Interview with Jorge Salinas Medina
Professor of Philosophy, Greek and Religion and Head of ESO and Baccalaureate Studies.
1. Emma and Carmen: How many years have you been working at Colegio Alborán?
Jorge: I have been in this school in two stages, in the first one I started in the 1996-1997 academic year and I was there until 2010 and then I worked for a time in public education and finally I joined again in 2014 until today.
2. Emma and Carmen: Was teaching always your first choice?
Jorge: The truth is that no, I had given private classes and I liked it, but at first I did not intend to dedicate myself to teaching. Now I love it, teaching is my true passion, I really like teaching and I have never regretted having chosen that path.
3. Emma and Carmen: Since when have you been Head of Studies?
Jorge: I started as head of studies in the 2010 academic year, replacing a colleague on maternity leave. And then, since I joined again in 2014 to the present.
4. Emma and Carmen: What motivates you to go to school every day to teach your classes?
Jorge: (Between smiles) First of all, the novelty should be highlighted, because although it may seem monotonous since every day you interact with the same students or teach the same classes, the truth is that something new awaits you every day, with new challenges that have to reach And on the other hand, it is a profession that requires updating, in which you always have to innovate and be in continuous learning. It is not a mechanical job, because the interaction with the students is fantastic and you learn a lot from them.
5. Emma and Carmen: What experience would you highlight as a teacher and as Head of Studies in this center?
Jorge: As a teacher, I would like to point out that the most exciting thing are those moments when students from old promotions come to visit you, who already left years ago, because it is very satisfying when they tell you how they are doing at the University, what they are studying or some who have already finished their university studies and that they practice the profession … one is always happy about it.
And as Head of Studies, the best thing is to have a teaching staff that supports you at work, especially in coordination work, because my mission is precisely to coordinate, in that sense I am very lucky because I have a team, the best , (smiles satisfied) that they are a true family that all row in the same direction. So everything is easier and works better.
6. Emma and Carmen: We know that you have worked in some institutes, do you have any impressive experience to highlight?
Jorge: Well, public and private education have nothing to do, they are very different from each other. Above all, it strikes me that there are such numerous and heterogeneous groups, with different levels and that there are students who need personalized teaching, the truth is that it cannot always be provided. There is also no splitting of subjects into different groups according to their needs. Although there are great professionals in public education and I keep good memories of my time there. You always have to stay with the positive part of everything, because everything serves as learning.
7. Emma and Carmen: Did you ever feel less motivated than at this school?
Jorge: The truth is that yes, especially when you want to work on a certain project and you find yourself with many limitations in relation to the means compared to private education, there is greater ease or access to those means.
8. Emma and Carmen: Why did you decide to study Philosophy? Are you studying something else?
Jorge: Philosophy is a subject that already caught my attention when I was in high school and I liked it a lot, perhaps also guided by the good teacher I had, who marked me a lot. The truth is that this happens sometimes and it is interesting to see how teachers can influence our students, which is why education in values is so important.
At first, I did not decide to study Philosophy and Letters, but I began to study Law in Madrid, thinking that I would have a better future, is what was said at that time (he remembers).
But I soon realized that it wasn't filling me and I remembered Philosophy, which is a subject that makes you think, makes you critical and see things from another perspective.
9. Emma and Carmen: What do you like most about teaching? Does your job really excite you?
Jorge: (Between laughter and jokes) Of course I am excited, especially within Philosophy, the fact of being able to stir the thinking of young people, who are restless, who are not conformists, but who have a critical spirit and who know how to argue, because it is essential for students.
One of the phrases that I least like and that students say when they start studying Philosophy is "I know, but I don't know how to explain it". That is one of the phrases that I want to banish from the class, that is why the critical spirit is what I want to encourage and awaken in them the desire to learn, and question the world. Following Kant's maxim "dare to know".
10. Emma and Carmen: What do you think are the strengths of this school?
Jorge: In addition to the strong impulse and continuous improvement of the Bilingualism project, I would highlight other strong pillars, such as the commitment to technological and methodological innovation, without forgetting Art and student motivation.
Whether we like it or not, we live in a technological world and I think that if we can take advantage of everything that new technologies offer us in teaching to apply it in classes, well welcome.
On the other hand, methodological innovation. As I have commented before, in teaching you should not become stagnant, and we cannot teach the same as in past times. Teaching is constantly evolving. For all these reasons, the school has to commit to a new methodology, giving priority to teacher training and the way to integrate the new teaching methods into the curriculum.
For its part, I think the Artistic Baccalaureate is a very successful bet, we have been the first private school in our area to implement it, and it is always good for a School to promote love for art, aesthetics and creativity.
Finally, another characteristic of our center is the motivation that our teachers carry out to encourage those facets of our students that can be enhanced. For this reason, participation in literary contests (poetry and prose), photography, artistic drawing, etc. is encouraged. In fact, we have already received numerous awards and recognitions.
