How was the year 2021 in Harmony and what do we expect from 2022?
From the events of 2021, I choose the entry of two young and talented people who started working in the positions of harmony academy product managers. What we defined as a necessary need for a professional team of our trainers were managers who will take care of the life of our products before and after the course. We selected Petra Gavlíková and Martin Kedra, who entered our school in July directly into the "centre of events" in the project Upgrade with learner-centred approach and experienced inspiring days full of unforgettable experiences in Ruzomberok. They joined us at the time of verifying the need and timeliness of teacher education in two synergy approaches, namely a pedagogical approach focused on pupil needs and managerial approach Learn and after all. At the turn of the year, they asked me a few questions here, I offer them in full as my personal view of 2021 and the visions for 2022.
What did 2021 teach you?
To be more sensitive to the needs of the people in my immediate environment. I have become more sensitive to the treatment of others. I have been keenly aware of situations in which I have felt misunderstood or miscommunication in my surroundings, where people, despite their best efforts and will, have not been able to express their intent well enough.
What are you grateful for in 2021?
I am thankful for every single day of 2021 that moved us forward and in which we were able to combine the diversity of talent we currently have in Harmony.
What would you call the greatest achievement of 2021?
I consider the greatest achievement of 2021 to be the fact that we were able to face the pitfalls of the COVID-19 pandemic in cooperation and harmony with others and that we coped with every obstacle along the way.
From the work area, I would highlight my group courses at Stellantis, where I felt a real interest, willingness, dedication and joy in learning English online. These people work under tremendous pressure from ambitious leadership that guides them on a path of continuous development, and the language of communication is English. Perhaps that is why we managed to create an excellent, sometimes even energizing, atmosphere in groups, in which we experienced the joy of the presence of others and visited each other directly in our homes through screens. A precious bond has formed between us, which has resulted in the pilot program of the so-called "English Half Marathon", which we are already starting on January 10, 2022.
Our online classes were also successful, which we offered to both children and youth or adults. I appreciate all of our team, but I especially select three of them. Samuel Kosmal, Martin Kedra and Andrea Anič Petrovich. Each of them has contributed a large part to the successes we have seen in 2021.
As for our international project activities, here I will highlight Monika Miklánková and Jaroslav Chynoradsky for their work and the finalization of the Happy School 2020 project, thanks to which we found that at the heart of the happiness of a modern language school is the educational program that clients need, Trainers They know how to unlearn, managers know how to set it up both personally and financially, and behind all this are the school owners who support the transformation of their organization into a continuously learning school.
Is there anything you would change in 2021?
If I had a magic wand and could do something different in 2021, then at certain moments I would slow down the time and enjoy more intensely some of the achievements that the children have prepared for me at home. One of the priorities of 2021 in our family was to "listen to each other and listen to the views of other members of the family before the final closure." I consider that we have managed to strengthen respect and acknowledgement of other opinions in our family and to reflect on how and why people think and do certain things differently.
What gives you energy, motivation to move forward during the year (not just this one)?
The energy and motivation to go forward comes from love, faith and hope that what I live for and what I devote my time and energy to are meaningful and make others happier, stronger and better. I can see the results of my work and it honestly makes me happy when I can be a part of something bigger. In 2021, I became part of the UNESCO project Trnava as a Learning City as coordinator of the Innovation Team. It is establishing a Teachers' School and one of its first initiatives is our Modern Teacher Development Pathway, with the help of which we will train 90 teachers face-to-face and dozens of others online. At the end of this initiative, AISU - the Association of Innovative Slovak Teachers will be formed, which will be launched at a one-day event in Trnava at the end of March 2022.
What advice would you give, if you could meet your younger self?
If I had the opportunity to speak to my younger self, I would tell her to stress and be angry less, to rejoice, to meditate and pray more, and to believe that everything comes at the right moment in life. To trust the voice within herself despite the noisy voices of those around her that say exactly the opposite of that, and to do what she feels and believes in with calmness and composure.
Did you have to give up something in 2021? Did you get anything in return?
Interesting question, thank you for it! I thought about it and realized that yes, I had to. Although I use the word "I must" in my vocabulary very sparingly. I had to give up the fact that I would get answers to certain, very necessary questions for me at that moment later. They depend on whether the person in question is ready, willing and set up in this situation to provide them to me. I realized that the answer "I don't know" is sometimes sufficient, and giving others time to work out the answer is often very necessary. In return, I gained the knowledge that in certain situations, not knowing is okay, it can be an imaginary bridge to other people. I accept them then with love and understanding that they will come to answers maybe later, maybe with another person, maybe in a different situation. However, I believe that my natural interest and approach have left a mark on them that will guide them further on their path of development and life as a whole.
How do you perceive or have you perceived the changes that the pandemic is bringing/bringing to your field?
When Janko Košturiak gave me the task of ruining my business in 2019 at the University of Entrepreneurship, I wanted to cry. Unthinkable, I thought. Even then, the world was changing very dynamically, and the pandemic only accelerated all this. My personal development journey, known as Learn & Lead, guides me through time through obstacles and challenges that I am gradually overcoming. It was no different in 2021, when two international Erasmus+ projects with two universities were implemented in parallel. One focuses on the pedagogical specification of this approach, and the other develops and strengthens its economic set-up. Thanks to these initiatives and partners, I see changes that extend to our field with determination and strength. I know that our journey brings support and reinforcement to those who are caught unprepared by these changes and are looking for a solution and a recipe for the current changed situation.
How would you describe 2021 in one sentence?
For me, 2021 was a year of accepting changes and strengthening love in my family and work.
What are your goals and visions for 2022?
I see 2022 as a year of new beginnings, both on the local and international stage, a year of growth and further development of our international cooperation in order to improve the quality and attractiveness of the teaching profession. Along with this, the necessary transformation of schools into modern 21st century learning schools will continue to take place at the level of every single member – teacher, trainer, manager, administrative worker or the owner or founder of the school itself.
My personal goal for 2022 is to stay true to my values, to support my loved ones and to bring back a little more of what I know, can and want to develop and create further.
May 2022 be the year of hope, faith and love in our families and workplaces, and may we be one step closer to ourselves and to others in it.
Yours sincerely,
