The Roma Education Fund organized the second edition of the educational boot camp “The Hero’s Journey”, an event dedicated both to young teachers, that graduated the Pedagogy Scholarship Program, and to future teachers, students from various pedagogical schools currently enrolled in this program. Between February 20-24, in Abrud, Alba County, Romania, 15 young Roma took part in a series of workshops focusing on the different topics like project-based learning in simultaneous education, intercultural approach techniques in education. They completed the “Reflexive Teacher’s Journal”, deepened literacy techniques and discovered the Montessori educational alternative, but most importantly they had the opportunity to work in grassroots schools.
Every morning started with joined lessons, alongside the pupils from three primary schools: from Abrud city, from Cărpiniș and from Gura Roșiei, villages in the Roșia Montană commune. They uncovered the lessons of each story they read together in the classroom – “I Dream I Can Fly,” “The Happiness Merchant,” and “Why the Snow is White?” – using techniques and methods specific to literacy intervention. They did vocabulary exercises, completed the Map of the texts, the Axis of the main events, the Double Journal, the Map of the characters, and so on. They formulated questions with different difficulty levels and reflected on what lessons learned they can apply in their daily lives. Through all these activities, the scholarship beneficiaries strengthened their didactic skills.
“In those three schools, our beneficiaries had the opportunity to work with groups that have different backgrounds, in classes where they need to apply different teaching methods. It is about simultaneous education with two and three classes, with different needs in the management area of the group of pupils, but also teaching-learning-evaluation. The children come from vulnerable communities, therefore their needs are of all sort of, from material ones to emotional and remedial ones. At the Gura Roșiei School, respectively at the kindergarten, our future teachers were able to learn more about the Montessori educational alternative, which they learn about in high school but only theoretically, without having had the opportunity to come into direct contact with this educational philosophy until now” – Daniela Stoicescu, educational expert REF Romania.
One of the highlights of the boot camp was the experience exchange with the students enrolled at the pedagogical high school in Abrud. Together they worked in the classrooms and spent the afternoons reflecting on what they learnt. Also, in the afternoons, the students took part in intercultural workshops coordinated by Luiza Medeleanu. Using different types of games, Luiza introduced them to the world of the Roma identity, focusing on promoting the Roma Heroes, Roma history, Roma culture.
“This winter edition of the boot camp, as we call it, was extremely dynamic, full of events and good news. We also invited the team that is implementing the project in Hungary, our partners from Romaversitas, thereby creating the space for new opportunities for the project. We thank all participants for their active involvement even though the schedule was quite demanding” – Cristina Grigore, coordinator of the Pedagogy Scholarship Program.
Student’s testimonies
“I learned new and exciting methods that I can apply in the classroom when I’ll become a teacher. I really enjoyed working with the children. Also, I liked all Luiza’s workshops on interculturality because I learned many new things related to the Roma ethnicity that I didn’t know about and which I plan to share with the Roma children I will work with. I left with beautiful memories, with a new idea of simultaneous education, with the desire to create a short story like the one presented by Daniela Stoicescu and with the desire to create a relaxation corner in my future classroom” – said Adriana, future teacher and a beneficiary of the Pedagogy Scholarship Program.
“The Hero’s Journey boot camp was an opportunity to get to know each other. Besides all the wonderful people and passionate teaching staff I met, I managed to get to know myself. Seeing how important education is and the teacher’s commitment, I left the camp with one thought: I want to transform my future profession into a passion, helping the younger generations become the citizens that generate the big changes in the world. I realized how much I want to follow this career, bringing the change that our education system needs, through the passion I’ll bring to this field of work” – said Dalia, future teacher and a beneficiary of the Pedagogy Scholarship Program.
“During those three days of camp, I had the opportunity to work with children from different educational level, that have distinctive ways of thinking. I learned that I must adapt according to the collective, and to each pupil, and do the same with the resources available, too. The experience was beautiful. For me it was a motivating factor, helping me figuring out what I should do next and, somehow, connecting me to the reality” – underlined Sorina, former beneficiary, now a mentor in the program.
“In this camp, I had the opportunity to get to know two different worlds. It was a life lesson for me too, not just for the children. Each of us learnt something, even though you might believe that we went there to bring “learning” to them. I enjoyed many smiles, laughs and the often-repeated question “do you come to us again?”. I learned that happiness lies in many things and that there is always room for good and beauty, even if the work is hard. Every experience we have helps us grow” – Ecaterina, former beneficiary, now a mentor in the program.
“The Pedagogy Scholarship Program” – a learning experience designed to support young Roma men and women, who study at pedagogical high schools in Romania, Hungary and Slovakia, become highly skilled teachers, educators who will always put the needs of the students at the centre of their activities. Started in 2016, it is an international program implemented by the REF Foundation and financed by the VELUX Foundations. The first module ended in 2020. Some of the 99 students from Romania who graduated from this program are already teachers. Graduates of the program are currently following an educational coaching program with Daniela Stoicescu.
