The Comenius project was a wonderful experience for the students. It was rich, colourful, deep and meaningful. Something which stimulated and built self esteem. These experiences are what will give students a passion for life and a passion for life long learning. To stay in a classroom and turn a small wheel in the mind in a very predictable way is not enough anymore. Now you must learn with the totality of your being – emotionally, socially, culturally, morally (even physically given that these experiences require more effort than sitting at a desk) as well as with the intellect. Scholastic preparation is essential. But we must remember that that’s all it is, a preparation for real experiences where you have to really use foreign languages naturally and exchange cultural ideas, opinions and present something you’ve created to strangers. In a world where distance and time is becoming meaningless, an expansive, open mentality and the development of a dynamic human network which crosses borders is essential to the success and development of individuals as well as societies. So this project was a taste of what the students will need to do in the future. They more than rose to the challenge this time round, revealing sides to them the teachers had never seen. This has been commented on considerably. As for the school, we were pioneers in teaching languages and organising exchanges. Now we need to turn the wheel further and bring education closer to real life, connecting it further with emotion and experiences. Then we will have done for education what the impressionists had done for traditional art one hundred and fifty years ago.
Justin Demazia