"It has happened to me when I'm abroad to meet a former student of mine who has a good career in some large research institute in the United States or elsewhere," says Teodosiy Teodosiev about the things in life that bring him satisfaction. The renowned physicist from the town of Kazanlak is dedicated to teaching and for the past 33 years he has led students through the depths of the vast and complex world of science. My original dream was not related to physics. Rather, I wanted to become a great poet or an artist, admits Theodosiy. His talent of being a teacher, however quickly showed and just two years after he started teaching, one of his students grabbed the gold medal at an International Physics Olympiad. For 22 years now national winners in physics Olympiads are always his students, and 8 out of the 13 gold medals won by Bulgarian students at international Olympiads came due to his teaching.

“At first my idea was to become a teacher in order to have more free time for writing and painting. But then it turned out that the work filled my entire time. Teaching children and seeing them reach world-class level is also an art. So now I left everything else in the background and my work consumes all my time. I never go on vacations. My holidays are filled with summer camp-schools. I work during the weekends, too. But that is how you achieve good results,” he says.  Theodosiy Teodosiev is a teacher in the Kazanlak School of Natural Science, and also heads a training school of physics. Every year some 150 -200 students pass the courses. I call it "A school for power mentality." When childиех learn to solve difficult scientific problems, then they learn to be successful in every sphere of life", he says.

The summer camp schools also enjoy much popularity.

“I can tell you that in the U.S. physics is an optional subject. They have introduced a special system and the student has to gather a number of points from various classes. The most points are awarded for physics, but few students choose these classes as they think that this is the most difficult subject. It is indeed difficult but it can also be very interesting to children. First you need a man to love science and be able to present it in an attractive way. Because there are exceptional scholars, who cannot promote their work. I think I have managed to some extent to "sweeten" science and show it in a playful and friendly manner.”

© Photo: BGNES

Relieving the stress and dispersing children’s fears of solving difficult problems is one of the most important achievements, says Theodosiy. Freedom of expression, friendly atmosphere and humor is part of the recipe for success of his school.

“Just as Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, I constantly tell them parables about the generations that came before them,” the teacher says. - And it turns out that it is one of the most interesting things that attract them. They want to know how people discovered new things. This is a school that is more than just physics and mathematics. We start with mathematics and then move deeper into physics. We also deal with philosophical issues or the theme of the divine source in the universe. But it turns out that in order for a person to be super successful they have to be very open-minded. Great inventions have been made by people not limited in just their field. So here we are dealing great variety of problems.”

The scientist told us about the opportunities that the school brings its students:

“The majority are going to study in various prestigious universities across the world and in Bulgaria. Most of the students continue working in the field of science, especially physics, computer science, engineering. There are many who switch to medicine and other fields where physics also has applications. I even have one student who graduated in literature and became one of the leading poets of Bulgaria named Rumen Denev. So my students can find realization in a number of spheres. The most important for them is to learn to be self-disciplined and organized."

English version: Alexander Markov