Vasumini John, an educator in the round
Giancarlo Cerini
It 's always a chore to remember a friend, as was John Vasumini, even during the presentation of his writings and his thoughts education and its relationship with young people. But the memory is sometimes necessary to not lose the value of the testimony, commitment, consistency, so its passage in our lives (alas so short, but powerful) leave us a sign, a word, a gesture, that helps each of us in this difficult human adventure.
John was always engaged in vocational training, a column dell'ENAIP Forlì, but it was also a lot more for his passion for human and civil, for the sake of the relationship, listening, collaborative enterprises. For the need of not being satisfied of the approximation of roughly of that but not put into practice, the "functionality" as he would say. Who knows, maybe his specific training in technology and mechanics, we made it "humanist" almost a providential alien, able to meet the practical needs that we almost seem to despise intellectuals. A legacy of our idealistic culture, one that considers science and technology almost knowledge of minor mechanical cowardly. Many times we have talked about these two cultures (the theoretical and practical), he almost regretted the weak point was implicit that inflicted on his "training" and still believe that we could bring the boys to the theory, starting with the practice.
But, then, was our peers, because he loved to contend with the high matters of sense, education, values \u200b\u200bof citizenship, secular and Christian roots of our being in the community and city. I believe that this openness to many worlds, all-round, made him a very free, very open, very tolerant, eager to get involved and get to test in different situations in different educational settings (school, for the many professional acquaintances and friendship in Scouting and in the life of the ecclesial community, in politics, but with an approach pre-civil and political, in the family, with loved ones (but here we portray in reserve, even if we had hit a public interview in full-disease-in a public-private dialogue with Paul about the lightness of suffering, as if to give even now a word of hope to others ).
John had the talent of the educator, not merely a teacher, because it is very easy to prepare a "lesson" and propose it to the other, sitting behind the safety of a chair. In short, education provides too much for granted the relationship front, the idea of \u200b\u200ba "transmission" of who knows who does not know, to deliver a performance almost as another to be provided in the manner and time set for some job description .
The educational relationship is much more challenging, because while it brings into play not only what "you know", but what "is". The report is to listen, help, accompanying, but not waiver, and perhaps the moment of truth is just like building a box, like you're next, rather than just the front. And that the educational style
learning is best if there is a chair, but while we build something, you learn a technique, you trip, you help someone, do you organize a group, you build a team, we propose a result. John put into practice and strengthened its attitude to education by attending various places and learning environments, I believe with the ability to reflect its diversity and continue to learn from every situation. An educator is that if you continue to learn from students. So
an educator in the round, to be understood as a teacher, trainer, facilitator, chief scout, guide, volunteer, parent, adult seen as carrying out educational tasks in different forms and contexts, but having in mind the sense of helping relationship, one that grows and wants to make children independent and responsible. Education takes place in many forms and in many places, this is a part of our post-modern society, where the school seems to lose centrality, especially for those kids who choose the road "almost inevitable" in vocational training, the place elective John "trainer".
"Training" is a word difficult (and here we drop the term from the technologic associated exclusively to professional education, the idea of \u200b\u200ba utilitarian training, in preparation for a job or a route to work).
Here goes quite recovered in its full meaning of "shaping", structure, organization, support the other in its evolutionary process, to instruct, teach ... concepts that educators invite us to handle with extreme caution, even from someone warning ' use such a term not to slip into plagiarism, in conformity, the power of asymmetrical adult who has many more tools of the child, adolescent, to impose its vision of the world to judge. All this implies a huge responsibility on those who give or have "training".
Educare is a mild word, would say Margaret Zoebeli, founder of the Opera Centro Educativo Italo-Swiss Rimini, an environment that intertwines "physically" too didactic moments with those existential aspects of formal and informal education with the report, the moments with the routine of school, play, self-government.
In training, the "know how" gives nobility to the many speeches that we do on skills, exercise, stress, safe procedure. These aspects are indicative of a successful performance, and this already gives rise to an initial level of motivation, self-esteem, confidence in their own ability. The boys are challenging because of the training should be helped to rebuild not only its own training program, but just imagining a life project, to cultivate in its full human dignity, even before professional
Preparation for a job, work, seems to refer to an apparently lower value of education, but instead represents for many children the only way for the recapture of human dignity, social responsibility. A school of second chance, as Mark would say Rossi Doria, however, shows that the failure of the first opportunity (the school), with which, however, maintain a continuous dialogue. That is why John (trainer) did not shun dialogue with teachers, looking through many educational initiatives in the national circle of the ACLI, a common passion for education.
Making non-school education places is certainly a difficult undertaking, but authentic. Why should explore and make contact seemingly distant worlds educational (school, vocational training, community groups, parish church, voluntary associations) that outline the time and place to do education, formal and informal, with different but complementary and essential to achieve those results and respect for the individual training of citizens, we believe that goal widely shared and necessary in our society and our community, starting with the report to help people more need it (teenagers, kids are difficult, those requiring accommodation).
Here education is confused with politics, in the highest sense of the term (certainly outdated now) because not enough technicians, teaching, setting goals and methods, if he fails the "meaning" civil and public education. A certain idea of \u200b\u200beducation, again confirming its role as a civil and human emancipation, of closeness to the children most vulnerable and invisible. A place of cooperation, mutual help, '"together we can do it" (you guys and I, your teacher). A call to a witness as strong as that of Don Milani, an educator but also "political", because politics is just "sorting together."
For John "politics" was therefore a different way to experience the pedagogical function, certainly with the hope of change, for an honest government that it would not take sides could not the humblest. But his was a policy in a low voice, without the emphasis of the camps, because the intention was always to make it a further opportunity for study, reflection and research.
But John is still a hint of familiarity, faber man, attentive to detail, ready to listen. For him, that is precisely the Max Bruner that the fundamental task of the educator is the art of dialogue of courtesy, a virtue that goes with maiuetica gentleness of gesture and voice, a subtle sense of irony that is also a sense of limits, the deliberate decision not to put difficulties in the other person even though you know perfectly well that you are more competent than he does about a certain thing, because maybe you expect the same "treatment" when you'll be in similar conditions.
Thanks for all that, John.
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