Today, October 6, we congratulate educators on Teacher's Day
Arthur Babenko, a lecturer, historian, and author of courses for the All-Ukrainian Online School, visited the studio of Kashтан.Інтерв’ю and shared his thoughts on what he believes is the superpower of the Ukrainian teacher.
“First and foremost, it’s adaptability, as over the last four years we have faced an overwhelming number of challenges, starting from the coronavirus and culminating in the current conditions of a full-scale war,” says Arthur Babenko. “Therefore, of course, adaptability is what distinguishes our teachers from their colleagues in other countries. For instance, today, after a long night of air alerts, we came to work in the morning and needed to adapt to the threats from the sky. In the first lesson, I planned for us to write an independent work with the students. Six lessons were scheduled afterward. However, it turned out that we could only conduct two due to enemy missile launches. I noticed that the students were tired in the morning, not well-rested, so, naturally, there were no tests. Thus, I immediately changed the structure and plan of the lessons on the go. Sometimes the power goes out while you are preparing a presentation, and again, everything needs to be radically changed. Therefore, each teacher today has at least two or three lesson plans: Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C.”
At the same time, according to the interviewee, there is a critical shortage of teachers today, especially in the exact sciences. First and foremost, there is a lack of mathematicians. There are also not enough chemists and physicists. It is challenging to find computer science teachers. “The statistics regarding students who graduate from educational institutions and go to work in schools are dismal,” notes Babenko. “In 2022, it was reported that only 20 percent of pedagogical university graduates go on to work as teachers. Some of them do not withstand the first year of work and resign.”
When asked what Ukrainian teachers are currently lacking, Arthur Babenko replied that there is a “lack of quality courses that truly allow for personal and professional development as educators. And, of course, there is a need for decent pay, as it also motivates growth.”
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