Let's not be afraid to ask questions ...

This article will not be about criticizing the past, complaining about the present, scaring everyone with the future, especially in the context of the entire education system, including the community functioning in it. One gets the impression that everything has already been said in this regard, both in writing and orally. It has never been easy, especially considering the fact that school is a living and dynamic organism with hundreds of people who differ in many respects. So how can it be calm and relatively stable? There is always something going on and will always be happening. School is a relationship where everyone has an influence on everyone, to a greater or lesser extent. Let's not be afraid to ask questions.

New reality

The situation related to the coronavirus and the transition to remote education in March 2020 showed, on the one hand, that schools were not prepared for it in every respect, both technically and mentally. On the other hand, it revealed how the majority of those in it take up gloves while facing new challenges in teaching through luminous screens. The pandemic made us all realize something very important. We forgot that the normality we defined in relation to education was only created by people.

The usual patterns were passed down from generation to generation with its greater or lesser modifications. The situation in which we all found ourselves showed that what was good, what worked yesterday, does not have to be good today, let alone good in the future. Yesterday's world is significantly different from the present one, and certainly from the future one. What seemed impossible (appearing rather in fantasy books and movies) has become something very real. For many months, the world of science and school relations moved to virtual reality. It is there that the entire school community (students, parents, teachers, administration, etc.), as best it can, builds cyberspace education, which is accompanied by both pleasant and less pleasant emotions (maybe with an emphasis on the latter?). We don't want to feel them and try to run away from them, but why? They show us that life consists of various moments, and each experience is worth attention and deeper reflection. Only do we want it? You definitely need a moment for reflection, stopping in the daily run and being honest with yourself.

Common space, common responsibility

Glass half full? Glass half empty? Everyone knows this saying, especially in the context of situations that require a broader view of us. However, this choice is quite modest as it omits many other important elements. After all, not only is the glass half full, but we also have water in it, as well as the vessel itself, thanks to which all its contents are retained. In addition, we have eyesight, thanks to which we can see the glass, as well as the ability to make decisions and the ability to choose individual options. Which version do we choose in the context of the school and why? Even a half-empty glass can be developmental, provided that we want to do something about it and believe that we have such resources for possible change, both internal (e.g. knowledge) and external (e.g. other teachers, students, parents). However, it is important to be aware of and see the multitude of possibilities.

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Who does the school reality belong to? Who can make changes to it? What is the role of all of us working and learning in it? Why are we really participating in the education process? These are questions worth asking yourself constantly as you seek answers to them, along with students, teachers, parents, and others who may have something to say about them. There are no more important and less important people in school. There are no central and more peripheral positions. We all create a space where we want to feel good and participate together in the education process.

There are things in life that we have control over as well as things that we have no control over. By focusing on the latter, we lose valuable energy that could be spent on those elements of the school space that need it. What can I do as a student, parent, teacher? How and with whom can I make any changes? We can do a lot - it's a matter of looking at it from the right perspective and the willingness to act, as well as believing that something is possible.

Your basket, your options

There is no doubt that the pandemic is a crisis situation. However, each crisis can be developmental. The question, however, is how much of what is happening we take for ourselves and want to use it now and in the near future, while giving ourselves the right not to be perfect and always one hundred percent. Let the period of remote education be such a huge basket for you, in which there is everything, starting from emotions, thoughts and behaviors, to all acquired and acquired skills. When looking at it, consider what you see and why? What do you want to keep and what to throw away? What to work on and possibly use? Who do you want to share your thoughts with? What would you like to leave permanently and what would you like temporarily?

Asking questions, as well as finding answers to them, is development. It is them that inspire reflection, searching, going beyond the usual patterns and beliefs that have been instilled in us many times from an early age. The questions also encourage us to view reality as created and defined by humans, while teaching us that nothing is given once and for all. Is it not worth appreciating "here and now" and all those smallest elements of our school life that make up the whole, especially the relationship with another human being. They are the basis for any further action. It is difficult to have a willingness to learn, work or develop without good relationships, not to mention creating a safe space in which we can talk about all our doubts, difficulties and present-day struggles.

Development guarantees a better tomorrow

Everyone who makes up education is very brave. We experience and will continue to experience a lot in it. But this is what makes us go further with more luggage, better prepared for tomorrow. Let's change, design, talk, discuss, be open to new solutions that may seem impossible at first. Also, very importantly, let us value ourselves for everything we do. Let us also give ourselves and others the right to emotions, making mistakes, bad days, and also not having to be 100% always and everywhere. We are just (or maybe as much as?) Just people who do what they can at the moment to do the best. Let us surround ourselves with care, compassion, understanding, and let us realize that we are just unique in our own way, because there is no other person alike. Let us not be afraid to seek help when we need it, because it does not mean our weakness, but on the contrary - our strength and coping with difficult situations.