Welcome to this travel journal. You are about to embark on an eventful journey from Budapest towards a democratic classroom. Odysseus, one of the epic heroes in ancient Greek mythology, will be one of your guides on this voyage. He invites you to use this journal to ask questions, plan your goals, write down your struggles and formulate actions to reach your goals.
WHO IS ODYSSEUS?
Odysseus is the main character in the epic poem The Odyssey. Scholars believe the story was composed near the end of the 8th century BC by a blind poet, Homer. After ten years of fighting as a soldier in the Trojan war, Odysseus finally embarks on his way home to his wife and son in Ithaka. Struck by troubles, temptations, encounters and detours, it takes Odysseus another ten adventurous years to reach his destination. On the way, he faces obstacles and headwind, but also support and companionship.
In this journal, we use the metaphors of Odysseus’ story to make you think about your own journey towards a democratic classroom.
HOW TO USE THIS JOURNAL?
Odysseus was known for his so-called “cunning intelligence”. Through a set of reflective questions and exercises, he will be your guide in your journey to realise democracy in the classroom.
In this journal, we use the metaphors of Odysseus’ story to make you think about your own learning process in achieving your goals. Each chapter starts with the story of Odysseus, its metaphors and their explanations, framed and printed in italics.
Afterwards, you will find a set of reflective questions and exercises. There is not one way to understand the questions. Also, there is not one way to answer the questions. The answers cannot be wrong. They are always right, because they are yours.
This is your journal. We describe topics and ask questions in English. You can answer them in any language you choose. No one is reading them but you.You can also choose to discuss the questions with your colleagues and fill them out together.
In this journal you will find a number of topics to write about. You can choose which pages you use and which you do not. Please fill in at least 1 page every day. You can choose at which time of the day you want to do this. Some of the exercises will also be used in KeKi’s reflective sessions throughout the summer school.