Page 11 - ES MAG 2019

Maria Asvesta

How many years have you been teaching at the school and on our students who could now become targets of cyber-bullying,
what are the biggest changes you have seen in that time? extremism and fake news. Therefore, young people now require
I have been teaching at The English School for 27 years and 30 greater support from the school to face these challenges and a
years in total, having taught in London and at The Falcon School. new set of skills and competencies.
When I rst started to teach at The English School, in 1992, things
were very di erent to how they are now. Teachers had greater Finally, today there is more prescription regarding what constitutes
autonomy; there was a more relaxed atmosphere amongst the a “good” or “outstanding” lesson; teachers face rapidly changing
students and the sta , with generally less accountability and demands and must keep up to date with the latest technologies
less stress. Teachers and students appeared to be much happier and pedagogies. The key focus today appears to be on improving
than they are today as life was much simpler. The student body the level of attainment and the results of each learner. In the past,
was smart and con dent but there was little diversity in terms the teacher could be more intuitive in class and occasionally divert
of culture, religion, socio-economic group and ethnicity; and as from the subject matter to tackle a pressing issue. Interpersonal
a result, students were less exposed to the merits of diversity, relationships, addressing controversial issues, and building chara-
and generally less open-minded. As the years passed, the school cter, shared universal values and dispositions, risk being constrained
became more multicultural, and students enjoyed greater oppor- by an overemphasis on attainment. I would like to end with a
tunities to travel, further enhanced by the scale of globalisation; simple premise that we should always be wary of as educationa-
students began to have a more global outlook. lists, but also as ordinary people, “not everything that counts can
be measured and not everything that can be measured, counts”.
One of the most signi cant changes at the school, during my
time, was when the school re-enrolled Turkish Cypriot students How do you feel you have changed as a teacher throughout
in 2004, returning the school to its original status as a school for your career?
all communities and ethnicities. For me this was a pivotal moment I feel that I have become more patient, more willing to ‘really’
at the school and it brought some challenges regarding the inte- listen, and more exible over time. I am willing to give students
gration of the communities, but many immeasurable rewards the bene t of the doubt and multiple opportunities. I don’t give
and personal ful lment. up on a student and identify the uniqueness of each child, re ect
more on my practice and am far less judgemental than I used
Another signi cant change was the rapid pace of technological to be. These changes were a result of having had three children
advancement and the introduction of ICT, which permeated the of my own who passed through The English School, as well as
way the school operated and was managed. A teacher needed to my experience with leading Student Voice at the school for many
adapt to this new technology very fast, learn to use a computer, years. It was also a result of my training, interest, and postgrad-
email, the internet, power point, excel. Without mastering these uate study in Children’s Rights and Education for Democratic
basic skills, a teacher would not be able to survive. The advent Citizenship. I feel very strongly that we must be life-long learners
of the mobile and the internet also had a profound e ect on as educators and should focus more on promoting the wellbeing
the students, who were now exposed to both the positives and of all our students, and nurturing within them the skills of global,
negatives of this technology. Social media created many pressures democratic citizenship.

With former colleagues in the 1990s

With members of the Student Council