By Tsvetanka Mancheva | Development Associate
The student Aylin talks about what Teach For Bulgaria’s Summer Academy means to her and why she is going for the 8th year in a row
My name is Aylin and I just finished 9th grade. I first enrolled in the adventure called Summer Academy right after I finished second grade. I was very little, quite curious, and I’d always loved school. After the first year I begged my mom to sign me up for this adventure every single summer. And when I finished 7th grade I was able to register myself.
The Summer Academy helped me make new friends and get to know myself better. I still talk to teachers and classmates I’ve met throughout the years, even if we don’t live in the same neighborhood or town. I met Mr. Stoev in 6th grade. He was my class teacher and taught math. For the three weeks we spent together we learned how to be young architects and created a model of 90th school in Sofia where the academy was. When I was in 7th grade and I had to pass my external evaluation exams Mr. Stoev helped me a lot with my math problems. I saw him again last summer at the conference “The Adventure: It’s Up to Me”. We worked together again and I remembered how much I enjoyed being his student.
"What I like about Teach For Bulgaria is that they show new and interesting teaching techniques to engage students."
As an example I would point out the jar with colorful wooden sticks. Our names are written on separate sticks and when the teacher has to pick someone to answer the question, they draw a stick from the jar. There is a moment of anticipation while the teacher fiddles with the sticks which could be quite fun. At my school (editor’s note: 97 Secondary School “Brothers Miladinov”), we have more than 5 teachers who have completed Teach For Bulgaria’s program. The way they teach inspires students to learn. Their presence and the way they communicate with us makes us happy. I believe that Teach For Bulgaria’s Summer Academy can help students a lot, if they struggled with some subjects during remote learning. This is an opportunity which can give us a lot, if we take advantage of it. The last thing I would like to share with you is that the anticipation and excitement I feel when I think that I’ll get to participate in yet another Summer Academy are still there and they get stronger every year.
We are very grateful to Aylin for sharing why she decided to participate in this year’s Summer Academy. Classes were booked in a record time, but you can still support us. Thank you for your continuous support!
With gratitude,
Teach For Bulgaria
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