Senza Zaino nell'esperienza di un'insegnante inglese

Queste righe sono di Emma Pathare che è un'insegnante inglese che attualmente lavora al Dubai Women's College e che è autrice insieme al marito Gary di testi scolastici per imparare la lingua inglese (Pathare, E. & Pathare, G. (2012). New Headway Plus Elementary Writing Support CD-ROM. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, Pathare, E. & Pathare, G. (2012). New Headway Plus Intermediate Writing Support CD-ROM. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, Pathare, E. & Pathare G. (2011) Headway Academic Skills: Listening, Speaking and Study Skills, Level 1. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press).

Emma e Gary hanno passato un anno sabbatico in Italia, a Lucca e hanno iscritto i loro figli Esme e Jay in una scuola che segue il modello Senza Zaino (Lucca, S. Vito).  Queste sono le sue considerazioni sull'esperienza scolastica dei figli.

We are both from England and are teachers with Masters in Education and many years of experience in the field of education. In 2009, we decided to leave Dubai and spend a year in Italy. We have two children, Jay, a boy then aged 9 and Esme, a girl aged 6, and part of our reason for taking time out of our regular work in colleges in Dubai was to give them the opportunity to experience life in Europe. As educators, we were anxious that their learning experience was positive, although we did not expect it to be as fruitful as it proved.

Esme had previously studied to grade K2 (British Curriculum Year 1) in an International Baccalaureate school in Dubai, while Jay had been at a British Curriculum School, completing Year 4. As part of our plan, we decided that they should go to a local Italian school rather than to an international school, mainly so they would acquire the language and culture, and make local friends.

We feel extremely lucky that we happened to choose San Vito school. In fact, it was not a complete accident, as someone in a similar position to us had recommended it, but nevertheless the fact that such a school was an option was very fortunate. We were also lucky to meet Mr Marco Orsi, who explained the schools radical programme, ‘without rucksack’. This appealed to us greatly, as our own experience and knowledge supports such an ethos.

Our children had a wonderful year in the school, during which they were able to integrate with fellow students and the community. They never felt uncomfortable despite the language difference, and within a few weeks were able to learn effectively. We think that this was in large part due to the way in which the school has generated a focus on learning rather than teaching, learners rather than rules, and community rather than individuals. We found the teachers supportive and friendly, and the pupils interested and accepting.

We would certainly recommend this or similar schools to anyone in our situation. The learning experience our children gained was rich both in educational content and social development, and their memories of school in Italy are extremely happy.  We hope that such schools and projects are supported in the future, and thank the professionals, particularly Marco Orsi and Claudia, Monica, Simonetta and Veronica (our children’s teachers), who were responsible for the positive outcome to our adventure.

Emma.