Oleksandr Cherkas

Location: Kyiv

School: Kyiv Secondary school № 54 

Subject: Сomputer Science, Ukrainian literature, Ukrainian language

Superpower: He knows how to turn into an educational eagle: first to teach, then to create, to finally soar with the children. 

21st Century Teacher: Who are they in a nutshell? 

They are determined and bold. For school children, Oleksandr is not just a teacher, but also a mentor. His pupils stop using drugs, start taking care of their mental health and share their experience of studying at the Free Economic Zone even by 3 am over the phone. Together with the finalist, the students travel over Ukraine, start earning money for the first time, and also plan to fly into space!

What skills do Alpha generation students need? The ability to always be yourself, because other roles are already occupied. Oleksandr is convinced that life is a kind of cinema, where everyone has the potential to win an Oscar. The students of the finalist have an imperfect discipline, instead many exciting adventures that help them to know themselves. They travel over Ukraine, do not fall off the second shelf of the train and publish magazines on their own.

Professional dream: To create an NGO that will deal with inclusive extracurricular activities. Oleksandr has experience in teaching in schools for children with special educational needs. Under his leadership, students with cerebral palsy from a village in Kyiv region won scientific competitions and olympiads.

Source of inspiration: Opportunity to teach and inspire colleagues, as well as grateful feedback from students and their parents. Oleksandr is convinced that if you combine these two elements, you can jump to the stars through any thorns.