My first experience at OAMK

11 - 12. 01. 2023

Introduction

On these days I had the pleasure to meet my new colleagues and tutors. I had a great time and I could get to know them a little bit and I can say that they are all enthusiastic and passionate about what they do. 

Nothing was as I imagined and it was a relief. I had many fears and I was curious about the new environment I would have learned in: different people from all around the globe, the language and the completely new teaching method. I was afraid to not fit in but I was in the wrong! Everyone has different backgrounds but it was nice to see how well the collaboration turned out. They already knew each other, and that's something I was also afraid of, but I've felt welcomed in and it was a pretty good feeling since I'm really shy at the beginning and I barely speak when I'm with someone I don't know. 

These are excellent premises for a good semester full of new discoveries!

Day 1

On the first day I've been overwhelmed by a lot of information but that's when I got all the answers I was looking for. It was a first taste of what awaits me: learn, compare and collaborate. The group is very close-knit and interested in what they're doing and this makes me want to be part of the group. 

I had the possibility to see my colleagues making a presentation about a competence they reached and this was very effective because I could see with my own eyes what this means. They made it look like it was easy, but I could feel all the hard work that was behind that slides. I could also feel the passion and the expression of themselves. 

Day 2

On the second day we started talking about a new competence guided by Iiris: Special Pedagogy. 

We talked about disabilities and Iiris proposed a different point of view that was new for me. I had to think out of my quotidianity and to put myself in other's people shoes. Iiris showed us how people with different disabilities see and it surprised me: something as trivial to me as a presentation can be a big obstacle for another person. 

I've never talked about special pedagogy and I was very interested to know more and the teamwork helped me to reflect and find different ways to be inclusive. 

My colleagues already work and it is a source of richness since I'm still studying and I have no direct experience other than the traineeship and it is useful in order to learn and to have new points of view because they give examples about their experiences and how they handle them.

This day was very reassuring: I realized I could be part of this journey as well and I can't wait!