Dear headmasters – dear guests, I wish you all very welcome to the Faroe Islands
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Do you know what Albert Einstein, the genius, once said?
He said: I have no special talent! I am only passionately curious.
“Passionately curious.”
And this passionate curiosity, my dear friends, is our biggest challenge and our greatest responsibility. To evoke curiosity in our pupils, in our societies and in our selves.
I am an educated teacher myself. And I know, that the fact - that you guys meet every year - to talk, exchange experiences and stay curious about each other - is of great importance.
And this curiosity is the core value of cooperation. It encourages us to seek inspiration for our future work.
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On the Faroe Islands we have in recent years had several action-areas in the school-system, and I can briefly tell you about three of them.
First, I have focused on pedagogical development. Last year I established a pedagogical and professional management training for principals at master-level.
More than thirty principals from schools around the country participate in the education - and their feedback is very positive. So educating the principals is one of the way we can develop the schools.
Another area that we have been focusing on, is to encourage children and young people's reading skills and their interest in reading. And alongside the reading – we have put a lot of work into developing their understanding for mathematics. Over the last few years we have launched several continuing education-programs for primary-school-teachers.
We have educated thirty Reading Advisers, and more than thirty math-tutors – who now work in schools all around the country.
Their work includes preparation, inspiration and technical advice for other teachers.
They also do observation of classes and individual pupils and differentiated teaching.
The third thing - I would like to mention - are the students with problems like dyslexia. We know that these difficulties can reduce their curiosity. Therefor we have educated 30 teachers as specialist trainers.
This makes them able to treat and advise on different literacy problems, including dyslexia. Moreover - their emphasis is on inclusion and various social and behavioral problems. As well as difficulties such as ADHD and autism.
All in all: there are many ongoing efforts to develop our teachers and our education – on all levels in the system.
It is my hope, that it will give good results both in the work of teachers and in the students' academic skills; their social life and their creative development.
Most of all, I hope that we continue to awaken the children’s – and our own – passionate curiosity. Because this is the foundation of all learning, as Einstein said.
I wish you all a pleasant stay and I hope that your visit to the Faroe Islands can ignite a little curious sparkle in all of our minds.
If it does, than your visit surely has been well worth it.
Thank you!