Adika Crémet (she/her)

How did you get into teaching?

A summer vacation, helping out in a children’s bookstore ‘Down-under’ and wanting to be part of a change led me into teaching. I studied Marketing and Political Science, which were interesting, but did not motivate me. Some say I am idealistic, but I am a firm believer that each small step we take leads to a better world. As an international educator, I have met some amazing teachers, leaders and policy makers who have convinced me to keep doing what I am doing. Teaching is not just educating children; it’s a way to cultivate and nurture life-long learners, critical thinkers and change-makers for a better world. As Nelson Mandela once wrote, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Inspired by this, I believe that education can push us to create a more inclusive, meaningful and harmonious world. My hope is to not lose faith and continue to inspire and be inspired to everyone around me wherever I am.

Who was the K-12 teacher who made the greatest (positive) impact on your own life?

To answer this question, I will be a risk-taker and say that the teachers in my life who have made the greatest impact are not my classroom teachers. As much as I loved learning and school, the best teachers in my life so far have been people like my late grandparents who taught me to be resilient and respectful and inspirational colleagues who have become my mentors and taught me the tools of the trade and skills to enhance my professional knowledge and teaching.

These mentors include people like Brené Brown, Kath Murdoch, Nancy Lhoest-Squicciarini, Aga Chojnacka, and Kimberly L. Mitchell. Each one of these women have helped me to hone my practices in positive ways that have changed my life. My thinking, perspectives, strategies and ideologies keep evolving and transforming as I listen, apply, evaluate and improvise. By working with these mentors, I have become more reflective, sensitive, respectful, open-minded and adventurous. I also value the mistakes I’ve made and the lessons I’ve learned from horrible experiences.

What is a professional inquiry you are currently pursuing?

How do I integrate more play and inquiry-based learning into my practice?

Play is the natural way that children learn and discover. I have seen many inspiring models of schools achieving this successfully such as International School of Billund, Anji School and others. In the progression of time, childhood is too often lost in the demand for parents’ expectations and schools’ criteria-based standings. As a passionate educator for play and children’s rights, I would like to develop the knowledge and expertise to be able to advocate even more for play and inquiry-based learning. Educators need to advocate for learning to be a sense of wonder, fun, curiosity, taking risks, making hypothesis, learning from experiences and creating opportunities to grow and extend the learners to become confident, capable and adventurous! Learning should develop from curiosity, wonder, experiences and innovation which I feel is slowly re-entering now in the world of education.

How are you pursuing it?

I have mentors at work and in my professional circle who share and encourage me. I follow different leaders and educators on Twitter and LinkedIn. I also frequent these sites and read the following books:

Project Zero (HGSE & Sydney Network)
TODDLE, IB workshops
LEGO Foundation
Books: The Adaptive School, Creative Schools, The Shaping School Culture Fieldbook, Lifelong Kindergarten, Experience Inquiry, Dive into Inquiry, and The End of Average

What is a personal inquiry you are currently pursuing?

Who am I as a TCK (Third Culture Kid)?

After turning 40 years old this year and living in this pandemic, 2020 has not only presented me with more questions, but showed me how complex life is for everyone. I am starting to value and recognize the significance of being a TCK. Learning about other TCK’s experiences has helped me in accepting my identity more fully. Being a TCK myself also helps me in my teaching as I can empathize with my students and their families. TCKs can influence and create positive impact because we are intimate with issues around inclusion, racial harmony, peace, tolerance, open-mindedness and flexibility. I am on a life-long journey of learning about my identity as a TCK and how I am growing and changing with age, time and place.

How are you pursuing it?

TCK groups online (Facebook/Twitter)
Books such as The Culture Map, White Teeth, The Little Prince and lots more….
Podcasts: Brené Brown (who is a strong TCK advocate), TCK tales, Diary of a TCK, TCK VOF, Third Culture Podcast, People like us, TCK care
Following TCK world and Denizen website and blogs by other TCKs
Traveling and visiting friends from different backgrounds and engaging in conversations; learning new languages and traditions from friends, family and colleagues

To improve teaching as a profession, what three things would you advocate for and why?

Children’s Rights

As an educator, one must advocate and raise awareness for children’s basic rights. Without this conviction, our contribution and purpose in our role as educators will not reach people or places and making positive impacts outside of the classroom. Teaching isn’t just a job but a vocation; part of a life journey of self-discovery and helping others discover who they are and their purpose through education.

Play and Childhood

Play is how children learn naturally and discover how the world works. Today, education has become more stressful, challenging and unachievable for many children. They are losing education’s pure essence of fun and curiosity. Thankfully, play and inquiry-based learning are now making a positive return in schools and giving us hope and opportunities to return to the original way of how children learn and develop.

Social-emotional well-being

Due to the pandemic this year, our social-emotional wellbeing has taken a hit. Teaching is not just academic, but a nurturing role as we are developing future leaders and citizens of the world. Without compassion, empathy and tolerance, knowledge can be meaningless as it will be limited to application to theory without purpose. I am a strong believer of purposeful results rather than just being results-oriented. As an educator, developing well-rounded learners means more than developing students to achieve all A’s'; it’s about helping them discover their purpose in this world.

You gotta see this!

I’ve been inspired by listening to these podcasts (I am a podcasts geek!):

Unlocking Us by Brené Brown

Magic Lessons by Elizabeth Gilbert

TED Talks Daily

HBR Ideacast