I need to start this post by making a premise: it won't be about education. Instead, I'm going to switch gears and write about my other love: Malta.
In the last years, I've become quite sentimental about my native country. In fact, I'm starting to feel a deep yearning for it. Indeed, many of you would say, we are in the festive period, and one always looks forward to spending time with their loved ones. 100%. But I think there's more to it.
In the last years, I've become quite sentimental about my native country. In fact, I'm starting to feel a deep yearning for it. Indeed, many of you would say, we are in the festive period, and one always looks forward to spending time with their loved ones. 100%. But I think there's more to it.
Some weeks back, one of my students, Cristobal, wrote an interesting blog post explaining how Halloween epitomizes the homogenized world we live in. And he's so spot on; we live in a world where airports, malls, hypermarkets, housing and what not are starting to look alarmingly identical. For all we know, the airport in Lima could have been based on the same blueprints as that of Amman in Jordan. Dull.
And this is why I have a new found fondness for my country. Even though, Malta has had to yield to globalization over the years, it has still managed to maintain its own distinct charm. I love taking long strolls along the narrow alleys past the old grocery stores and fruit vendors. I love sipping Nero D'Avola inside the ancient walls converted into dimly lit wine bars. I love the fact that there's no Starbucks in Malta, and I can still get my coffee poured by the local guy wearing the rather fitted wife beater. Calling the coffee shop rustic would be an understatement. It might not be subjected to the most rigorous of hygiene inspections, but the experience is priceless. You'll have to trust me on this one.
So, could it be that I'm slightly overhyping Malta's distinctiveness? Yes. Are there other cities that have their trademark charm? Definitely. But the point I'm trying to make is that we shouldn't look at conformity as the way forward. We shouldn't aspire to live in a cookie-cutter world that lacks originality and character.
I'm a firm believer of hands-on, interdisciplinary learning; however, I cringe at the idea of having this be the only educational model at every school. There's something to be said about offering kids a wide-range of options and letting them find their best fit. Diversity offers choice and choice empowers.
Did I say this post wasn't about education? Oops.
Are you still not sold on Malta? Then you've got to watch this:
It looks like someone's having some serious saudade for his motherland! This made me think of the book "Happy Money" where it says that one way we can learn to savor and appreciate something is to take a break from it and "make it a treat" rather than a habit. Stepping away from Malta has done that for you, and I think breaking from the monotonous routine of classroom activities can do this for learning as well. Holidays and breaks certainly help, but so can walking meetings, discussions in different locations, and just mixing it up entirely. Saudade...
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