Working Together

1st grade working as a team to create a beautiful landscape, with each students contributing a specific part.

I always hated working in groups. In fact I still hate it. I'm not a big fan of the group mentality and I work much better by myself. I don't like to share, I don't like listening to others and their ideas (because let's be real, they're never as good as mine) and I really don't like criticism (we can all guess what kind of grades I got for "Works Well With Others" as a child.) But of course it is essential that we promote group work for the students, because sharing, compromising, and incessant arguing are all necessary components of living in a community-- villages especially.

One of the most valuable lessons that Spain has taught me is that working alone isn't always the best, or easiest, mode of being and doing. For example, alone, it is much harder to order meat from the butcher or ask for gift bows from the cashier. With a friend, fellow teacher or student, completing what may seem to be menial tasks is infinitely more accurate, fluid, and easy. So.. maybe groups aren't so bad, maybe there is some merit to listening to others, and okay, fine, I'll share some of my sausages with you.

Two students helping me to explain comparisons to my after-school class.

Maybe it's not just the students who are learning here...

Look what working together can do.