Our Trip To Moscow

Back to reality after what can only be described as the most rewarding week of my career to date.

Day one

We arrived at our hotel on the Monday night and we were distraught to find that the restaurant had just closed; the restaurant manager didn’t have to tell us it was shut, the look on her face was enough. It was cold and dark outside but with Stuart as our leader we ventured into the great unknown. We probably walked half a mile and found a restaurant, we took a look inside to find two locals eating and the waiter not wanting to make eye contact. Within ten minutes we were sat down and thinking of innovative ways to translate the Russian menu, phones were out searching for apps to help with translation, but in the end we asked one of the locals to translate. Drinks were ordered and you can imagine my happiness when we discovered there was steak and chips on the menu. Mandeep’s full plate of chicken salad arrived from the kitchen but being the polite person that she is, she thought it best to wait for our food to come out as well. A little later the steak was served and I awaited the arrival of chips. I thought I was going to break down in tears when we asked about the chips and the waiter simply shook his head, I guess chips were off that night. The highlight of the evening was as we finished our steak Mandeep was only half way through her plate – salad goes a long way. On returning to the hotel I went straight for my beauty sleep but somehow five hours just wasn’t enough.

Day two

At 7.45am dressed in my best suit I ventured to breakfast looking forward to the array of sausage, bacon, eggs, beans and black pudding. I was greeted with cheese, ham and croissants. This just showed my body was in for a culture shock. This was the main day; Stuart gave us good advice about how to sell ourselves, so we all boarded the bus and headed for the conference. Upon entering the venue of the conference it was obvious how much work had gone into the event by Microsoft – simply amazing. After registering and collecting our free goodies (pen included), we were shown to our booths.

We had an hour to setup and prepare. Jen really wasn’t happy with the closeness of our booths and the fact that she was put in the corner. I could understood where she was coming from but on reflection Jen – it couldn’t have been that bad, as you are going to Washington!! What was obvious was the amount of hard work and dedication that all teachers from all countries had put in when looking around the room. As my new friend from Ireland (Tom Jackson) said, teaching is a vocation and this just proved that he was right. It was great to look at the UK entries, the ideas were amazing. At 9am we were called to the main conference stage for the welcome speeches and the first of many keynotes. It was then back to our booths to show off our projects. What an experience this was, educationalists from all over Europe walking around the room looking at the work that we do in our classrooms. We knew the times the judges were going to visit us and we knew we had to make clear what our projects were about, but let’s not forget these projects were not just about the teachers but about the pupils involved in them. It is something to come up with an idea but without the pupils, they wouldn’t get very far. After I had seen my judges it was time to take a walk around the room and look at other projects. What an amazing experience to see like-minded people really using technology in ways that you wouldn’t normally think, in their classrooms. At the end of a busy day we headed off to Red Square to see the sights and experience the culture. Stuart broke the first golden rule – never talk to a policeman and his dog. Quickly followed by the breaking of rule two – never accept help from strangers. Thankfully for us both paid off and we ended up at tonight’s restaurant of choice – The Looking Rooms. You can imagine the excitement running in my head when I saw the logo.

How excited was I to be able to order cheese burger and chips, and guess what the chips actually arrived. Stuart thought it would be a good idea to order some optional extras – garlic bread. I have tasted many varieties of garlic bread in my time but never one like this. See picture below.

After a great day and a great night with good company we got in our taxis and headed back to base.

Day three

Wednesday was our opportunity to listen to various key note speeches and to attend workshops. John Davitt was the first keynote speaker and I can honestly say I have never laughed so much (apart from the Only Fools and Horses Chandelier episode). He managed to get the balance of humour and academia spot on. After showing us his 100% Ebay feedback we knew we were in for a feast, he was just an inspiration to all and I couldn’t wait to attend his workshop later on in the day. Of the four workshops I attended, two real highlights were Stuart Ball and John Davitt. John Davitt’s workshop gave us many ideas of the use of different technologies in the classroom and I think what I loved most was that he too, had a suitcase full of leads to connect anything to anything. A man after my own heart. I was completely taken back by Stuart’s workshop that started with a bag of liquorice allsorts and ended up with me knowing more about insects than I had ever learned at primary school – why weren’t you my teacher??! The one thing I came away knowing was that more schools need to know about the free Microsoft software that is out there, I thought I knew what was available but this just proved me wrong. I was a ‘naughty’ in school and am a strong believer that if pupils are enjoying themselves, why would they chose to mess about? This was the case here as I was switched on all the way through this workshop!! The evening was again feast of Russian food; I have never seen so much food on a table. I looked in amazement to see if there was something that would wet my appetite, sadly this was not the case. You wouldn’t believe that I am a fussy eater to look at. As you will see from the expression on my face in the picture below, I was jumping for joy when the meat course arrived. I thought I had died and gone to heaven and because everyone else was prepared to try new things, they were full by this point which meant more steak for Steve and I.

A great time was had, the taxis were cancelled and we headed to the Holiday Inn to join our Irish colleagues for a night of Welsh and Irish traditional Song in the bar.

Day four

We got a lie in this morning and how good did this feel. Today was a chance for outside educationalists to attend the conference and look at the many projects on display. It was great talking to other people from other cultures and backgrounds about how their education systems work. After lunch we packed away our things, got on to the bus and headed to the hotel for a power nap and to get ready for the gala dinner. At 5.45pm we met in reception and departed to the evening’s festivities. On arriving at the venue we were met with a champagne reception. What a spectacle this place was. We were sat at our table to once again find an array of Russian delights. I couldn’t believe how colourful and exciting the evening’s entertainment was, from dancing to singing, to gliding down a tight from ceiling to floor. I did ask to have a go but for some reason they said no, health and safety gone mad! The time had come for the presentation of awards. I was ecstatic when I heard my name called from the stage to receive an award. I can honestly say that this award recognised my pupils’ hard work and achievement and I felt honoured to be on that stage with so many inspirational people. After looking at the many projects in Moscow (especially the UK entries), it must have been a very difficult decision to identify award winners as there were so many outstanding projects. After the award ceremony I was asked to lead Happy Birthday from the main stage to Eva, how could I resist the opportunity to give it a good Max Boyce – Ogi Ogi Ogi. It was great to see the many blank expressions from the floor, but thanks to the Welsh, Irish and English replies of Oi Oi Oi!!

Day five

Who’s bright idea was it that after a night of dancing and over indulgence, that we should meet at 8am!! As the lift doors open at 8.23am I could see the faces staring at me – thinking where have you been?!! I quickly locked my baggage up in the locker room and off to Starbucks we went. You can imagine the look on my face as my triple chocolate gateau and tea with three sugars arrived – heaven!! From here it was off to once again test our bravery on the metro underground to get to Red Square. I’d like to think that we blended into the background but I think my green hoody, Staurt’s Welsh hat and Steve’s ‘England is the Best’ bobble hat, kind of gave us. After some sightseeing and a look around the shops we made our way to that well known British restaurant – McDonalds (I know it’s American!!). At 12.30pm we made our way back to the Hotel to collect our things and head to the airport. It was sad to end the trip, especially as it had gone so quickly. I can honestly say that this week has opened up so many great possibilities, especially the chance to be able to link up with other classrooms across the globe. The week has given me so many new ideas for the classroom and a bonus; I have made some great friends – even you Mandeep!! I have to thank Stuart Ball for all the help and support leading up to the trip and for his constant guidance and leadership during the whole experience, to Jan Webb for being the greatest mother figure you could wish for in a foreign country and to Alessio Bernardelli who suggested I enter my project back in September on visiting out school for an inset. It has been a great experience, now I need to think of ways to take it forward and the main thing I will do is to show our colleagues in school and feeder schools the great free Microsoft tools that are out there that will benefit their classrooms.