I spent most of the day at university (the rest was spent driving back and forth to teach) and I got to talk to two lecturers who were incredibly supportive. I'm doing my internship, taking over a class from a teacher. This teacher is my tutor during my internship period (which is very long as I only have one class) and we meet both before and after every class to discuss both pedagogical and didactical issues, plan the next lessons etc.
This person is very very nice, and has been nothing but accommodating and gracious. However, we don't really have the same philosophy when it comes do didactic methods. He's a traditional teacher, brought up old school and holds fast to his values. Even though I was brought up in a very old school system, I love the opportunities and creativity that new philosophies offer. So we disagree on just about everything in terms of how the subject needs to be presented, and though so far we have managed to co-exist in some kind of working harmony, the differences between us are becoming more and more noticeable. The problem is that I am doing my internship thanks to him, and he is a seasoned veteran, so I don't always feel like telling him I'm just going to keep doing things my way because I know deep down that's what's going to work best.
But today I discussed these issues with these two experienced lecturers and they told me to "just nod and smile but by all means keep doing what you're doing". Is there anything greater than getting such a seal of approval from people who actually know what they are talking about? No, and I'm thankful both for their support in terms of the methodology, but also their support in terms of dealing with my tutor. Education is about empowering people, and today I was completely empowered by two people who took the time to listen and give feedback.
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