"From the moment in which I entered the ABE world, I felt proud and honored to be part of this amazing group. But I also perceived to be a value for the ABE community: that I could give and receive at the same time! This is something that I have found only in ABE ..."
Gilda Nappo, Author
This past year was my first year as a teacher of ABE, and I had the pleasure of taking part in ABE Italy's professional development workshop, which because of the COVID-19 pandemic, took place in teachers' homes. It was amazing, exciting, and educational! This was my experience, but also the experience of many other teachers attending this incredible course!
First of all, I was astonished by the flawless organization that allowed teachers from different places in Italy to have their science experimental kits at home. The second thing that I appreciated was the freedom to openly express issues, doubts, and difficulties, with wide space for discussion. Possibly, problems and obstacles that we encountered during the workshop allowed us to work at an even higher level! In just a few days, we were able to create and strengthen a community, by sharing our own competences and knowledge and contributing together to the realization of the workshop, everybody adding a little piece!
From the beginning, I felt that the mood was not like attending “a rough copy” of a real educational course. We were doing something new, an experience that none of us had lived before. We were doing science ... real science, with plasmids, pipettes, enzymes, and agarose gels ... from our homes. We were at our places, but we were also together: perfectly connected with many other scientist-teachers, with the rest of ABE Italy staff and also with MiniOne staff.
I also had a home audience: I was in the garden, with my children appearing from time to time, so curious to discover the experiment that their mom was doing just there, in front of their eyes!
Teachers were asked to leave some feedback after the workshop:
- “It was a mission impossible that became possible in the end!”
- "So engaging"
- "All the staff was available and happy to work together in order to solve every kind of issue, without leaving anyone behind”
- “I found new ideas, materials, and protocols that I will use with my students next year”
- “It has been a big opportunity to move on with a project started in a very complicated period of our life: a successful challenge!”
To conclude: From the moment in which I entered the ABE world, I felt proud and honored to be part of this amazing group. But I also perceived to be a value for the ABE community: that I could give and receive at the same time! This is something that I have found only in ABE and that attracts me so much. In every meeting or activity, I feel that I’m learning something new, but also that I’m working with people that aim to grow together with me.