One of the most valuable parts of the SPIRIT project was working with our Local Communities of Practice and International Communities of Practice.

The principle behind them is one I continue to believe in wholeheartedly.

Educational innovation should never happen in isolation.

If we want to create meaningful resources for teachers, then teachers themselves need to help shape them. Their experience, questions and professional judgement make educational projects stronger.

At the same time, this experience taught me something I hadn’t fully appreciated before.

Teachers are incredibly generous with their time—but their time is also incredibly limited.

Between teaching, planning, meetings and countless responsibilities, every hour they give to a project is an investment. Looking back, I found myself wondering whether our conversations could have been even richer if we had been able to place more complete examples and prototypes in front of teachers from the beginning. Concrete resources often invite deeper discussions than ideas that are still evolving.

This isn’t a criticism of the project. It is simply one of the realities of collaborative international work, where resources develop gradually and timelines naturally evolve.

It is, however, a lesson I will carry into future projects:

When we ask teachers for their expertise, we should make every interaction count.

The International Communities of Practice offered another valuable perspective by bringing together educators from five different countries. Despite working in different educational systems, many of our aspirations for children were remarkably similar.

Yet the conversations that stayed with me most weren’t those where we discussed educational theory.

They were the moments when we explored practice together.

During our validation meeting in Cyprus, teachers from across the partnership participated in workshops, experimented with activities, challenged ideas, played and reflected together. Those discussions had a different depth because we weren’t simply talking about learning—we were experiencing it together.

That experience also left me with a broader reflection.

In Cyprus, we are fortunate to have excellent professional development opportunities through the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute and many other initiatives. Perhaps the next question is not only “What do teachers need to know?” but also “What do teachers need in order to flourish?”

Professional learning can certainly build knowledge and skills, but I wonder whether it can also intentionally create space for connection, creativity, reflection and renewal. After all, teachers spend their lives helping children flourish. It is worth asking how our professional learning experiences can help educators flourish as well.

If this project taught me one lasting lesson about Communities of Practice, it is this:

Teachers don’t simply need opportunities to hear about educational innovation.

They deserve opportunities to experience it, shape it and grow through it together.