She herself does not limit herself to the traditional approach to children’s education and educational program: she constantly takes students to exhibitions, theaters, museums, invites them to meetings with various experts, takes them on trips outside Vilnius, organizes projects in order to develop their cultural, citizenship competencies, and linguistic abilities.
It is important to accept what happens
Teacher I. Tumosienė has been working at the school for the past five years, before that she worked in a preschool education institution for four more years.
According to her, the time spent working with children flew by quickly: it seems that not long ago, her students were fifth graders, and soon they will graduate from the first grade of high school.
When asked what motivates her the most during these almost 10 years in the education system, Indrė is open: it is faith in the meaning of this work – that she contributes to the education of the new generation of honest, creative, strong in values.
“I will not hide that there are demotivating days in the daily work of a teacher. When speaking publicly about the work of a teacher, we are usually encouraged to emphasize the advantages of this work, to talk about the meaning, the work we are proud of, but we often hide the emotionally difficult moments that are inevitable in our work.
Sometimes it just seems that what you do on behalf of the children does not seem relevant or useful to some of the children. At certain moments, it seems that maybe you don’t interest them enough, especially if you don’t get the kind of feedback you expected,” admits I. Tumosienė.
After such thoughts, she tends to rethink and reflect on her experience. This usually helps to turn demotivating things into motivation: it’s just important to look at everything realistically, without rose-colored glasses that can break painfully, understand who you are working with, for what, and accept what happens.
“When a beginning young teacher comes to school, he still has a lot of idealism to create something incredibly great, in other words, he is determined to move mountains – he believes that he will immediately interest, involve, teach, motivate students.
But in reality, they come across teenagers who don’t seem to need that information at that time – perhaps the most important thing for them at that time is the recognition of their friends, maybe they want adults to leave them alone.
In this case, reflection and the understanding that you don’t have to create a miracle that will shine right away, you won’t make all your lessons extremely interesting, relevant and simply wonderful, will save you. Perhaps it is enough to create an opportunity for students to learn.
And it’s possible that this opportunity will become more relevant to them later in life – students will go back to what you showed them and rethink. Today, thanks to you, the foundation will be laid for their opinion, self-discovery, understanding of what is important to them, what they like, what they don’t like, what is interesting, what is not interesting”, – the interlocutor is confident.
There is no quick result
Lithuanian language teacher I. Tumosienė says that it is quite normal if a student says that he does not like visiting theaters, museums, or reading books. People’s interests cannot be the same.
However, he believes that a teacher, especially a Lithuanian, is the person who can show cultural life. It’s not uncommon for people to say they don’t like museums, even though they haven’t even been there, or it’s been a long time ago and they don’t even remember that experience well: “I would like my student, if he says he doesn’t like museums, to at least know what he doesn’t like. And now, when there is an abundance of inclusive education, even students who were skeptical before that leave museums having learned this and not at all disappointed.”
“The work of a teacher, when you try to get children interested in something, may not give a quick and desired result here and now,” notes Indrė.
– Perhaps in the future they will rethink the questions we are discussing today, the experience they gained today in a museum, theater or on an outing.
Even what seems uninteresting to them today can become arguments on which they can rely and defend their point of view and opinion in the future.”
Guided by three core values
I. Tumosienė singles out three basic things in children’s education. First of all, the values of humanism: it teaches children to be humane, tolerant and respectful towards each other.
Citizenship is also important to her – many of her activities with students are based on this.
And the third is cultural competence. The teacher hopes that, in the best case, the students will finish school with cultural and literary knowledge for their age or at least familiarity with literature and culture.
“My goal is to introduce them to it while they are still students, and in the future, as I said before, they will choose for themselves whether it is interesting, relevant or not. It is their right to choose.
Based on these three basic values, I choose excursions with the students that reflect these values: various historical places, museums, important historical monuments, cultural objects. For example, at the end of the last school year, with the ninth graders, we visited the Druskininkai Museum of Resistance and Exile, the partisan bunkers, we went to the monument to Adolf Ramanauskas-Vanagas in Merkinė, the hill of crosses dedicated to the partisans.
After finishing the school year with my ten-year-olds, we went to the same region, only we walked and discussed more about the 20th century. difficult situation, we visited Grūtas Park, in Merkinė we visited places related not only to the partisan war, but also to the Holocaust”, said I. Tumosienė.
According to her, children react in different ways when visiting such places – some find it very interesting, others may find it not so close and familiar.
“I value trips for the opportunity to see, find out, get to know and learn, and communicate. Modern young people often do not know the meaning of many historicisms or archaisms when reading classical literature.
Of course, everything can be explained by a teacher or a dictionary, but it is much more efficient to go to an authentic traditional farmhouse, bake bread, familiarize yourself with all the tools, and go around the farm buildings, which are often no longer present in the modern village.
When we are away, I try to make sure that we have quality time to chat with each other, go for a walk in nature, have lunch at the campsite, play games, swing on the swing, go for a ride on the ice rink, visit an exhibition, get to know each other.
I want to give them quality time for communication and contact with each other – I see them livelier, friendlier, more open, more curious and more motivated on trips. Having fun together strengthens friendship, they bring these positive emotions to school, which is also necessary,” she has no doubts.
We have to look for reinforcements from the country
In Indre’s opinion, a teacher working at a school has to accept the fact that he cannot be a perfect specialist in all areas and that he will not be an authority for children in all areas.
Sometimes you have to look for reinforcement – experts in a certain field who would share their experience, present their field, give advice.
“It is very important for me that children understand that in order to achieve something and improve, they will have to work hard and put in effort.
Learning, accounting, cultural awareness are some of the essential things to move forward. A teacher sharing such advice may sound like a boring preacher to students, but it is critically important to talk about it.
I invite specialists from various fields to the school for interviews so that they share their experience, inspire and motivate. These are various people from the world of culture, sports and science.
Other people’s point of view, life experience, career path open a wider view of life and the world.
This is how the teacher grows his authority in the eyes of the students – by showing that he is the same as him, the student, that is, also searching, curious, learning and growing”, I. Tumosienė shares her experience.
She claims that she respects the independent thinking of students, but does not shy away from expressing her position. This is how discussions, and sometimes disputes, are born: “The student has the right to evaluate certain things in his own way, according to his experience, perception, world view.
If you reacted too emotionally to something, made a wrong decision, it is important to learn to admit your mistakes and apologize, admit it in front of the students.
If you are a teacher who caricaturely bangs his fist on the desk, provokes resistance from teenagers and stirs up conflict, they will not look at you as an authority figure.
Therefore, it is extremely important to learn to negotiate, discuss, and show your humanity. It is important to understand that you can respect each other and learn and improve together.”
I. Tumosienė says that she not only teaches children herself, but also learns a lot from them. Through the relationship with the students, she sees and knows herself more – certain considerations lead to change.
She calls her work as a class leader the most expensive and most difficult job of hers. Although it is full of challenges, it also has great lasting value.
Feedback received from parents and children is very valuable and motivating. Raising children is one of those experiences that matures a person, because first of all you grow and educate yourself.
“We, adults, cannot give children what we do not have ourselves,” the interlocutor is convinced. – If we don’t have some values, we won’t instill them in children. I talk a lot with children about conscious citizenship, humanism, because I believe in it myself. And I don’t just believe it, I show it – they have to see it in me in order to accept it.
If I talk about how important it is to be a conscious citizen, but then come to the classroom and tell the kids that I’m too lazy to go vote in the elections, then my speech will be worthless.
If I tell them how important it is to read books, and when a student who has read a book comes to me and wants to discuss with me, he will see that there is no one to discuss with, because I don’t read books myself, then what kind of teacher’s contribution to children’s education could we talk about? Children’s education begins with self-education.”
Tags: VDU lecturer reminds important children exhibitions Life
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