As a co-founder and teacher of Albanian Schools “Alba Life”, operating in all neighborhoods of New York and Online for a period of about 15 years brought to you with pride that Albanian School “Alba Life” is a success story because of the mission national that carries and increase the number of students. I will not make a theory about the Albanian language, but I will speak with facts and real works about learning the Albanian language in the Diaspora, when tragically millions of Albanians over the centuries are losing the speaking and writing of the Albanian language. All these millions of Albanians who do not speak Albanian do not understand the theories, but they want concrete action, Albanian learning to enter your blood directly.

When the Albanian language is interpreted in classrooms, auditoriums, scenes, I believed that God sat next to me and touched the hearts of the little ones so that they would never forget the Albanian language.

Having the privilege of being a teacher of the Albanian language between the two continents, I must have been unconditionally inspired by the precious pedagogical treasure of the national elite. Every time I stopped in front of the class and almost touching the sky I interpreted the verses about the Albanian language from Fishta i Kombit. His word flows and gurgles through the teacher’s veins as in these verses:

“Through the Albanian language, the whole world / Does he know with you what tribe you have / Does he know about you Albanians / Trima n’za as you are”

Of course, the work of the staff and teachers of our school has not been easy as currently the Albanian language is not part of the American student programs as a second language, so we have encountered difficulties in enrolling students, but with dedication we have tried to solve even the difficulties of the great extent that New York has by opening branches in every neighborhood of it.

Throughout its activity, our school has focused its main attention on increasing the quality of teaching as this is the main factor that makes the student and the parent interested in learning the Albanian language. It is well known that children on weekends like sports and entertainment activities more, so the Albanian language lesson should be quality to arouse interest in students. Qualitative teaching and preparation with didactic and pedagogical methods by qualified teachers have made the Albanian School “Alba Life” from a single school that opened 15 years ago in Staten Island to have schools throughout New York. This is a success and a challenge we have made to you.

According to the plan of the school directorate, every year in the last week of August we have organized seminars with the teachers of our school to get acquainted with the news in the curricula and new registrations as well as to exchange experiences of teachers, but the year of gone considering it was the year of the pandemic we worked harder and did more intensive work throughout the month of august.

We conducted seminars to prepare teachers to use the Google Meet platform to teach online. Each teacher prepared and presented an open lesson before school started and displayed it in front of the school staff. This method made every teacher feel more confident in coping with the technical difficulties of the Google Meet platform.

During the school year we develop five artistic programs dedicated to: the Independence of Albania, the end-of-year holidays, the Independence of Kosovo, March 7 and the end of the academic year. This year we proudly say that we held the festival for the first time with the Albanian schools “Alba Life” in New York where it was extremely successful.

The preparation of the lesson by the teachers of the Albanian School “Alba Life” is done by selecting and adapting all the didactic materials and texts approved in the respective ministries of Albania and Kosovo. Each teacher prepares for each lesson using Power Point accompanied by various pictures and videos. They have made the lesson more interesting because as it is known it is not easy to keep a child in front of the screen a whole lesson without a quality preparation.

I want to mention that many students who come to our school when they come to life they come back when they have the opportunity and meet full of nostalgia and longing.

Ex. a student at the university wrote me a very beautiful and heartbreaking letter that made me cry as I felt up close the school experience in learning the Albanian language.

With the knowledge of history and important figures during the learning process have positively impacted virtual meetings as well as physically with some important figures. I am recently mentioning the visit of the Prime Minister of Kosovo Mr. Albin Kurti, the Deputy Prime Minister Donika Gervalla of the Ambassador of Albania in Washington D.C. Mrs. Floreta Faber, and with great interest the students of our school have followed the greetings of the first President of Kosovo Mr. Fatmir Sejdiu, Congressman Joe DioGuardi, US Ambassador William Walker, Ambassador of Albania in Washington D.C. Mrs. Floreta Faber, Minister of Foreign Affairsof Albania Mr. Ditmir Bushati, Ambassador Teuta Sahaqija, Ambassador Frymezim Isufaj, and many others.

Many parents have written and congratulated us on how much the teaching method has influenced the formation of their children by preparing them to know the roots of their ancestors, their Homeland and glorious history. Students have acquired language skills and habits, through reporting, explanation, demonstration, virtual videos, repetition and exercises through relevant texts. Teachers based on pedagogical methods with the form of adapting the characteristics of students’ age apply it as an important principle of didactics that is based on the theory of cognition.

This extraordinary experience of the Albanian School “Alba Life” has brought an increase in the quality of teaching by constantly attracting many students from all neighborhoods of New York and this professional work has been carried out in close cooperation with the coordinators, all teachers of the Albanian School ” Alba Life ”, which I take the opportunity to publicly thank in this meeting with the Pegasians.

The Albanian language in these schools feels more ardent, enlightening, evocative of hearts to help the Homeland from the children of the Diaspora, who are located in every corner of the globe.

The school has become inseparable with the binomial Nation and Albanian Language.

ALBANIAN LANGUAGE UNITES US!

Thank you for your attention dear colleague and I wish you success!

Prepared for the international event in favor of the Albanian language and identity, organized by the International Alternative Academy “Pegasus” and the platform “Successful Mothers” London,

The author has received the title: Knight of the Order of the Flag, is a writer, poet, publicist, teacher and co-founder of Albanian Schools in New York “Alba Life” Ambassador of the Nation./illyria.com