Euro Kids: Knowing Me, Knowing You

St Sebastian Primary 'A' Qormi is currently taking part in a three-year Comenius project with five other schools from the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and Belgium. The EUPU Socrates office, Malta, finances this project.

'EuroKids Knowing Me, Knowing You' is a maxim which purposely generates a great desire for all partner schools to endeavour to get to know each other better. One sure way of doing this is for the schools to visit each other.

Last February St Sebastian Primary 'A' had the opportunity to do exactly this. Ms Margaret Sciberras and Ms Carmen Degiorgio, both kindergarten assistants at St Sebastian Primary 'A', visited a school in the Netherlands, Dr H. Bavinckschool, in the city of Haarlem, the city of the legendary boy who stopped a leak in the dike with his finger.

Dr Bavinckschool is a primary school directed by Mr Kees Sterrenburg. It has a staff of 30 and 370 pupils. While being shown around the school the headmaster, Ms Sciberras and MsDegiorgio were introduced to most of the school staff. This made them feel extremely welcome especially by the children, who had prepared a song of welcome.

Every effort was made for the two Qormi school representatives to feel at home and to really get into the atmosphere Dr Bavinckschool offers. They were involved in every aspect of school life, by observing children in the playground, watching them during lunchtime and even by entering classrooms and participating with the children in their lessons.

During a reading lesson, to the amusement of all especially of the children, Ms Sciberras and Ms Degiorgio tried their hand at reading in Dutch.

It was of great experience and personal growth to see how other countries run and manage their schools, the daily life of the classroom and the type of pedagogy used. It was especially motivating to discuss different approaches and philosophies towards learning and teaching in general. Comparing and contrasting with the local situation will surely benefit both Dr H. Bavinckschool and St Sebastian.

Ms Sciberras and Ms Degiorgio showed a special interest in the kindergarten section where everyone shared information and experiences about each other's schools. The children were curious about Malta and St Sebastian School and of course about the children who attend it. Their questions varied from the kind of food Maltese people prefer to the actual size and position of Malta. Hearing a little about our island's history proved to be of great interest both to the children and the teachers themselves.

Sharing is indeed a great experience but a sharing of ideas and culture is an even greater and more fruitful experience. It is by programmes such as this one - 'EuroKids: Knowing Me, Knowing You' - that our children will definitely come closer together, understand each other better and appreciate each other more.