Teachers rock

How do we know that our teachers rock?
We asked. We asked all people concerned! And that is Parents, Children and Teachers themselves.

Parents find our teachers warm, effective and professional

Feedback is a gift, and we did ask parents for such a gift.

Parents received a request (from a third party, not the teacher) for their opinion about their experience at the Learn with Mummy playgroups, their answers are very clear:

99% of respondents would recommend Learn with Mummy to their friends

67% of  them would STRONGLY recommend Learn with Mummy

Children are fascinated

Ok, we didn’t really ask children to rate their teachers. That wouldn’t be fair to the kids, you can’t put such a burden on little shoulders.

So we filmed them instead.

We filmed the teachers with their kids and observed how kids were engaged, enthused, involved.

They were.

Unfortunately we can’t show the videos, we had parents’ consent to film exclusively for training purpose.

La teacher è molto brava con i bimbi, ci sa proprio fare, e vedo che M. – dopo le prime settimane di “esitazione” – si è ormai appassionato al playgroup. Proprio ieri, mentre gli cantavo una canzoncina in inglese, mi ha detto “voglio andare al playgroup” 🙂  Una mamma

Teachers are engaged and motivated

We got all the teachers together in a room and asked them to share their experiences, their tricks, their best practices.

Sharing is a phenomenal learning tool. It helps everybody think deeper about what works and what doesn’t, and why. It forces all of us to reconsider what we do, question our assumptions, step out of our comfort zone and become ever better teachers.

But sharing is also a great opportunity to acknowledge that we all have fears and doubts. We underestimate ourselves (promised, we ALL do). We find it really hard to tackle specific aspects of the job. All of us.

Nevertheless we are finding the way to have a real impact on children’s lives. We are taking control of our own lives. And we are even having fun on the way!

In short we are a team. So much greater than the sum of its part.

You can get an idea by looking at the short video below.

We have 3 secrets

This positive feedback didn’t just happen by chance. It’s the result of a specific design, of careful planning and attention to every detail.

The Learn with Mummy approach to quality can be summarized in three steps:

1. People

All the teachers go through a rigorous and rather picky selection. Learn with Mummy is an ambitious and growing project, but with a clear vision:

quality is our pride, it’s only through quality (and focussed work) that we will achieve quantity

And quality calls for special people. People with a sparkle. People who can deliver excellence and add a personal touch to it.

Each one of our teachers has a story to tell, a passion to share, a unique set of skills and competences to deploy.

Most of the teachers come from a professional experience in different sectors, and this is their strength. Thanks to these previous experiences they have a broader view on the project, interesting questions, and unique resources to contribute to it.

Every teacher believes in the beauty of what we do. In the gesture of holding children’s and parent’s hands and offer them a new point of view on the world. The Learn with Mummy teachers are not just English teachers, they are windows open on new possibilities.

Granted, this approach won’t suit everyone. But when it does suit, then there’s no better way to work.

2. Training

Our training is comprehensive, continuous, intense.

Comprehensive because it covers all aspects of setting up and running Learn with Mummy playgroups, from the managerial aspects to the actual teaching.

Continuous because it doesn’t end with the induction course, that is just the beginning of the journey… Teachers are constantly supported and encouraged to improve.

Intense because it’s thorough and challenging. Our teachers are professionals, receive professional training, and are expected to work as professionals.

3. Testing

We do well because we never believe we are good enough.

Quality is a never ending journey

A journey we all share.

Motivation is the engine of this journey. Feedback is the fuel.

So we constantly ask for feedback, give feedback, take feedback in.

And so we improve, learn, and, why not, have fun.

This is not a job for the faint of heart. And that’s precisely the beauty of it.