{"id":46444,"date":"2022-03-23T17:55:13","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T14:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/?p=46444"},"modified":"2022-03-31T17:55:37","modified_gmt":"2022-03-31T14:55:37","slug":"finding-your-place-at-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/finding-your-place-at-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Your Place at School"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two devoted teachers choose to teach at a small school where they find big support<\/em><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Inna Vasileva (to the left) and Stanimira Stoyanova (the last one to the right) with the principal of the school in Polikraishte, Ani Neykova (wearing yellow), and teachers Elina Ferdinandova and Sevinch Asanova – participants in Teach For Bulgaria\u2019s program \u201cA New Way to Teaching\u201d – at the beginning of the school year in September of 2021<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Up until two years ago Inna Vasileva and Stanimira Stoyanova were set on completely different career paths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inna was a psychology student in Veliko Tarnovo University. After graduation she started working in the HR department of a software company in Sofia. She enjoyed her work, but was disappointed by the limited opportunities for long-term career development. Because of this she lost interest in HR and started looking for professional opportunities in the region of Veliko Tarnovo where her partner worked and lived. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanimira graduated from the Technical University of Gabrovo with a degree in business administration. She then got a master\u2019s degree in human resource management and another bachelor\u2019s degree in computer systems and technology. She worked in the tourism sector and then in the sector of electronics, but she never stopped looking for her dream job.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the spring of 2020 Inna and Stanimira decided to pursue the same career path. They applied for Teach For Bulgaria\u2019s program A New Way to Teaching<\/a> as soon as they found out that Teach For Bulgaria was recruiting professionals with diverse backgrounds who were motivated to become teachers. After successfully completing the selection process and all preliminary trainings, Inna and Stanimira started teaching at Primary School \u201cSt. Cyril and St. Methodius\u201d<\/a> in the village of Polikraishte, near Gorna Oryahovitsa, Veliko Tarnovo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now is your chance to recruit motivated teachers from our program A New Way to Teaching for your school.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Submit your vacant teaching positions here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

When You Find Your Calling<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Inna with her first-graders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As soon as she found out about A New Way to Teaching, Inna instantly felt that the program might actually fill the professional void she was struggling with by providing her with plenty of room for growth and a sense of purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter reading about everything A New Way to Teaching had to offer to all aspiring teachers, I felt like it was something that could turn my life around. I was tempted to apply and soon after my adventure began,\u201d shared Inna.<\/em><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

During her first year as a teacher she was responsible for the after school program of the primary school students and in September of 2021 she became the class teacher of a group of first-graders at Primary School \u201cSt. Cyril and St. Methodius\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanimira was also able to find exactly what she was looking for in Teach For Bulgaria\u2019s program – the opportunity to make one of her dreams come true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have always wanted to work with children. But life had other plans and I ended up studying business administration. But my dream to become a teacher was very persistent and one beautiful day I saw that Teach For Bulgaria was recruiting new teachers – people who were ready to dedicate themselves to their students and provide them with the best education,\u201d shared Stanimira. She became the class teacher of a group of second-graders during her first year at school and is now their third-grade teacher.<\/em><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Stanimira in the classroom<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ani Neykova, principal of Primary School \u201cSt. Cyril and St. Methodius\u201d believes that teachers are the school\u2019s best ambassadors because their work and care determine the quality of the learning process. According to her, Inna and Stanimira are doing a great job with this responsibility. What is more, they both fit perfectly into the principal\u2019s vision to turn the school into a learning community where teachers are constantly learning, sharing knowledge and experience, and setting their learning objectives with the students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen something new is implemented every teacher needs a moment to think which takes time. Some teachers react with \u201cO, no, I\u2019ll have more paperwork and people will want to assess my work. No way!\u201d, but there are also teachers who haven\u2019t lost their natural curiosity and will want to know more, reflect on the idea, and dare to try this new thing out for themselves. To me, Teach For Bulgaria\u2019s teachers are the ones who would definitely want to try new things and who would never give up,\u201d commented Ani Neykova, the principal of the primary school in Polikraishte since 2020.<\/em><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Finding the Place Where You Belong<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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If you ask Inna and Stanimira how they feel as teachers in a small school, located in a small village, they will give you a definitive answer – they feel like they belong there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like we have been blessed. The principal is exceptionally supportive, she trusts us completely and lets us work however we see fit. Our colleagues are very open to the things that we do, they support us, and draw inspiration from our work,\u201d said Inna and added that she was very happy with the level of engagement of the parents of her students. They want to know what goes on at school and are always available to talk with her.<\/em><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Stanimira also underlined the fact that she, Inna, and the other two teachers who joined the program in 2021 were accepted extremely well by the rest of the teaching staff. This only confirmed how right she was to trust her intuition because a little before she even applied for the program she saw a report on TV about the school and how it could have been permanently closed because there were not enough students. The teachers organized protests and the minister of education allowed the school to stay open.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really wanted to start working at this particular school and to collaborate with my colleagues, so that the school could stay open and our students could get everything they need. My colleagues are wonderful, we work as a well-oiled machine, and things just work out. You cannot learn how to work with children from a book or even from university. No matter how well-educated you are, the everyday challenges are quite dynamic and any support you can get from your colleagues is great. They share their best practices in a way which makes you feel appreciated and we work great together. I want my students to realize that they are capable and I want them to believe in their potential. Because the world around us is a reflection of our own actions,\u201d shared Stanimira.<\/em><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Ani Neykova shared that she was very impressed by Inna and Stanimira\u2019s strong motivation and she was happy to see how well they managed to work with the other teachers, especially with their mentor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHats off to all teachers who are participating in Teach For Bulgaria\u2019s program A New Way to Teaching,\u201d concluded the principal.<\/em><\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Confident Teachers Lead to Confident Students<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An example of a fruitful collaboration between the teachers from A New Way to Teaching and their colleagues at Primary School \u201cSt. Cyril and St. Methodius\u201d is the new subject called \u201cIn the World of Emotions\u201d<\/a>. It was included in this year\u2019s curriculum for third grade under the initiative of Todorka Pavlova, Bulgarian language and literature teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe main idea is to help children develop their emotional intelligence,\u201d said Inna who currently teaches the new subject. \u201cNowadays, with all of our socially-isolating online activities, most children prefer watching TV and playing on their phones or computers to actually hanging out with friends. My students have had many challenges in dealing with their emotions, they often don\u2019t know how to express their emotions, but so far have managed to reach the goals that we have set. I believe that with perseverance we\u2019ll have even better results in the future. Unfortunately, this doesn\u2019t happen overnight. These skills require practice and a lot of talking.\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n