‘Difficulties give rise to the abilities necessary in man to overcome them.’ – William Phillips. I can’t begin without telling another story about my student who started her studies in England almost two years ago. When Alina’s mother called me in mid-September with the question “is it possible to transfer my child to school in England this year”, I was puzzled, because the process of admission and registration to school is long and multi-stage, often we start working a year, or even two before admission!!!
It is not simply a case of finding a school that has places, but to choose the educational institution for the child that will meet the requirements and help them to develop in the future.
Looking back now, Alina said that she did not really want to go and change her school, she was very worried and afraid of how she would be able to adapt, what kind of teachers, students, etc. would be there. And now she confidently says that this is the best thing that happened to her … Of course, whenever my students make such a confession, my heart trembles due to the long way we travelled with admission, advice and support. None of this work was in vain.
Alina chose subjects that she really liked: Art, Art History and Photography. She said to me, ‘Just not maths.’ It’s just as well that only three subjects are studied in England, sothis was possible. Alina said that she was supported at school in all her ideas and endeavours, with the teachers helping her to catch up.
A particularly difficult period was from March 2020, when everyone was in quarantine, and Alina studied online. I remember that uncertain time when my parents and I were in touch all the time, when everything changed almost every day.
Alina told me that the main thing she learned online was not to be distracted by other less important things. She knew she had to learn and complete her assignments, and she tried her best. The most important thing is that she was among the leaders on her course and her grades have given her parents a reason to be proud of her. I hope that Alina will get her high marks in the exams, we only have to wait a little longer!
I’m a little sorry that we’ll be parting ways soon, the A-level programme ends and Alina will go on her big journey, but for me she’s an example of how you can get together and open up in a new environment and take advantage of all the opportunities, even with the restrictions of the pandemic or encountering other difficulties during training.
