Week 15 | 11/04/16 - 17/04/16
Cultural & Professional
My final week had already begun and on Monday morning when breakfast had ended, we went into our meeting room to plan exactly how the activity would go. Between the three of us, we decided that we would carry out activities throughout one entire day and that we would begin with cooking traditional dishes from home for all the students and staff at the school. We then decided that we would carry out dancing and painting in the afternoon during international day.
We made the most of our last week spending time with the students and Peter as much as we could. The people that I met in Kofoeds Skole were truly inspiring and I learned so much valuable information and gained so much experience during my time there. During lunch on Wednesday, I talked with an older man named Joe from New York and he told me his exciting story about how he used to be a sailor and that he stopped off in Ireland many times on his travels. This is just one example of an inspiring person I had the privilege of getting to know. We also talked with each of the teachers and the head master about our upcoming 'international day' and each of them told us how the ended up working in Kofoeds Skole.
As Thursday quickly arrived, we met at the school at 6.30am to start preparing pancakes for everyone for a different breakfast than usual. We decorated the main room and played music from all over the world and created a warm, welcoming atmosphere for both the staff and students. After breakfast had ended, we continued to play the music and began cooking in the kitchen preparing a starter from Romania, a main course from Ireland and a Slovenian dessert. The atmosphere was truly amazing throughout the entire day, and students and staff were coming and going to see what was going on. We explained when serving the lunch what each dish was and even though we took a chance, the lunch turned out to be a success!
'Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.' - T. S. Eliot
In the afternoon, we gathered in the bigger room for dancing and painting. The afternoon session is something I will never forget and I am so grateful that I could be a part of it. It was a great feeling to be a part of everything that was going on and it made all the planning and hard work worth while. We emphasised again that the activities were for fun and to include everyone through something different and many students, teachers and the three social workers joined the activities after lunch. Firstly, I taught line dancing and used Irish traditional music but first showing a clip of 'river dance', something that is part of my own culture. It was during this dance that I noticed a 'state of flow' for some students, which was exhilarating to see. Peter found it quite difficult to follow the steps, which created a hilariously warm, funny atmosphere, where both staff and students were laughing together and having fun. Cristina then taught a Romanian dance, which meant that you had to hold hands with a partner. This was particularly interesting as some of the students and staff found this difficult to do. This particular observation interested me as the student and social worker explained how they felt awkward having to hold hands as this isn't usual for Danes. However, eventually they let go of their worries and we carried out the dance all together. While we were dancing, Ana was painting with some students in the same room, who watched the dances and even hummed along to some of the songs (which was a big step for some particular students).
At the end of the day, we talked with some of the students who had participated in the activities and one lady said "you three have made a difference at the school". This was inspiring to hear as it made me feel that I had achieved my main personal goal which was, to make a difference. Another personal goal I feel that I achieved was being able to work with other adults in a fun and stimulating way. During the placement period, I feel I have developed more on a personal level and also in a professional way. Particularly professionally, I feel I now am more experienced in working with adults individually, with other teachers and with the social workers. This experience I will take with me and use throughout my life and I now feel more confident as a person when I will have to work with other professionals out in the field of work.
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| Happy with our end result! |
References -
Goble. FG et al (2004) the third force; the Psychology of Abraham Maslow. The estate of Abraham Maslow. Maurice Bassett publishing
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