Own Personal and Professional Development

Education has motivated me since my early childhood; nevertheless, I believe that my mandatory schooling never accommodated my learning styles and interests. The system’s dominant traditional teaching and learning style, which discouraged critical and creative thinking, drove me out at the age of 15 when I left school after completing six Ordinary levels between the age of 14 and 15 with the primary objective to work as a factory operator to earn money and consequently build my own family. As a result, I was dropped out of the school system for failing to complete it. In view of the latter, throughout these years, I have perceived educators as having a social responsibility based on the concept that when education is offered meaningfully i.e. when centered on the learner’s interests as individuals, learners can reach their full potential.

When my three children were born, I was fascinated by education with a particular focus on people who were at a disadvantage. I have worked on inclusive education for 27 years, both in compulsory schools and in several established Organisations. My academic trajectory resumed with the completion of a Diploma in Art (Level 5), which served as the basis for my therapeutic art workshops at the Eden Foundation, now known as INSPIRE. At the Eden Foundation, I delivered artistic services to 45 service users ranging in age from five to fifty-four years old over the course of one week. The Creative Arts & Psychotherapy Department provided creative services to help service users improve personally, emotionally, and socially through the arts.

In 2009, I began working as a Learning Support Educator at a Church school in the secondary sector of compulsory education. 2013 saw my graduation from the University of Malta with a Diploma in Inclusive Education under the supervision of Drs. Charmaine Agius Ferrante, Elena Tanti Burlo’, Ruth Falzon, and Ninette Pace Balzan. I received a Master of Arts in Education (Derby) in 2015 and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Integrative Health and Social Care (Derby) with First Class Honors in 2018. I am furthering my academic career by studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Vocational Applied Educational Research (MVEAR 4.0) at Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology (MCAST), where I previously worked as a Deputy Director at the Institute of Community Services and am now a Part-Time Lecturer and a Learning Support Educator. My Doctor of Education degree application is currently being reviewed.

In my free time, I read and paint. Furthermore, I am an active member of MCAST Social Committee, and I act as President of an established NGO on a voluntary basis. This NGO involves percussion instruments with the aim to integrate vulnerable people into the communities. If you would like to know more about this Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) click here to visit the website.