The school year in Bulgaria starts on 15 September and the date is not a coincidence. Students used to start classes on 1 September till the early 1920s. The Bulgarian Agrarian People’s Union came into power in 1919 and being the professional organization of the peasants, it complied its policy with their needs. Back in those days families used to have several kids each and those helped with the harvest’s collecting in the autumn. So, taking into consideration the needs of the Bulgarian village, the Union postponed the start of the school year by two weeks.

Today, nearly a century later, the lifestyle of the Bulgarians is totally different, but the date is still the same. The role of the teacher also remains the same – to educate, to awaken the interest to knowledge and to take care of the youngest pupils. In 2018 the festive day of the first meeting with the teachers is 17 September.

The job of the teacher is irreplaceable today as well, in the era of digital technologies. Teachers are persons to serve as an example and both kids and their parents rely on them. Mina Iliev from Sofia is considered to be one of the innovative teachers in the capital. He has nearly 30 years of experience in several state-owned and private schools. People say that he is one of those disappearing types of teachers who see their job as a mission and a vocation. “I myself find it most important to love people and the job, to comprehend its challenges and last but not least comes the knowledge that you will pass on at school”, Mina Iliev says and adds:

“Having so many administrative duties, we teachers barely find the time to pay attention to children’s problems. I disagree when an inspection comes during my class and they tell me I should fill in the absences in the school diary first, leaving the problems of the kids for later on. I think children come first and the absences can be tracked in an administrative manner. I have my observations across other European countries where my relatives live. I see that children at their schools develop their skills in a much more natural and peaceful manner – hence the better results. Many things should be changed in our system. Kids often tend to get at home nervous as they haven’t been able to learn it all at school and they should continue reading and writing. At the same time the parents are tired after work and don’t want to get into textbooks and homework. Hence the conflict and the quarrel that usually follows. I ask here – who needs that? Children are my greatest hope. Whenever one sees calm, smiling and smart kids – there is nothing better than this in the world.”

Mina Iliev has witnessed many good teachers leaving the system of education due to the lack of reforms and low wages. “Children score the greatest loss from this and also the state, because educational gaps are a time bomb that bursts in years,” Mina Iliev says and adds:

“My faith that there are still positive things which will change the work in school has been recently restored. At the same time there are lots of “dogs in the manger” who can hardly bear the fact that any of their colleagues works better with students than them. Such people most often refuse to change anything in their own attitude, or to try to work a bit harder. We can all help each other in a team – my cabinet at school is never locked and anyone can come and use any of the textbooks and the tools. There are many other issues too – I myself have banned textbooks and notebooks to be carried home each day after school. They can only pick them up on Fridays, in order for the parents to be able to take a peek. Children shouldn’t work after school, they need to rest. As long as the teacher has the support of the school board, he or she can be a true innovator, giving a lot throughout the school year.”

English version: Zhivko Stanchev