6.1.2.2.1. All of this I learned because of one student, who I will never forget. That broke down to me in a moment of vulnerability, but who I could not help because of his parents cultural beliefs.