A school that gives hope. "We have not stopped training for no day because

The Educator Lyceum is known for its innovative approaches and teaching methods in Kiev, one of the tasks of which is to help the child to reveal his potential as much as possible and successfully move on to the next stage of life. The effectiveness of teaching at the Lyceum is confirmed by parents' feedback and the results and successes of children. We talk to the director of Lyceum Educator Vladislav Bandurko about how it started and how it works and how it works in a difficult wartime.

At what point did you decide that you want to develop an educational business? What preceded this? It so happened that I did not choose school, but the school chose me. I had a stereotypical notion about teachers that you have studied once, created a synopsis - and you teach the same thing all your life. I believed that I was talented, restless, so my school does not fit me.

Mom then said, "If you are so ambitious, maybe you will be a director at school?" 12 years have passed - and here I am a director. Initially, I worked in out -of -school education, but perceived work only as an opportunity to interact with children, no more. But when, with the outbreak of the war in 2014, I moved to Kiev from Donetsk and began to do tutoring, I realized that I was very sad by teaching. That is why I went to the UN Development Grant to open a tutoring center.

The students came to us, who said: "So dishonestly, go to school and then come to study again!" This is how the idea arose to create a school where children would not have to choose between personality development and quality education. I sometimes joke that this is a school that you don't have to choose - you want to be smart or beautiful? Educator is now five years.

During this time, from a small school to 12 children, we turned into a school of 500 students, we have branches on the left and right shores of Kiev. And I really like that children have time not only to learn, but also to live, to form social contacts, to participate in international Olympiads, to realize themselves as individuals. Our graduates are already working and have good contracts, including international organizations. And we are very proud that they are in demand in the labor market.

You were honored with the organizers of Global Teacher Prize 2020 - the World Annual Teachers Award, who made an outstanding contribution to the profession. What professional victories are you proud of today? The results of children always considered the greatest victories.

You can take a lot of courses, get additional education, win in a huge number of competitions, but it will have nothing to do with what children grow up, whether they like to learn, whether they have become stronger in the time as they interacted with you. Global Teacher Prize is not just about knowledge of the subject, it is about how much the teacher shapes the breadth of worldview.

In order to win, you need to be a teacher who involves children in international cooperation, extracurricular activities. This victory happened in the final year when I needed to go from teaching to management. I went to the award to summarize my teacher career and hit the top 50. What managerial decisions had to be made with the start of a full -scale war to provide quality and, as far as possible, safe training? It is very important how strong your team is.

As a manager and business owner, I choose to invest in people, not in walls. So we put a lot in people who work at school. When a full -scale invasion began, on the same day we held lessons. At 6 am, we wrote to all families that we ask to stay at home to solve safety issues, to evacuate, but we are waiting for children in online lessons. The first week we were equipped with shelter schools, so families who did not leave Kiev could come there. There were lessons in some children.

Recently, one mom sent a photo on which her daughter on the third day of a full -scale invasion makes geography. She wrote: "Maybe these were some of the things that kept. " To help children develop stability, it is very important to be stable. There were many challenges, but we were scheduled, children always had support and access to the psychological service. We have not stopped studying for a single day.

A month later, our colleague went to Uzhgorod and saw a huge number of children in shelters who would not go to school. Then we started social projects. We created a hub where children could come and study. For a year, they provided free support for 1500 children. We now have more than 20 projects for children, teenagers and teachers. With the onset of a full -scale war, we proposed to take children to Romania, where they made a school campus.

In the winter of 2023, when the first blackout was a school that gave hope - because when there is no light in the area, we have a generator, electricity, warmth, and children continue to learn and eat delicious. If I summarize, I would allocate the following things: first - investing in people, team; The second is to be able to quickly adapt to changes. The third is to promote and humanity to make children get enough support and faith to move on.

And we are very flexible - for example, artificial intelligence was not yet available in Ukraine, and we already had materials and learned to work with it. What part of your time does management work take? We have a rather unusual school as for Ukraine. The directions we have started to implement: projected learning, personalized learning and preparing children for entry - have many innovations.

But there is a very strong result - two years before entering 75% of children make a conscious choice where they want to move on, which profession to choose. All these areas had to be rebuilt independently. When I collected a cool team, everything happened. Teachers are people who are in the forefront of change. I ideologically and mentally they should live the best model of the future, to form the basis of the school.

And then it will be possible to create a community where children will be able to grow up and be prepared for the future. Teachers need a lot of effort to understand everything: technologies, trends. To stay interesting for children, you have to understand even slang. 15% of colleagues who work with us are national experts. These are winners of national teaching awards, textbook authors, experts involved in the development of training programs - high -level professionals.

In total, there are 10 adults in the management team, each of which is responsible for their own direction. Many processes I went through "my own feet" - to understand the process and results I want to get, and then give it to a person who can embody it qualitatively. All Lyceum Educator managers are people who have grown up in this team have opened their talents here.

When an adult school team has the desire to develop, opportunities to do it, they serve role models for children and help them also move constantly. The secret of motivation is to have a motivated environment. Now I spend 40% of my time on school management. The full-scale invasion coincided with the decree-I was at the 5th month of pregnancy. Now I want to devote time to daughter Leri because I understand that she will grow up quickly.

The school managed to build a very strong progressive team and this is my huge support. Do you immediately understand that this is your person and do not make mistakes? All work is built on mistakes and their reflection. I am an excellent student, I have a gold medal, a "red" diploma, but with the help of life experience and my own psychotherapy, I realized that perfectionism and hypercontrol can only lead to mental disorders. So I went my way to build trust in the world and people.

Some people believe even more than they do. We have grown 15 middle -level managers, and some colleagues create their own projects. And I understand that without my example and not working as a team, they would not believe that they were capable of it. We are for children to make mistakes and then reflex. It is longer, but leads to the fact that a person eventually understands how to live this life becomes a stable. In the turbulent world, this is important.

Everyone who is transferred to us from public schools is usually failed. We have a component of a controlled fall. This is important for becoming independence. Therefore, mistakes are an integral part of life. But when you go the way you have to go - the universe contributes to you very much, leads good people and gives you the opportunity. How can the Business Family balance manage? When I gave birth to my daughter and collided with postpartum depression, I did not immediately identify her.

I thought maybe it's a laziness or an existential crisis, I don't like school anymore and need to look for a new field? I went in search of a new sphere and it turned out that none was as interesting as the school. And in no other direction I am ready to invest as much love as I put in the lyceum of Educator and his team. With the birth of a baby you have to become more effective. And I was very afraid that I would not be the mother who devotes all my time to the baby.

But for a while, there were also thoughts that if I do not do it, then I will be a bad mom. It was one of the key fears. Then I realized that I needed to look for the middle. It's like surf - you take a board, catch a wave, and then you have to believe and trust. If you believe - then you keep a balance between you sleep, eat, go for a walk, work. Then you will stay and the wave will take you out. If you doubted - then you fell. It is important not to doubt.

I planned maternity leave, prepared, reorganized the company, and then a full -scale invasion occurred. And you realize that no matter how cool the team, you have to stand in a row with your people. And so "covered" my planned decree. Now my reliable rear is a man and mom. Mom with Lyra has a very good purpose, and for me it is an opportunity to plan her time. When Blacka began, I went with a baby to work because there was light.

It was important for me to keep breastfeeding, so Lera went with me on a business trip. My efficiency has grown because I try not to do unnecessary. Something leads to the result - we do it, if not - we cross out. Because I want to find time to stay with my daughter. Sometimes it is necessary to work more, because such a period is at work, to actively involve in the crisis. Maybe it is a balance - when you switch between both. I learned not to bite myself.

What hobby does the Lyceum Founder have? What does it read? I now go the way of returning to reading, joined the Common Reading Literary Club, I get to a meeting every two months. It gives me great pleasure. I realized that an interesting quality life is also discipline. You have to wake up for biorhythms, when the sun has risen, eat and drink water properly, play sports. And joy also needs discipline.

So I made myself a "calendar of joy" - everything that pleases me, with a list of traditions that I would like to introduce. There are such simple things, just a month to meet friends, go out with girls, join a lecture or presentation. I disciplined this. Share your immediate plans and dreams - professional and personal? I am of those who are sure that Ukraine will stand and win. Therefore, my personal plans are related to this - while we are fighting, we do what we can.

Now schools are preparing for the new season, we are analyzing families' feedback, strengthening the team, certifying teachers. We have many interactions that are related to international programs, bringing international experience in teaching our students. This year, our children went to several international Olympiads, enrolled abroad.

They have very ambitious plans - for example, to join a department with only 10 seats throughout Europe or get to study at one of the five best universities in the world. We want our students to be citizens of the world and work successfully on it. There is a certain border that you pass and understand that life is not like non-fiction books about personal efficiency. So personal plans are to have time to live summer.