On the eve of teachers‘ Day, which is celebrated in Ukraine on October 7, we talked to the teacher who managed to achieve incredible.
32-year-old Andrew Sakaluk was appointed Director of the former boarding school in 2014. During this time he became a favorite not only among his pupils but among the inhabitants of the city. Moreover, 1, 5 years ago he and his wife took the girl from the orphanage, which this year became a graduate institution.
Andrew Sakaluk was able to successfully reform the orphanage and turn it into a Lyceum for the children and for any children of the city. Most of the children from the orphanage returned to their families. And for orphans have created a comfortable apartment, where they prepare for adult life.
In General, in Ukraine in the framework of denticular from may 2018 to 2026 should gradually offset the need for residential care facilities-0.5%.
For the period from 2008 to 2017 in Ukraine was adopted on 27 035 orphans and children deprived of parental care, including in family of Ukrainians were 18 748. The likelihood of adoption of children aged 4 to 10 years is about 80%, and least of all want to adopt orphans adolescence.
FROM A BOARDING SCHOOL IN THE LYCEUM THE PATH OF SUCCESS
How did you manage in just a few years to completely change the structure of the educational institution and successfully to push through reform?
With the entire team we have been thinking how to make it so that we successfully reformed. We didn’t want to wait for any indication, as other boarding schools, which now have a lot of problems with this reform. And we found wonderful partners – Lviv educational Foundation, which is well specializiruetsya in the social sphere. Together with them in the past two years we’ve brought the children in the family and worked with his parents, who once was sent to boarding school by our students.
Andrew Sakaluk with students of the Lyceum conquer one of the mountain peaks of the Carpathians
To better understand, 90% of our children had parents, but they had problems with their financial situation. So, with the help of caring volunteers, activists and ordinary dobrodan we spent with my parents some work and was able to re-unite the family.
But there was another thing. We had a boarding school where the curriculum was the same as in all other educational institutions. Having wonderful teachers, great material and technical base, good approach to children through certain rules we could not take children from simple affluent children in their school. We asked ourselves: “Why?”. We do regular school and we really wanted our children from the orphanage had the opportunity to learn with other children in one place. It’s a very cool moment of the socialization of children, when these students converge.
But you had a category of children that had no parents?
Yes, these children we have and really we could not return to their families. Here we went to the experiment. We have created at the Lyceum center child support which is placed on one of the floors of our school. For our little band of orphans was created by a separate “apartment” with all the most comfortable conditions for life and development of our students. They have a kitchen where they learn to cook for yourself there is a cafe, showers, a cloakroom, a gym and double rooms. Every morning they dress up, take the briefcase on the shoulder and go to class.
Andrew Sakaluk preparing to eat with the children educational institutions
It’s such a transitional stage between school and family because you family never does not repeat. And the experiment was a success: as of the end of the last academic year there are 80 children who were in boarding school, but left pupils of the Lyceum and to us the summer has come new 120 children. We were very afraid because we have the whole summer was a sign at the entrance “Orphanage”. And as you know, people’s heads with a boarding school is not always having the best of the Association. But launching online promotional video about our school, creating a new website and logo, we began to come parents with children and to write them to us in a regular school.
At the Lyceum “Prosvita” there is always time for a joint get-togethers
Enough teachers for the new school? How to cope with personnel?
We closed the boarding school without any losses. We opened a new school, we gave everyone a job, we’re not fired, we have not given any one child to another institution. We are not afraid to return children to their families and stay with them for a job, for now we have our children happier, and after new students are more socialized.
Ukraine without orphanages – is that possible?
We are going to take this very long walk. I think years from 50. UK this went on for 30 years and until today there are still several family-run establishments. Alternative boarding schools is, – adoption, family-type orphanages, in the end there is a center, which we have created. Only in Ukraine we still do not know how to do it right.
The main essence of the reform denticular not to harm the child. Not a problem to return the child to the family. The main thing that the child felt good and that she did not need that it is necessary to pick up from there.
BONG IN BOARDING SCHOOLS: IS IT NOT?
But as in the updated boarding situation with bulma?
The concept bulgu I put the long process of abuse of a child or to humiliate her, so this is a big problem. But as for our schools, we should not forget that we have it is not that big. We are all each other know, so we have a very kind of hard to hide. I personally have not met with open bongom in the walls of the Lyceum. I didn’t have a child that would say: “Here I want to change school. Get me out of here”.
As with bulma to fight? It’s simple: everything comes from the family. At the school to conduct educational conversations, control, look after children, to ask, but it should be a joint work. Because I can say one thing, and a child comes into the family and sees quite another. Generally very difficult to teach something child at school, because at home the child may be the rejection of certain basic things. Or on the contrary – all is well at home, and the children see a terrible example of a teacher, a classmate or a horrible example of a Director.
HOW TO CELEBRATE TEACHER’S DAY IN SCHOOLS
A few days Ukrainian teachers to celebrate teacher’s Day. As he passes you and you have a tradition of giving gifts to teachers?
Working in a boarding school, we never had any problems. We were not of the parents packs. Day for us teachers, probably like any other professional occasion. This important day of the year and we can each other to congratulate. But for 4 years while I worked here, I had no occasion where the sitting students and teachers and is forced to the concert. This is not and I generally am against it. Last year we did what happened in the show “Intuition” between children and teachers, but this year we will have informative game “TEACHER, GAME!”
Teachers of the Lyceum “Prosvita” of Lviv city Council
I personally will be much better if the child will come to me, sit with me for 2 minutes and sincerely say one word “thank you” than this child “under the whip” will be forced to learn Scripture because it is necessary to tell the teacher.
ON EDUCATION REFORM IN THE UPDATED INTERNAT
This year first graders stepped on the threshold of the “new” school, where they will be learning a completely new program. Noticeable for the first month-any progress?
Until, of course, it’s hard to say if there’s any progress, because the result of the education reform can be seen only after 12 years. Or at least after 4 years of elementary school, when the children will have a full cycle. In the reform laid great meaning and purpose, it gave the schools a new material support. But still it all comes down to the teacher. The class can be incredibly equipped, but if you come to a dead teacher, for children this equipment is just furniture.
In connection with the new reform, the pupils of a boarding school to study 12 years old instead of 11? After all, it is about the socialization of children in an adult society.
Yes, it is. When they are now studying with normal children, and when we gave them to create the most comfortable conditions, they do not have a lack of socialization. If the regional boarding school has access to a variety of projects, educational programs, and generally open to dialogue, in deep villages of Ukraine that do not. If I had the chance, I would all the boarding schools long ago moved to regional centers, to those children had access to children saw life. For who is there in socializing?
ABOUT SINCERITY AND THE REAL LOVE BABY
You give lessons to his disciples. But what lessons do they give you?
First, from the children I always learn sincerity. This is an incredible thing, unfortunately, adults lose their life and just for her to forget. Secondly, children forget the bad, they don’t remember. Remembering the previous experience in the school where I worked, there were dozens of conflicts between students, where they had been a rather unpleasant situation. But after a certain period of time, these children were all forgotten and perhaps even a week became best friends.
Happy pupils Andrei Sakaluk
And the parents? Enemies. They don’t see each other anymore. Here, take a look at their children. They are without knowledge, without experience, without the University acting as true Christians. And every Sunday you go to Church, read a lot of literature and often have education, you do not. Why? Learn from them because learning from them is actually fantastic.
Two hundred your Pets often called you father. Admit it, how is it to be?
Not just. But when you love your work, it all really becomes easy. I do not feel difficulty and find myself getting home after me throws a stone on the bed. It is clear that this is a big challenge, but if you do your job well, what you need to survive?
You spend a lot of time in the school. Whether you need more time for yourself and your family?
This is the eternal question and the eternal problem. But so far I can do everything to balance. It is understandable that someone would be more offended, who will be more than happy. My family understand that this is all for me not even work. If they took my work work, then they had every right to put me the bill.” Parenting – it does not work. It’s funny to call it work. It’s not even a calling – is a huge responsibility.\
The Family Of Andrew Sakaluk
How has this work changed You personally?
I do suslivtsi. I really changed myself, changed their environment and communication. But what to say, I always feel young!
Do you regret that chose this path?
Never. If I was back 10 years ago and asked, I would have changed something – never in my life. This year I have experienced some of the best experiences in my life. Adoption. I never paid so much attention, because it was always an indirect participant in this process, but in the summer I twice had to attend the court on the adoption of children.
Andrew Sakaluk – delivesry man!
This is not to convey feelings when the judge read the decision that the children now have a family. It’s fantastic when children have lived their entire lives with no dad, no mom, and then now they have them.
Oh, that’s what I understand. As it should be.
