Vasyl Diakiv 2020

Location: Zalishchyky, Ternopil oblast
School: Zalishchyky State Gymnasium
Subject: World History, Civic Education, History of Ukraine, Fundamentals of Health

Vasyl was awarded the title of “Honored Teacher of Ukraine” and in 2019 won the competition “Teacher of the Year”. 59 — exactly as many of his students are the winners of the regional stages of the All-Ukrainian competition-defense of scientific-research papers of the Small Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Children are active participants in the “Сlub of cheerful and quick-witted” competitions, Popper debates, and intellectual games. Seven students took part in the filming of the LG-Eureka program.

1. What is your teaching superpower?
My teaching superpower is based on my family’s support, values, and faith in God.
My teaching superpower is inspired by my students, who succeed in their lives based on their own responsible choices.
My teaching superpower is in pedagogical freedom and creativity during the educational process and cognition of the world as a whole.
My teaching superpower is in the constant search for something new, creative, interesting, moving away from standards and dogmas, creating an effective system of cooperation that combines personal and team things.

2. 21st Century Teacher: Who are they in a nutshell?
Value person, Individuality, Creator (Innovator)

3. What phrase of your students gives you wings?
I am grateful to you that you gave me useful advice, understood me, felt my emotional, mental state, helped me decide on the future and solve life’s problems, taught me to respect, love, work, set goals and achieve them, you inspire me, I live by values, I am a Human»

4. Top skills you have acquired during distance learning.
I learned to feel children using distance learning. Test the vitality of values in the online world.

5. Your professional dream.
To squeeze out of the teacher a slave, who does not want to be responsible and is afraid to make a choice. So as the free teacher becomes an example for children and parents to follow in the issue of freedom of responsible choice. I dream that the educational system creates broad conditions for its implementation. This requires substantive, specific, constructive cooperation with conservative elements of the educational system in the implementation of reforms: reducing the number of subjects, creating practical (competence-based) curricula, improving the social status of teachers, opportunities to create individual educational programs, and more. Moreover, I dream that all this is formed and developed not when I retire, but that I still work and take a real part in the development of such a classy educational system.