Being an innovator with non-standard ideas is more of an obstacle in this country than an advantage, especially in the rigid system of education. In major urban schools, innovation most often comes from outside, in the form of participation in projects, seminars and competitions, as well as projects. The small elementary school in the village of Seidol in the region of Razgrad goes out of the frames of the Bulgarian educational system. Working with Seidol's children is an example of how with more ingenuity and devotion to the profession, existing inadequacies in the education system can be overcome.

Major contribution has headmaster of the school Dinko Hristov. For 30 years, he has linked his life to the school in his birthplace. Closed over the years and re-opened, the school today is an established non-traditional educational center. The training of students is largely linked to continuous research and gathering activities. At the same time, the lessons are presented in an attractive way, combined with creative tasks in the fields of ecology, biology, astronomy, construction, etc. More from headmaster of the “Videlina”School Dinko Hristov:

"This is a true non-standard school. I claim it is the most unusual one in Bulgaria. That's what the people who work here do. All we have is due to the work of the teachers and their ideas. I have been a headmaster for 30 years and during this time I have tried to include culture, nature, art, ethnography, and crafts in education process. Conditions have been created for Seidol's students to have interesting school exhibits they can touch, view and use during lessons. We want them to have a broader view of the world than children elsewhere. Some of my colleagues here are kidding that even a visit to our school enriches people. We have a zoo with local animals, a museum of minerals, a gallery, and ethnographic exhibition. The collections have been gathered slowly over the years, and I have worked hard to preserve them. I've always been thinking out of the box as a person and a teacher,” DInko Hristov says.

He takes us to one of the halls where wild game trophies are placed. Interestingly, we find out everything is made of plastic and artificial matter. Dinko Hristov has a humane attitude to animals; he would never kill one and wants to pass this attitude to the pupils.

"The only goal, as the ultimate result of everything we do, is to help create people capable of realizing and surviving in life. It is clear that whoever has the qualities of becoming a scientist - he will become one. Those who want to be farmers will be farmers. Everyone needs to find a place under the sun. However, everyone, in one way or another must be able to work, be conscious, have a serious attitude to what they are doing and respect the work of others. If we have succeeded in passing this attitude on to our children, then we have done our job. "

The latest addition to the school is a potter's workshop and the headmaster is proud of it. Classes are only for children who have expressed interest.

"The products made by children attract attention everywhere and so we came up with the idea of creating a professional class. The good results were not late, but children and teachers need to get involved first. The formula of success lies in tireless work but when you see results, enthusiasm grows. No one remains indifferent and everyone contributes to the cause. Working in school makes our days meaningful.”

English: Alexander Markov