The theme for Samoan Language Week is '
Tapena sou oso mo lau malaga' which in English means '
Prepare yourself a gift for your travels'. The Ministry for Pacific Peoples describes this "
as Pacific Peoples when we prepare for travel, we take our traditions with us, allowing us to share our oso (gifts/food) with everyone we meet along the way. And with these gifts we build, nurture and strengthen our language, culture and identity." This theme emphasizes the importance of service. More importantly the act of serving others, teaching others, helping others and sharing your gifts with others in our life's journey. Through this act of gifting and service, our identity and our sense of being is strengthened. This theme carries different meanings for everyone. My interpretation of this theme is layered and applies to many areas in my life especially in my teaching career.
Education is a gift. As teachers, our calling and duty is to serve. Everyday we lead and serve our learners in their learning journey. In this service we are using our gift in our specialized subject area and share it with our students. I did not come into teaching with an intention to share my gift, there is still a part of me that is trying to figure out what my gift is. This job has given me some great opportunities to understand what my gift is and use it. From leadership to collaboration I have been able prepare and use my gift and share it with everyone.
Tapena sou (Prepare yourself)
A key message from this theme is 'prepare yourself'. As educators we are constantly preparing and planning for our learners, it is what we are taught to do in training college, it is part of our teaching DNA. The notion of 'prepare yourself' encourages everyone to take responsibility and ownership of your gift. It encourages people to make sure that whatever it is that you are gifting, that there is a level of preparation, thought and intention with it. In the same light as educators our preparation, purpose and desire on how we gift our learners is important. The lead up to Term 2 was different to say the least. What we would normally plan and prepare for our students had to be translated online. Preparing online learning was an undertaking in itself but one that if it is done right will work properly. I used the time whilst in lock down to really think about what I wanted my online learning program to look like, what the students needed and what I wanted my students to get out of it. Pre COVID 19 I did not use online teaching as much as I should have, much of that is a result of poor planning. With time I have really taken my platform online seriously and in it's own way, it has become a gift that I am excited to share with my learners.
oso mo lau malaga (a gift for your travels)
The theme talks about the 'oso' (typically known as a gift or food) and as educators, our 'oso' (knowledge, time, resources, patience .... did I mention patience?!) feeds our students and it is one that we continually share. There is a selflessness and humility about this. For many Samoan families the concept of 'oso' can be found in the sharing of food, exchange in prayer, gifting of cultural items (fine mats) - just to name a few. The term 'oso' is an informal way of referring to a gift however regardless of the degree of how informal or formal the word is, how you gift and why you gift is important. When it comes to teaching, I believe that it is important to be respectful, honest and inclusive. Otherwise whatever it is I am gifting will not be received as genuine.
For all in education, student and teacher, the real 'gift' that we can share with each other is time, respect, knowledge and collaboration. There is a real togetherness about education that calls people from all walks of life and travel to understand, analyse, learn, create and share. The last word in the theme 'malaga' means 'journey' or 'travel' and it is commonly used when you farewell someone or welcome one's arrival. For me 'malaga' is about a journey and the exciting part about this word for me is that journey does not exactly mean getting from A to Z. It is about travelling through everything. Teachers have an important part in their student's learning journey. What we do with our gift in this learning journey is crucial because we have an opportunity to help our learners learn and shape how they not only see the world but themselves.
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