Short bio - Ana Kordić

I was born in Grude. I completed my studies in class teaching at the University of Mostar and earned the title of professor of class teaching. Currently, I am working as a class teacher in the primary school Ruđer Bošković in Grude. Also, I was employed as a school director, an adviser to the minister of education, and an external consultant to the Institute of Education and Training. I am one of the trainers for the education of teachers as part of the curriculum reform.

Short bio - Valerija Dodig

I was born in 1977 in Ljubuški. By profession, I am a teacher. Since 1997 I have been working at a primary school called "Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić". I used to be a school principal for some time during my career.  Also, I work as an external associate-consultant for classroom teaching at the Široki Brijeg Institute for Education. I am currently engaged as one of the teacher trainers as part of the curriculum reform, as well.

My story

FROM TEACHER TO STUDENT AND BACK

I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught. (Winston Churchill)

This sentence accurately describes the role of teachers in our society. Teachers are individuals who have gone through a demanding education to become who they are today. They are the professionals who should act as teachers, mentors, psychologists, and allies to their students in their daily work. Over the years, numerous students have passed through their classrooms and helped them build themselves as teachers. Throughout their career, they are becoming the best version of themselves, learning how to meet everyday life's challenges while teaching their students the most important lessons. And then, changes to the education system occur. Teachers suddenly need to unlearn their old ways and embrace new methods. In fact, the person responsible for teaching them something new is one of them.

The first best thing that could have happened to us professionally was to leave the classroom. The next best thing is going back to the classroom. 

Returning to the classroom meant an even greater empowerment to work with the students and a great desire to share their experiences. As preparations for educational reform began, teacher training was one step in the implementation process. It was important to provide other teachers with methods and tools to make the transition from the old way of working to the new one as easy as possible. Thanks to the investment in ourselves in the field of andragogy (professional development in the field of curriculum development for adult education programs and for conducting trainings aimed at adult learners), my colleagues and I started this dialogue with our teachers. Through these trainings in the four cantons (West Herzegovina Canton, Herzeg-Bosnia Canton, Herzegovina Neretva Canton and Posavina Canton), we met over 1000 teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, each enriching us in their own way. In our days-long gatherings, we exchanged ideas, experiences, and learned from each other. We established learning communities that provided us with support whenever we were questioning ourselves everything we knew and didn't know. Another advantage was that we had to train people who were experiencing the same issues as we were.

We like to say for ourselves that we go from one extreme to another. 

In this particular case, we go from the youngest in the school system all the way up to the adult teachers. Working with students is easy. They are sincere and well-meaning little creatures who give themselves to you completely and without reservation. 

Adult learners are a whole different story. Their honesty and goodwill should be earned, along with their respect. 

You should allow them to come back to school the next day. You are to show them special consideration and honor. Recognizing the positive aspects of individuals and nurturing them is a universal practice among all teachers, but it is particularly crucial when working with adults. Working on the professional development of teachers has many benefits, both for the teachers, and consequently for their students, as well as for society as a whole. For teachers, in addition to improving their work, this means an increase in motivation to work, feelings of appreciation, and support because, without them, no reform can succeed. And what did that work mean to us? After the first few workshops, we just looked at each other and said – that is it. We felt like we had been preparing for this part throughout all these years of our work. Working with adults has enriched us in many ways. We got to know many of our colleagues, some of whom became good friends. The second important thing is that when we work with adults, every time we return to our classrooms with our students, we see little people who have their own needs, knowledge, and feelings.

If we go from Glasser's postulate, "Every child can succeed,” then every child should have the best possible teacher who can make it happen. We are aware that we cannot all be the same, that we do not have the same conditions, but the motivation for work and the quality of our work should be approximately the same. No child should be deprived of his/her best future. Their future is our future. And that's why we do what we do.