During my stay in Brest I had a wonderful experience with students at the Brest State University. Teaching students wishing to acquire additional knowledge, eager to learn and to listen, concerned and respectful was a gift. Although I was lucky, I did not have to asses them

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Normally I thoroughly enjoy my work, however there is an aspect I don?t like. It is to asses students, to give them a mark. After the students came to review their exams, many questions arise.

First of all I would like to refer to the aims students have. Do our students want to learn as much as possible? Are they committed to working hard in order to get the best marks? Or in the contrary, are they simply concerned about pass exams? Pass exams / learn, is it a contradiction? Scholarships depend on the marks obtained, marks depend on the exams, exams are written by teachers and they write difficult exams. If a lot of students fail, it is clear, it is the teacher?s fault.

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As a teacher, I accept my responsibility. Let us consider the situation, let us look for another way of assessing students, other methodologies, let us adapt to the new generation (Generation Z, by the way). But there are some limits, limits we cannot exceed.

The above reflexion was focus in my experience as a teacher, nevertheless it could be expanded, extrapolated. When things that happen in life are analysed, do we assume our responsibility or on the contrary we look for someone to blame? It is easier to look for the guilty one: parents, teachers, government, economic crisis… Otherwise there are other alternatives. It could be considered what I did, how I had gotten into this situation, and above all, how I can resolve the situation. Only from our responsibility solutions can be found, other alternatives could be considered, and there are always a lot of solutions.

Only few students wanted to analyze the situation and consider what they could do in order not to fail again. And most of them blamed us for all. Why not everyone carry their own backpack?

I have already refer to backpack when I was packing to go to Brest (post 20 kg), and now I return to the same subject. I try to carry my backpack and assume my responsibility, it implies not to carry things that another person has to carry. What do you carry on your backpacks? What kind of analysis do you do: blame or assume responsibility? I would like to know about your opinions.

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