* Christopher Clouder

Christopher Clouder is a freelance and internationally renowned author, teacher, campaigner, speaker and expert on Social and Emotional Education, Creativity and Innovation in Education, Steiner Education, as well as many other educational and cultural subjects. He is a member of the Community of Learning for Well-being. –> www.christopherclouder.com
 

tekst…

* Scherto Gill

Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace –> www.ghfp.org
Dr Scherto Gill is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Sussex’s Department of Education. She teaches on both Masters’ and Doctoral programmes.

‘It has been a wonderfull to be here these last two days. What really impressed me was the design of the program. It is the contrary of most conferences. We look at the very grounded life world of students and teachers. From there we look at the interactions, relationships in schools. How can the teachers be trained? What kind of leadership is necessary? And we look at the research’s contribution to education.’

* Wahid Jubran

Teacher educator in Palestina – Deputy Chief Education Programe – UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East).
 

‘I feel privileged to be here in this learning event. There are a lot of ideas that unfolds from shared experiences with colleagues that I want to transfer to my country. For example being together. Discussing or debating is not usual in my country. One other thing is to see that video can be a tool, a media that can be used in practicing teachers education.’
 

* John Rizzo

Teacher/consultant, after having successfully sold my company, I switched my career path helping schools to transform themselves. During that quest, I taught in primary schools and helped many non profit organizations. From that experience, I created a couple of web sites and a book.

The people I met here bring a story, they reinforce what I believed or on the contrary they challenge what I thought. The main added value was the mix with videos, then you can listen and talk with very smart people. It is more than networking. I am happy to have new knowledge and perspectives.
 

* Clara Aerts

Member of coordinating group of IASWECE – International Association for Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Education. –> www.iaswece.org

‘What inspired me is what Tone Saevi – the professor from Norway – said about relationship. It’s not just something between you and me, but it is something that is bestowed like a promise, like a grace. She also refered to the fact that there is always something that doesn’t reveal itself from ourselves. A hidden potential, a uniqueness that makes the difference between you and me. That is something you can not aim for to educate, or to train. It’s linked to one other thing I heard and that says: that as long as we aim for a norm to reach in education, we do not trust that the children come into the relationship with a certain individual potential and an inner diversity. We might put that in danger or limit that potential.’
 

* Elise Sijthoff

Journalist at Childrens International Press Centre, Amsterdam/Brussel.
Children have the right to know. let’s try to facilitate them to find their main influencers. www.ChildPressCentre.org
 

‘I loved to be here because never before have I seen so many experts together spending two days listening to each other, practicing dialogue to get a shared thinking. I especialy remembered the professor from Belgium – Ferre Laevers – who was saying that we need to bring reality into the classroom. The reality of daily life of the children, the news they get everyday. For that we need to support the teachers that have to deal with this reality.’
 

* Albert Hennipman

Albert Hennipman is a designer and illustrator, as well as a teacher at Utrecht Art School (HKU). www.de-ruimte-ontwerpers.nl

‘As a teacher, the conference reminded me of the importance of sitting on the hands (doing nothing) and taking a step back. Pointing to things that children look at in the world and in what direction or what area they want to go in.’
 

* José Hofman & Manal Benaissa

José is policymaker at BOOR (Rotterdam). www.stichtingboor.nl
Manal Benaissa is vice-principal at OBS De Boog, a primaryschool in Rotterdam. www.obsdeboog.nl
 

‘The main thing I have heard during the last day is while being a leader (as a teacher, a school leader), you can learn by sharing your questions, showing your doubts and your vulnerability. By this you create a confident network around you and you can earn and work together.’
 

‘What I take with me is the narrative. You take yourself as a human, with your own vulnerability, in the school, in the relationship with the children, the parents and with other teachers. Then you make a real connection.’
 

* Hans Bakker

Teacher educator, lector of Hogeschool in Ede, Netherlands. www.che.nl
 

‘It is a very nice conference. What touched me the most are the videos and to see the practical development in schools. What is important for me is to have a shared vision in schools and to bring a « learning by heart. I learned by heart these two days and I bring that home.’
 

* Gérard Zeegers

Was for almost 20 years principal of two primary schools in Boxtel, Netherlands. Nowadays he is a consultant. www.bijzonderwijs.org

‘The well-being has been a theme for me for nearly 25 years in my school and in my personal life. The next step is doing actively nothing sometimes for a while. Waiting, listening, waiting…..and doing nothing…..being silent. It will give the other the opportunity to frame his/her own answers not guided by my questions. Let the other come, and come and come, just in my presence.’
 

* Dominique Paquot

Teacher in a primary school for twenty years. Now director for six years of an alternative, active and integrative school in Brussels, l’Ecole Singelijn. www.ecolesingelijn.be
 

‘The school places the children at the center of its cognitive lessons but also in social activity. We could summarize my school in three words

• giving sense to what the children do, based on their interests
• letting the children being actors (different from active) which means that they construct their knowledge by themselves
• cooperation (in stead of competition) with the teachers and the others students.

What interested me, from what I saw in Wittering.nl – the primary school in Holland is the special organisation. The space is open, it offers students from all ages to meet. I also liked the fact that the teacher offers her pupils the option to do the activity they wanted to do. I will come back to my school with a reflection on creating more open spaces that will give the opportunity to move and meet easier.’