Teaching awards give recognition to the work of professionals who contribute towards improving their students’ learning experience and personal growth.
Víctor Fermosel, a lecturer at EAE, has been nominated for the GFEL Awards (Global Forum for Education and Learning) which will be presented in December in Dubai. This knowledge exchange forum brings together the brightest minds in the education sector with the aim of leading, regulating, empowering and improving the means of education transference.
You have been nominated for the GFEL Awards. What are your expectations of the event?
In fact, my expectations are quite high. A lot of hard work has been done over the years and it is a pleasant surprise to see the invisible work of teachers recognised at a global level. I hope to bring the award home for our country, and I would like to thank the American institution (GFEL) for organizing these awards. Moreover, it is something that doesn’t happen often, and even less so on an individual level, especially in an age in which we value the immediate result, the culture of the least effort that we live in where we want instant gratification, in a world with lots of marketing that doesn’t have a great deal behind it.
The award ceremony will be held in the Hotel Le Meridien in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with the participation of leading figures from the world of education from all over the globe. How important do you think it is for teachers to meet people like this?
It is hugely important, in my opinion. It is a wonderful opportunity to network and learn from the best. Life is a continuous learning process and the chance to see first-hand what people do elsewhere in the world gives us an insight into their reality, which is really enriching and enables us to improve our ideas and objectives.
Is there anybody in particular coming to the event who you admire? Why exactly?
I admire anyone with the dedication to remain in love with what they do, and even more so if their life’s work and passion is teaching and improving our world, even though they make it harder for us every day, promoting a world in which people don’t think for themselves. I am proud to be a traditional schoolteacher, one of the ones who plants the seed that grows to show that the most important thing in society is education. Those are the people I admire.
The GFEL (Global Forum for Education and Learning) is a prestigious global institution. What does it mean to you to form part of the elite 100 world leaders in the field of education?
It gives me confirmation that I am on the right track and encourages me to work harder and better every day with everybody else to achieve the goals of this world, to be able to teach the world what is urgent and important, which issues are first-world problems and which are not, keeping fighting to ensure that education is the engine that drives society forward based on mutual respect.
