Welcome aboard of flight Comenius!

About nine years ago I took my first steps into the world of Comenius!! The first steps were quite hesitating. But a few years later I felt more confident to put on the Comenius boots to discover the fascinating educational world. The last four years I had the privilege to get in touch with tons of soul mates in teaching. And along the road I picked up tons of new inspiration.

If I then are asked to share with others were Comenius is all about, chances are that I will come up with:

- tons of paperwork!! In the Comenius world every document is an important one. Please stick to the deadlines and make sure that you get to the post office in time! And don't forget to make backups of your Comenius file once in while! Crashing computers and viruses are also a Comenius risk!

- spending long hours behind your computer! Comenius can only survive thanks to modern communication. Checking your mailbox daily and kindly answering the mails of one of your partners are no luxury! No, this is no stalking, it is essential in order to have a successful project!

- going up and coming down! Educational boosts are included in the Comenius package! You will feel so upbeat after meeting your colleagues abroad and are ready to attack your daily work environment with brand new ideas! Unfortunately, not all people will share your enthusiasm and will be your worst critics! There will be bright days, there will be gloomy days! Packing an umbrella to take along won't hurt!

- other cultures and habits! Being invited into schools across Europe does mean that you are allowed into an unknown world of cultures. Forget the typical city trip or beach holiday. This is pure and you can be assured that every country that you will visit for a second time will still hold some surprises!

- making compromises. Diplomacy is for me one of the most essential words in the Comenius dictionary! While you travelling deeper and deeper into the project you will encounter moments that you wish you would be diplomat! Also in your own school you will walk into a booby-trap. It will cost some extra energy to convince your co-workers to believe in the project content! So forget the stopwatch!!! Time can do wonders.

- spending money wisely! In the beginning of the project you experience wealth! But then you will be asked over and over again to spend that huge amount of money wisely! And money can do funny things to people. Thinking straight and keeping your targets are essential in order to make this also a financial hit!

- trying out new things: 'truth or dare?’ you won't have to play but once in a while you will be challenged to try out something new! It will be scary and make you feel rather anxious. It is never easy to let go your prejudice! You can rest and be assured: the outcome of this act will be in most cases worthwhile!

- giving and taking: Many times you will feel rather a giver! But you can be assured that the moments that you are receiving it will be an unforgettable experience. In a unified Europe the aspect of giving is sometimes rather abstract.A Comenius project will challenge your ability to give and expressing gratitude! So you better stock up some 'Thank you'-notes! You will need them!

- creating new friendships: along the road to a successful ending you will be networking and coming into contact with new people. And yes, in the world of Comenius you are given the chance to make friends for life! Those people will get to the core of your personality and that will make you go stronger! And yes, the fact that you will end up really knowing people in Europe is also a nice extra!! Travelling through Europe will never be same again after this!

- extending your vocabulary in many languages: we do not speak all the same language in partnerships! Understanding each other will be not always that easy. The tower of Babel will be never far away! And sorry to break the news to you but there is no dictionary available explaining the ways of understanding each other. Patience and body language will be your best developed communication skills when you are wrapping up the project!

I can go on for ever! But for sure taking part in a Comenius project has given me new energy, tons of inspiration, food for thought and amazing new insights! A Comenius project is so much more then just travelling! It is extending your horizon and daring to rethink your attitude and teaching approach. But it for sure turned me into a European citizen with an open mind!

So if you still hesitate about boarding the plane becausethe destination is unknown, don't be. It might be a bumpy flight but in the end it will be a smooth touch down! And the food on board will come close to a four star restaurant! Hum, Comenius calories!! I almost forgot about those!!! One last tip: store away your body scales during the Comenius project! Because I never met a calorie that I did not like on a Comenius meeting.

Comenius 2009-2011

Het officiële startschot van ons Comeniusproject werd gegeven.  Van 1 tot 5 december trekken we met een delegatie naar Rimini (Italië) om ons project AUT AUT verder uit te werken.
Met het project willen we werken rond leerlingen met autisme die geïntegreerd zitten in klasgroepen in het gewoon of buitengewoon onderwijs.  Partners zijn Italië, Roemenië, Turkije, Ierland en België.
Deze weblog heeft als bedoeling collega's en andere geïnteresseerden te briefen over de inhoud van het project en de activiteiten die plaats vinden.  Je verneemt hier heel gauw meer!