{"id":45558,"date":"2022-03-03T14:24:36","date_gmt":"2022-03-03T11:24:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/?p=45558"},"modified":"2022-03-03T14:24:37","modified_gmt":"2022-03-03T11:24:37","slug":"an-extraordinary-school-where-all-children-are-equal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/an-extraordinary-school-where-all-children-are-equal\/","title":{"rendered":"An Extraordinary School Where All Children Are Equal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Model Schools in the Spotlight: Primary School \u201cTsani Ginchev\u201d in the town of Lyaskovets<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The students are posing with their new mood meter<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

An extraordinary school where all children are equal.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This statement sums up the philosophy of Primary School \u201cTsani Ginchev\u201d<\/a> in the town of Lyaskovets. The school is like a second home to 80 girls and boys who are developing their potential with the support of 20 teachers. They\u2019ve spent years working on making the school as inclusive as possible, especially for children with special needs. The students have their regular classes, but they can also take advantage of a variety of clubs and extracurricular activities dedicated to their personal interests, development, and conflict solving skills.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Primary School \u201cTsani Ginchev\u201d applied for Teach For Bulgaria\u2019s program Model Schools<\/a> in 2021. After successfully completing all stages of the selection process, the school was approved and joined the program\u2019s second class of participants<\/a> together with 26 other schools from villages, towns, and cities all over Bulgaria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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All schools can apply by March 31<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

With care for every child<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Ivan Peychev, deputy principal of Primary School \u201cTsani Ginchev\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Model Schools is a two-year professional development program. The goal is for teachers to improve their leadership skills and master new teaching methods in order to be able to meet their students\u2019 individual needs. Model Schools does not collect any fees from the participants – the training and mentorship they receive in the course of the two years is free of charge. The program has two integral parts: a course on instructional leadership and an elective course chosen by the school. The elective courses cover a variety of topics such as social and emotional learning, teaching Bulgarian as a second language, and STEM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Ivan Peychev, deputy principal of Primary School \u201cTsani Ginchev\u201d, Model Schools helps school leaders and teachers fulfill their mission more effectively. \u043f\u043e-\u0435\u0444\u0435\u043a\u0442\u0438\u0432\u043d\u043e \u0441\u0432\u043e\u044f\u0442\u0430 \u043c\u0438\u0441\u0438\u044f.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were motivated to join the program because of all the positive feedback from the first class of participants. We are also motivated by the fact that we see similarities between our school philosophy and Teach For Bulgaria\u2019s philosophy. Our common goal is to help every child develop their skills. The wellbeing of our students is of crucial importance to us – not academic results, but social skills. After all, we can all see that straight-A students are rarely equipped to deal with real life problems,\u201d commented Ivan Peychev.<\/em><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The main advantage that Model Schools provides is the focus on laying a strong foundation for the teachers and enabling them to build upon what they have learned and adapt it to the specific needs of their students, says Rumyana Bogdanova, principal of Primary School \u201cVasil Levski\u201d in the town of Belene and one of the mentor in Model Schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI shadow all training sessions and I can see how customized they are. Teachers have access to all resources and can benefit from the experience they gain in the program, but they channel their knowledge in a way that would be most appropriate for the specific needs of their school. The goal is not to copy-paste information to justify the program. On the contrary, it is result-oriented and meaningful. Everything we do is aimed at the students – we want to improve their results, wellbeing, and agency,\u201d commented Rumyana Bogdanova, mentor of Primary School \u201cVasil Levski and two other schools from the program.<\/em><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

From theory to practice<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Rumyana Bogdanova, mentor of Primary School \u201cTsani Ginchev\u201d in Model Schools<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The training of the second class of participants in Model Schools started in August of 2021. The teachers from Primary School \u201cTsani Ginchev\u201d and their colleagues from the other schools in the program participated in a six-day preliminary training camp in Arbanasi. Because of the pandemic, all subsequent training sessions and meetings with the mentors have been online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently a team of four teachers from the school are participating in training sessions. One of them is deputy principal Ivan Peychev. They have already started applying what they have learned in their everyday work. For example, they have managed to visualize the school\u2019s core values and now there are posters with the core values at the entrance of the school and in every classroom. They have also created a mood meter, inspired by their training on how to build a positive school culture. Their goal is to improve students\u2019 wellbeing and mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe made an educational poster with pictures of what all emotions look like and students find them very interesting. They can pick an emotion to share how they\u2019re feeling and their teacher is expected to go through their choices and address any emotions of sadness. It\u2019s impossible for a child to be adequate in class, if they\u2019re not feeling well. We need to figure out what\u2019s wrong and help them feel better,\u201d <\/em>commented Ivan Peychev and added that the mood meter was still being tested.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Besides the leadership team, four more teachers are participating in a training course on how to develop 21st-century skills in the classroom. The teachers work with primary school students and are currently working on creating a hotel for insects with them. The first-graders have to collect the insects, the second-graders are working on the design of the hotel, and the third-graders are making a presentation about the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n