{"id":32981,"date":"2020-11-06T14:37:12","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T11:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/?p=32981"},"modified":"2020-11-30T15:52:00","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T12:52:00","slug":"maria-nesterova-our-team-is-successful-because-we-keep-learning-and-growing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/maria-nesterova-our-team-is-successful-because-we-keep-learning-and-growing\/","title":{"rendered":"Maria Nesterova: Our Team Is Successful because We Keep Learning and Growing"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_32491\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32491\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32491\" src=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/m.nesterova-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32491\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mrs. Maria Nesterova, principal of 7th Secondary School \u201cNayden Gerov\u201d in Varna<\/span><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most important roles at a school is the role of the principal. This is why we continue to introduce our readers to principals we see as strong and inspiring leaders. At the beginning of November we\u2019d like you to meet a principal of a partner school from our new program called <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/model-schools\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cModel Schools\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Maria Nesterova is also the principal of one of the first schools in the region of Varna that we are partnering with.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maria Nesterova has been a principal of 7th Secondary School \u201cNayden Gerov\u201d in Varna since 2002. She has a degree in mathematics from Sofia University and has worked as a teacher since graduation. She has worked at \u201cHadzhi Dimitar\u201d school and the high school of mathematics in Varna where she used to be an assistant principal as well. Many of her students have won national and international competitions. She says that she has never stopped learning new things. This is why she has a number of additional diplomas, certificates and qualifications from Varna Free University.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You are the principal of one of our first partner schools in Varna and a participant in our new program \u201cModel Schools\u201d. The initial training has already started. What are your impressions and what has been the most valuable experience for you and your team?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Naturally, after so many years as a principal, the things I heard at the training were all familiar to me. The most valuable thing in my opinion is that the program organizes our knowledge and skills and makes us focus on the right things.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The trainers work very hard to make everything more interesting and useful for us. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Despite the pandemic, 7th Secondary School participated in EU Code Week again:<\/b><\/h4>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-32981 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/maria-nesterova-our-team-is-successful-because-we-keep-learning-and-growing\/codeweek3-2\/'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek3-scaled-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-32498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek3-scaled-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek3-scaled-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek3-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-32498'>\n\t\t\t\t8th-graders are presenting coding to the 6th-graders in a fun and engaging way\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/maria-nesterova-our-team-is-successful-because-we-keep-learning-and-growing\/codeweek1-2\/'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek1-scaled-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-32496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek1-scaled-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek1-scaled-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/codeWeek1-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-32496'>\n\t\t\t\t6th-graders are presenting coding methods using symbols and colors to the 3rd-graders\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/maria-nesterova-our-team-is-successful-because-we-keep-learning-and-growing\/codeweek8-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CodeWeek8-scaled-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-32500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CodeWeek8-scaled-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CodeWeek8-scaled-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CodeWeek8-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CodeWeek8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CodeWeek8-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CodeWeek8-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-32500'>\n\t\t\t\t The goal was to get them to think fast and use logic. \u201cThe children were very happy with their results and were proud to present them to their parents,\u201d the teacher said.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You discovered a partner school for other projects during your training in our program. What makes the collaboration between schools from different towns so important in your opinion?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the surface, schools can appear to be the same &#8211; secondary schools, schools in the same regional capital, but in reality it\u2019s as if they come from two different worlds. Communication allows us to get a different perspective, to collaborate on all levels, to exchange ideas, or just to become friends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We actually found two partners in the program &#8211; 2nd Secondary School \u201cProf. Nikola Marinov\u201d in Targovishte and Secondary School \u201cHristo Botev\u201d in Kubrat. We already signed contracts for partnership as part of the national program Innovations in Action.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_32511\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32511\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32511\" src=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/chislopi3-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32511\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The school also celebrates one of the most unusual holidays &#8211; Pi Day! Every year on March 14 the young mathematicians and Pi fans gather in order to celebrate its perfection.<\/span><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why would you recommend such opportunities to other schools?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of everything I already mentioned &#8211; this program is engaging, the training sessions are provoking, we have to use different digital resources, we get to meet new people, and expand our horizons.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Describe your school in three words.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Big, diverse, innovative.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Describe the school of the future.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simple, democratic, a community of like-minded people.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the greatest challenges of this year has been the transition from in-person to distance learning. How did you cope as an innovative school whose curriculum focuses on digital technology and computer arts?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Things happened quickly for us and without much difficulty because we already have an internal school system for communication in a digital environment. All we had to do was take advantage of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How did you prepare for the new school year after what happened in March and how are you dealing with the current unstable situation?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are now exploring more features of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/prepodavame.bg\/digitalno-uchilishte\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Google G Suite<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for education: we hold meetings, general assemblies, parent-teacher conferences, teacher training sessions, research. Back in March we created a virtual teachers\u2019 room on the platform where teachers share interesting and useful resources. Also, if someone wants to raise a question or needs support, they can do that in the virtual teachers\u2019 room as well. We are still using that space and we haven\u2019t stopped learning about different ways and methods of communication in the digital environment. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>The school also participates in the month of cybersecurity every year:<\/b><\/h4>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-32981 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/maria-nesterova-our-team-is-successful-because-we-keep-learning-and-growing\/sigurnost-internet2-2\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet2-scaled-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-32504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet2-scaled-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet2-scaled-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet2-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-32504'>\n\t\t\t\tThe students from 10th and 11th grade present their point of view and experience in the vast internet world to the 5th-graders\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/maria-nesterova-our-team-is-successful-because-we-keep-learning-and-growing\/sigurnost-internet3-2\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet3-scaled-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-32506\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet3-scaled-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet3-scaled-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet3-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-32506'>\n\t\t\t\tThe older students give advice to the younger generation about how to surf the internet safely\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/maria-nesterova-our-team-is-successful-because-we-keep-learning-and-growing\/sigurnost-internet1-2\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet1-scaled-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-32508\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet1-scaled-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet1-scaled-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/sigurnost-internet1-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-32508'>\n\t\t\t\tThe 5th-graders also present their limited internet experience\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The teachers at your school are implementing project-based learning. One of their goals is to develop students\u2019 entrepreneurial spirit and to show them the practical applications of the subjects they teach. Tell us more about what helps you and your team to meet the ever changing expectations people have about education and to develop your professional skills so quickly?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our new innovation project is related to the application of the so-called competency-based approach. This was one of the reasons we decided to choose the 21st-century skills specialization in the \u201cModel Schools\u201d program.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What makes a team successful?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our team is successful because we keep learning and growing. We exchange best practices and strive to provide a variety of opportunities to our students. Not a day goes by without something interesting happening at school &#8211; we are constantly researching the latest trends in education and other areas as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_32509\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32509\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-32509\" src=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/nadigravane2-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-32509\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7th Secondary School \u201cNayden Gerov\u201d also celebrates Bulgarian folklore in the beginning of May.<\/span><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/principals-need-a-clear-structure-and-space-to-implement-new-management-practices\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the principal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> do to have a successful team?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you allow me to make an analogy, I\u2019d compare the principal to the crankshaft of the car engine: on the one hand the principal gets energy, stimuli, and resources from the team. On the other hand, they then have to redistribute the received energy and resources among the team. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is the most important thing we need to change in our perception of school education?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our society is not ready to accept the idea that schools and education in general can only be effective if the whole community is engaged &#8211; teachers, students, parents, the general public, and the coordinated actions by the government.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><b><i>Principals will have the opportunity to apply for \u201cModel Schools\u201d in the spring of 2021. Visit our website regularly for more information!\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<h4><b><i>You can find more information about distance learning <\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/distancionno-obuchenie\/\"><b><i>here<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i> and at <\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/prepodavame.bg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><i>prepodavame.bg<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i> (both links are in Bulgarian)<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the most important roles at a school is the role of the principal. This is why we continue to introduce our readers to principals we see as strong and inspiring leaders. At the beginning of November we\u2019d like &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":32492,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2345,2348,2352,3165],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-stories-en","category-news","category-our-partner-schools","category-uchilishta-za-primer-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32981"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32989,"href":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32981\/revisions\/32989"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}