Every Child Needs "A Teacher for Belarus"

How wonderful the world would be if all our children were not afraid to act, make mistakes, knew their strengths and weaknesses, believed in themselves and had a reliable adult who they could always rely on. You can tell me that it is a perfect picture, it doesn't exist in reality. Maybe you are right. But there are people who want each child to reveal their potential and become the author of their own life. Among them are teachers - participants of the program “A Teacher for Belarus”.

The program “A Teacher for Belarus” is a joint educational project of the Ministry of Education and BPS-Sberbank, which is aimed at providing children in regions, small towns and rural areas with broad educational opportunities. What is necessary for this? At least motivated teachers-leaders who are ready for change and development, who are persistent in achieving goals, are able to accept the individuality of each person and build partnerships. The main attention should be paid to the needs and abilities of children: students should be interested in learning.

Any regional school can take part in the program, the staff and administration of which share the mission and values of the project and are ready to change. It is very important that one of the partner schools is secondary school No. 5 of the town of  Smorgon. I, Ekaterina Matyash, an aspiring teacher of the Russian language and literature came to work here for two years.

I believe that thanks to such schools that care about the quality of education and are ready for fruitful partnerships, children, wherever they live, will have equal access to educational opportunities. This will allow them to learn to think, believe in themselves, achieve their goals, make responsible decisions and enjoy their lives. Being a teacher is not an easy task. Especially when you are just starting your pedagogical career. But I am lucky with my colleagues: thanks to their help and support it is easier for me to cope with my workload. I am grateful for their responsiveness and concern very much.

It is important that the program “A Teacher for Belarus” exists in order to raise the status of the teaching profession in our society. I would like the profession of a teacher to be perceived not only as noble, but also as a prestigious one. Considering that in our world the level of digital autism is growing, and people are losing the skills for constructive interaction, it is quite possible to assume that a teacher is a profession of the future. Our society will need people who are able to teach children to build full deep relationships with people, adapt to rapidly changing reality and solve complex problems in it.

Ekaterina MATYASH,

a teacher of the Russian language and literature.

Photo from the author’s archive.