By Danijela Beljić
Sometimes the most meaningful professional experiences arrive when they are least expected.
For Danijela Beljić from Tehnička škola in Valjevo, that moment came at the 2026 ELTA Serbia Annual Conference, when she won a raffle prize for a place on The Humans in the Room course at the SOL centre in Barnstaple.
At first, she admits, the people around her seemed more excited about the prize than she was. Looking back, however, it became clear that the opportunity had arrived at exactly the right moment. After more than twenty five years in English language teaching and a particularly demanding professional period, Danijela was ready for something different.
She travelled to North Devon expecting valuable professional development, but perhaps not many completely new ideas. Instead of overthinking what the experience should be, she decided simply to step into it fully and see where it would lead.
And it led considerably further than the training room.
The course took participants through Barnstaple and across North Devon and beyond, from Ilfracombe and Westward Ho! to Appledore, Croyde Bay, Saunton Sands, Lynton and Lynmouth, the Valley of the Rocks, and Dunster Castle.
Braunton became especially memorable. Danijela and her team chose it as the focus of their final project, exploring the Museum of British Surfing, the local surfing culture, the sand dunes, and the wild North Devon coastline. 🌊✨
What began as a raffle prize became a journey of learning, reflection, discovery, and a renewed look at the human side of teaching.
Perhaps that is the quiet magic of the best professional development. Sometimes it gives a teacher a new activity for Monday morning. Sometimes it gives something much bigger: perspective, connection, and a reminder of why the profession mattered in the first place.
Read Danijela’s full story and discover the memories she brought home from Barnstaple and beyond.
