Education Bulgaria Project #26128

Support Teach For Bulgaria Teachers

by Teach For Bulgaria/Zaedno v chas

Project Report | Nov 7, 2024
How This Young Principal Transformed His School

By Mina Nedeva | Development and Fundraising Team

Dear supporters,

We have exciting news! This year, 12 alumni of the New Way To Teaching program took on the challenge of taking leadership roles as principals and deputy principals in their schools. This is a fantastic way for them to maximise their impact in their communities.

We want to share with you the story of one of them - Rosen from Cohort 2015, who achieved school transformation in a small, struggling school in Sofia in just a few months.

In January, Rosen became the principal of the 100th Primary School Nayiden Gerov. Despite the school being the only one in the neighborhood, upon arrival, Rosen found a team of distressed and demotivated teachers and very few students, including nine first-graders and only two fourth-graders.

"I do not intend to be the headmaster under whom the school will be closed!" These are Rosen's words that won his team. In his first days, he set himself and the school team the goal of having two first-grade classes at the start of the next year, even though at that point, this seemed more like a dream than an achievable goal.

Nevertheless, Rosen did not give up. He rallied the school team and the Teach For Bulgaria community to help him in this mission. Together they secured partnerships for the improvement of the school and even worked on some of the renovations themselves in order to improve the school environment. Soon, parents, locals, and volunteers, moved by the project, pitched in to help. Rosen and his team were overwhelmed by the unexpected support.

To further boost the school’s profile, they created a website and Facebook page to share updates and engage the community.
On 16th September 2024, the school reopened its doors to more than double the number of students from the previous year. Rosen continues to prioritise communication with parents, students, and staff, ensuring the school's ongoing success.

Rosen’s story is one of many of the continuous impact that Teach For Bulgaria teachers are having on the education system. Your contributions help us continue working toward providing equal access to quality education for every child in Bulgaria. Thank you for your support!

Gratefully,
The Teach For Bulgaria Team

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Jul 11, 2024
Graduation Days for Cohort 2022-2024

By Denitza Manova | Development and Fundraising Specialist

Dear supporters,

As per tradition, June marked the end of another school year. For us at Teach For Bulgaria June also marks the end of the two-year journey for Cohort 2022-2024 of the A New Way To Teaching program - the last cohort of the program!

To mark the occasion, on the 29th and 30th of June, we hosted an event that not only gave participants the opportunity to gather, celebrate, and reflect on their journey over the past two years but also introduced them to the alumni community. The opening session was filled with emotion, as we brought together over 100 alumni of all cohorts of the program. It was a wonderful moment for the alumni and the TFB team to look back at everything we have achieved over the past 14 years, recruiting and training 518 inspiring individuals into the teaching profession.

For the participants in Cohort 2022-2024, the past two years were filled with many firsts, many challenges, and many positive memories. But to truly understand what the last two years of the program entailed for our teachers, we asked one of them to share her experience in more detail.

“Over the past two years, I have come to realize that real change depends on the individual approach to each student and the collaboration of the entire community. I do not hide the fact that I encountered a lack of motivation among both students and colleagues. But with creative methods and the active involvement of every member of the community, I overcame these obstacles.

What impressed me most was the innovative spirit of my students. When we found the right approach for them, they were not only thirsty for knowledge, but they were also willing to look for unconventional solutions, experiment, and create. Together, we worked on discovering their strengths upon which we built a successful learning process.

I believe that each of my students holds tremendous potential that can be unleashed with the right support and guidance. Through my future work with teachers, I will continue to strive for a quality education where every student has a chance to discover themselves and reach their potential. Because I believe that education is the key to a better future for all,” shared Tsvetelina of her experience teaching in a high school in Sofia.

Thank you for supporting our cause. Your help allows us to continue working towards providing equal access to quality education for every child in Bulgaria!

Gratefully,
The Teach For Bulgaria team

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Mar 14, 2024
How We're Building a Strong Community of Teachers

By Denitza Manova | Development and Fundraising Specialist

Dear supporters,

Over the past few months, the A New Way To Teaching team conducted the second round of classroom visits with all program participants from the 2022-2024 Cohort. During the visits, the teachers were able to demonstrate the progress they have made over the past two years in the program and reflect on everything they have learned so far.

Currently, the Teach For Bulgaria team is preparing the final training session of the school year that will take place on March 16th. This session marks a pivotal moment for our program participants as they prepare to transition into our alumni community. We expect 30 teachers from across the country to take part in an exciting full-day training, during which they will have the opportunity to meet with program alumni who are working on projects in their communities.

Among the alumni present will be Elitsa (Cohort 2013) and Milena (Cohort 2011), who are leading two of the Summer START Academies designed to support students at risk of dropping out of school by providing them with additional lessons and activities to catch up with the school material. Additionally, Marin-Asen (Cohort 2018) from the team of Plamnina Foundation will be joined by a student to share more about the enriching summer activities for students in the mountains that help develop their teamwork skills and love for nature.

This training session is designed to introduce the program participants to the alumni community they will soon be joining and foster a sense of belonging. Throughout the day, participants and alumni will discuss the similar challenges they face and work together to identify strategies to overcome those challenges. The aim of the final training session will be to introduce the program participants to a network where they can seek guidance, share resources, and collaborate with like-minded people.

Thank you for continuing to believe in Teach For Bulgaria’s cause of providing equal access to quality education for every child in Bulgaria and thank you for choosing to support our work with your generous donations! Your support is what makes our work a reality.

With gratitude,
The Teach For Bulgaria team

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