Short comings of Schools in Sofia
Dennis Michael Gannon
December 19, 2008
A wakening television program based on the state of schools in Bulgaria has brought to light some of the short comings of the requirements and expectations of the local school authorities. Although the curriculum in the general school system offers a great opportunity to the students that attend these schools, it is extensive and the dedication of some teachers and administrators leaves a lot to be desired. An article published, To the Teacher with Love, has raised many eyebrows.
Quotes from the article include:
"Currently Bulgaria is at the bottom of the barrel, with the most hopeless schools and lowest paid teachers who, according to Racheva, "only keep doing the job because they still believe that they are doing something worthwhile and in the hope they will reach a soul and help steer it in the right direction". But the problem is that the profession has reached such low and degrading standards, with meagre wages, that no young people are willing to apply for positions as teachers. And the consequences are there for all to see: illiterate, disillusioned, violent, substance- abusing youth".
This article, if written with reasons of good intentions, seemed to cast a negative light on the education system as a whole. It doesnīt take into account the endless hours that some strive to get ahead, the hours of extra curricular studying, the many who excel with the education they do receive in the same system. With all of the efforts parents make to prepare their children for life, some schools lack the quality of teachers that actually care about the progress of the students they are responsible to teach. In this situation the school teacher relies on the knowledge of the parent to be able to help the child. Even though they have the necessary credentials, they lack the level of knowledge about the subjects that they are teaching. And it is a common practice to take it out on the children who are looking to them for the knowledge and help. The parental role, along with raising the child here, also includes teaching the children the subjects that the teacher is supposed to cover in the classroom.
We should never forget the time when the most respected persons in a village were the teacher, the priest and the mayor. Nowadays, society has lost its interest in showing any respect to those involved in the educational system. Being a teacher is nothing but insulting. First step toward respecting our children is re-building the respect in the schools as an institution.
There is nothing bad in setting higher standards in school, but they should go not only for the students but for the teachers, working there, parents, people who are responsible for writing school books, and whole society as well. What is the point of them if the parents expect their children to get away and not be failed if they do not work hard enough? This elicits another question: how are we supposed to teach our kids to be self-dependent if most of the homework assigned requires parents help just because that is how the books are made, especially those for lower grades. Let say you had learned French in high school but now your child is having English in second grade, does it mean that your child should go to school without having homework done because you can not read English, or does it mean you should pay somebody else that is fluent in the language for the only reason your child not facing a failure in the subject?
While trying to improve some of the options of our own children and of those whom we teach, we canīt help but to notice the blind eye approach of some of the schools administration. The material used in the classes is often out of date or purely in English with no Bulgarian explanation. There are many children that pursue the advancement of their education and have to find it in private schools and learning centers. It is understandable that the Ministry of Education can only manage so much, and that is where the schools administration comes in. But in many cases the professionals are those who fail the children.
The lack of the English in the classrooms as mentioned in this article is very visible to many when the teachers that instruct it can not use the language them selves. There is a high reliance on certain educational material without the practical use of the spoken language. The assignments are given but no use or explanation is offered, so again the children suffer. These short-comings are not part of the complete system, but isolated to a few of the schools and can be corrected. With the assistance of more people who care in the area these few schools can improve their programs and avoid detrimental criticisms like those mentioned in the "To the Teacher with Love" article.
Mentioning the English language provokes yet another question. Which is better; to know how to spell the words from the additional vocabulary at the end of the textbook or actually being able to use the language?
It is so easy to criticize but it takes a lot more nerves and efforts to get involved. Educational system in Bulgaria does not need pinpointing the mistakes, it needs us all, parents, grandparents, teachers, children, whole society to start working together for better results. Because helping strengthening the educational system we are helping out our children and if we feel the urge to criticize something or somebody we have all the rights to criticize nobody else but ourselves for the apathy, the lack of communication and collaboration.
Quotes from the article include:
"Currently Bulgaria is at the bottom of the barrel, with the most hopeless schools and lowest paid teachers who, according to Racheva, "only keep doing the job because they still believe that they are doing something worthwhile and in the hope they will reach a soul and help steer it in the right direction". But the problem is that the profession has reached such low and degrading standards, with meagre wages, that no young people are willing to apply for positions as teachers. And the consequences are there for all to see: illiterate, disillusioned, violent, substance- abusing youth".
This article, if written with reasons of good intentions, seemed to cast a negative light on the education system as a whole. It doesnīt take into account the endless hours that some strive to get ahead, the hours of extra curricular studying, the many who excel with the education they do receive in the same system. With all of the efforts parents make to prepare their children for life, some schools lack the quality of teachers that actually care about the progress of the students they are responsible to teach. In this situation the school teacher relies on the knowledge of the parent to be able to help the child. Even though they have the necessary credentials, they lack the level of knowledge about the subjects that they are teaching. And it is a common practice to take it out on the children who are looking to them for the knowledge and help. The parental role, along with raising the child here, also includes teaching the children the subjects that the teacher is supposed to cover in the classroom.
We should never forget the time when the most respected persons in a village were the teacher, the priest and the mayor. Nowadays, society has lost its interest in showing any respect to those involved in the educational system. Being a teacher is nothing but insulting. First step toward respecting our children is re-building the respect in the schools as an institution.
There is nothing bad in setting higher standards in school, but they should go not only for the students but for the teachers, working there, parents, people who are responsible for writing school books, and whole society as well. What is the point of them if the parents expect their children to get away and not be failed if they do not work hard enough? This elicits another question: how are we supposed to teach our kids to be self-dependent if most of the homework assigned requires parents help just because that is how the books are made, especially those for lower grades. Let say you had learned French in high school but now your child is having English in second grade, does it mean that your child should go to school without having homework done because you can not read English, or does it mean you should pay somebody else that is fluent in the language for the only reason your child not facing a failure in the subject?
While trying to improve some of the options of our own children and of those whom we teach, we canīt help but to notice the blind eye approach of some of the schools administration. The material used in the classes is often out of date or purely in English with no Bulgarian explanation. There are many children that pursue the advancement of their education and have to find it in private schools and learning centers. It is understandable that the Ministry of Education can only manage so much, and that is where the schools administration comes in. But in many cases the professionals are those who fail the children.
The lack of the English in the classrooms as mentioned in this article is very visible to many when the teachers that instruct it can not use the language them selves. There is a high reliance on certain educational material without the practical use of the spoken language. The assignments are given but no use or explanation is offered, so again the children suffer. These short-comings are not part of the complete system, but isolated to a few of the schools and can be corrected. With the assistance of more people who care in the area these few schools can improve their programs and avoid detrimental criticisms like those mentioned in the "To the Teacher with Love" article.
Mentioning the English language provokes yet another question. Which is better; to know how to spell the words from the additional vocabulary at the end of the textbook or actually being able to use the language?
It is so easy to criticize but it takes a lot more nerves and efforts to get involved. Educational system in Bulgaria does not need pinpointing the mistakes, it needs us all, parents, grandparents, teachers, children, whole society to start working together for better results. Because helping strengthening the educational system we are helping out our children and if we feel the urge to criticize something or somebody we have all the rights to criticize nobody else but ourselves for the apathy, the lack of communication and collaboration.
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