"Teacher of the Year 2016" - the best organized contest I have ever taken part in!

Dear Readers! 

I am back from the regional contest "Teacher of the Year 2016" and want to share my impressions of the event with you! 

           The regional level of the contest was held in Uzhhorod on the 10-11th of February. 

The teachers who got into the top 5 came to the town fully equipped with knowledge, teaching materials and, above all, the desire to win. We were welcomed to a beautiful big hall, where the opening ceremony took place. The friendly atmosphere, the encouraging words of Tetyana Paljko, the head of the INSET Institute,  together with the professionally organized event gave us, contestants, the secure feeling of being highly valued as teachers.

       During the opening ceremony we took part in the lottery that defined which pupils we were going to teach the next day. Then, we set off for the school and got acquainted with our future students.

      

     I would like to express my gratitude to the administration of the Gymnasium and to all the teachers for their warm attitude and, especially, for the perfectly organized working conditions! 

     In the afternoon the first part of the contest started. We had to write an essay, do a project and conduct a Masterclass that showed our professional approach to teaching EFL. All the teachers came up with great teaching ideas and I am happy to say that this was a really useful part of the contest. I hope I was also able to contribute to my colleagues` experience. And another thing to mention is that we are all thankful to Maryana Trifan, the Head Methodologist of the INSET Institute, for such a professional, but, at the same time, warm environment she and the jury, headed by Lesya Rohach, one of the best professionals in the field, have created! Besides, we were happy to find out that international members of jury were also invited. All this positively affected our mood, thus we were able to successfully go through that tiring, however pleasant day. 

      The Big Day came early in the morning after just a couple of hours of sleep! As teachers, we all understand that the crucial thing in teaching is the lesson itself. I am deeply convinced that the knowledge of teaching techniques is really essential, but, first of all, a teacher should be able to share his or her knowledge with students, create a positive learning environment and make everything possible (and sometimes impossible!) to maintain the students` interest in learning English. Well, I believe I did well at the lesson. I could feel that myself and see that in my students` eyes. By the way, these were great boys and girls who were not at all afraid to express their opinions, which I value most!

   

 Finally, the time of the closing ceremony arrived. And again a beautiful festive hall, smiling faces and encouraging words! It was time to announce the results. I  could feel my heart beating with excitement and knees trembling. Of course, I wanted to hear my name among the first, and ..... I did hear it! Victory! Wow! What a breakthrough! Well, I did not keep it a secret that I was insistently developing my teaching skills and looking for ways to improve my language. It is because I want to keep working as a teacher and plan to be a good one!

    In a word, to say I liked to take part in the "Teacher of the Year 2016" contest, is to say nothing at all! It was amazing!!! I made good friends with many people and got this unforgettable feeling of being appreciated as a teacher!  Thanks for this!