XII Session Summer Schools for Industrious Teachers / Dora Leonor Mesa

To Educate: Requires the belief that change is possible.

More than 250 teachers and educators involved at all levels of teaching from the provinces of Mayabecque and Havana exchanged and updated their educational experiences by participating in the 12th Summer School for Teachers. On this occasion it was held from 30 July to 3 August at the Queen Mary Institute headquarters in the capital.

The organizing team, made up mostly of members of the National Catholic Education Commission, promotes these activities in other provinces. Matanzas and Cienfuegos had their own school this year.

The annual event organizes workshops and lectures by local and foreign teachers, who are called facilitators for the role they play as instructors and counselors in each workshop.

The daily work sessions are intense, from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM. They also last several days, which correspond to the vacation period for teachers. However, the effort and enthusiasm among participants is supported by a high academic rigor and relevance of the topics covered.

In order to improve the work with toddlers, since June the Cuban Association for the Development of Childhood Education (ACDEI) registered five educators from private nurseries to attend the event.

Four people attended, including ACDEI coordinator. Day by day they were surprised by the interest awakened the association’s proposal. Surrounded by teaching professionals they learned:

  1. The knowledge gained during a year is relevant when compared to other nurseries in the city.
  2. The constant inquiries from attendees about the project show surprise and interest in implementing the objectives of the Cuban program “Educate Your Child” in private nurseries.
  3. Children in the day care centers with pedagogical training this year will begin school assessed with various tests used by educators with the assistance of a psychologist. The results show that these little ones, thanks to work undertaken together with their parents, are ready to begin their school life.
  4. From now on ACDEI members and educators face new challenges. One of the most important is lifelong learning about teaching methods appropriate to the learner’s developmental history, family situation and home.

In short, we will continue fueling the dreams and self-esteem of the young children and their families with love, knowledge and the inseparable daily work.

August 7 2012