A clear example

Merryl Goldberg was one of the main presenters at F.A.A.P.I. She broke the ice by playing the saxophone and then she also invited Harmer to play with her. After a bit of music she started with her speech. Hers was one of the presentations that I liked the most, since she gave lots of concrete examples of how to include art within the four walls of a classroom.

I had never listened about her and hence, I hadn´t expected such a presentation. She seemed to be a very active and efficient woman, at least on stage, and I guess she must be like that in the classroom, too. She not only gave lots of practical examples but also made each of us feel part of her presentation as well.

At one point in her presentation she gave a list of the ten basic things that enable both teaching and learning. One of the key points she mentioned was CONFIDENCE. And she showed us this Susan Boyle´s video to exemplify what she meant:




I had never seen that video before and I didn´t know that the jury and the audience laughed at this singer in her first appearance. In fact, I hadn´t heard much about her or about her music. As if she knew she was going to win the contest, this woman showed everybody how important confidence in oneself is. Maybe she was quite conscious of the great voice she had, but anyway, confidence was paramount. She didn´t panic on front of such an audience, she didn´t feel nervous and she didn´t tremble! –Or at least it didn´t show!

At the moment in which the judges gave her feedback they were all right: Susan Boyle turned out to be a great surprise. It is really nice to listen to each of them apologizing and to listen to the audience clapping. I think that it is a clear example of how cynical about and prejudiced against people society can be. The video should leave each of us wondering why we pass on judgement before even listening or getting to know each other. And obviously, we should understand that we can do whatever we want to do if we are convinced and determined to fight for our dreams.

This week I´m finishing my practice period at Normal 1 and I´ll show this video to my students, not only because they will understand everything that people in it say, but also because I want to leave an imprint on them. I want them to remember me, my lessons and my teachings. And I hope I can still confidence in them to achieve all their dreams and to understand that, as the slogan claims, “impossible is nothing”.

I hope you can apply this video to your lessons as well! Enjoy it!