Ivana Cairo

At first, I did not know I had been born to be a teacher: I was a young fifteen-year-old girl when I started teaching English. I was studying at IBA, Daisy Glass’ first school when I was invited to teach children. Although I still didn’t have the appropriate education, I had a strong intuition about how teaching a language should be. While I worked at IBA, I identified myself with the work developed by Daisy and realized that that was on the road I wanted to travel. I worked there as a teacher and coordinator for quite a long time until I left the country to study and live new experiences. When I came back, Daisy had just started a new school, the “Glass School” and invited me to join her and do the work we believed in and loved. I am very thankful for everything Daisy has taught me. She encouraged me to research and study hard to become a teacher who is able to make the difference in a learning context. I will never forget her favorite words: “no method is the right method: it is the informed teacher who makes the difference in the classroom.”
And here I am, 20 years later, working at Glass School as a teacher and coordinator. I am very proud to be part of this school which strives to develop a very conscious and modern work, always ahead of its time.
I feel this sense of fulfillment as I continue to look for different ways to make a difference in the classroom. There is no right answer; there is no perfect method (at least, not yet). There is only the love and commitment to do your best.