The School That Says “Yes”. 

Three Great Things That Are Happening at a Small School in Haskovo, a First-Year Participant in the “Model Schools” Program

Yes.

This is the most common response to any question beginning with “Can we…” at St. Cyril and Methodius Primary School in Haskovo. The school leadership says “yes” to its teachers’ ideas, no matter how bold and unconventional. Teachers reciprocate this positivity to their students, and students say “yes” to each other. St. Cyril and Methodius is a small but cohesive community where children are supported to be themselves, help one another, and engage in genuine learning.

St. Cyril and Methodius joined the “Model Schools” program in the 2023/2024 academic year. There were many significant “yeses” throughout the year, and here we will share three of them.

Yes. Together we can. 

“As I walked down the corridor toward the classroom, I wondered how long it would take me to explain to the students how to properly divide into groups,” recalls Mrs. Ivanka Stoyanova, the school’s principal. By “properly,” she means that each group should include both stronger and more challenged students in the subject. This distribution is crucial as it allows children to advance through collaborative work and mutual assistance. To her surprise, the students not only divided into diverse groups on their own, but also immediately assigned themselves roles as soon as she presented the task. Using different roles in the team is also important because it engages every child—even those with limited Bulgarian language skills or modest subject knowledge can participate, for example, as timekeepers. Including every child in group work is particularly important for those who would otherwise remain on the sidelines, uninvolved. Assigning even small responsibilities shows them that they are valuable team members and builds their confidence in contributing to a common goal.

Yes, We can. 

After observing an English lesson during his first visit to the school in January 2024, Trayan Trayanov, the executive director of Teach for Bulgaria, issued a direct challenge to Ms. Nikol Dobreva, who teaches the foreign language at the middle school level: “Why don’t you start speaking only English in class?” Many language learning programs worldwide are built on the concept of “immersion” in the language and in an environment where only that language is spoken. Ms. Dobreva voiced her concerns that the students are young, not sufficiently advanced, and might face significant difficulties. Nevertheless, she accepted the challenge. Three months later, the Teach for Bulgaria team visited Ms. Dobrev’s classroom again. The conversation was entirely in English, and the children not only understood their teacher but also responded to her questions, asked their own, reflected at the end of the lesson, and noted down the homework.

Yes. You can. 

St. Cyril and Methodius is a small but unified community where children find themselves in a supportive environment that allows them to be themselves, assist each other, and engage in authentic learning. The school includes children from three different ethnic backgrounds, some of whom do not speak Bulgarian. This is not because they haven’t tried to learn it, but because their families have only recently moved to the country. The challenge lies in the fact that the Bulgarian educational system is not adapted for such children and does not provide the necessary resources or methods for their support. Fortunately, at St. Cyril and Methodius, the priority is for students to feel supported in their learning and to be in an inclusive and safe environment. As many children in the classes are comfortably bilingual or multilingual, during Bulgarian language and literature lessons, the teacher forms partnerships for mutual assistance—each child who does not know the language is paired with a buddy who helps and translates for them. This way, students who are new to the Bulgarian language are not isolated in the corner of the classroom but can participate even in Bulgarian language lessons, share thoughts on the literary works studied, and engage in group work. Teachers show that they value their opinions, and through translation and encouragement to speak Bulgarian, they begin confidently and calmly to master the language.

“This school is an oasis.” 

These were the words of Trayan Trayanov, the executive director of Teach for Bulgaria, after visiting the school in January 2024. Schools as oases—this is the dream of the foundation’s team. We invest in the idea that, regardless of all other circumstances in life, at school, every child will feel accepted, supported, and encouraged—to fulfill their dreams and unfold their potential through the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. This has been the goal of the “Model Schools” program for five consecutive years.