I decided to become a teacher of English 16 years ago. My mum says that when I was a child I used to pretend I was a teacher and my dolls were my pupils. Many young girls dream to become doctors, actresses, teachers or ballerinas, but they end up being accountants, nurses, event planners, and so on. I had my doubts, my ups and downs, but I eventually understood that I was meant to be a teacher.

I graduated from the Faculty of Letters and Sciences in 2005 (University of Ploiești) and I started teaching English in the very same year. I became actively engaged in my professional development and I started to attend various courses, conferences and workshops that would help me identify the key issues associated with teaching English to young learners, teenagers, undergraduate students and adults (Jolly Phonics and Grammar, Classroom management following Adlerian principles, Thinking routines in the classroom, Certificates in Preparing Students for Cambridge Exams – YLE, KET, PET – awarded by British Council; Primary Essentials Certificate; Cambridge Business English Certificate Higher; Certificate in Teacher Training. In October 2011, I became a very proud Cambridge CELTA Qualified English Language Teacher after an intensive one-month course in the UK. During this course I experienced the British way of life and learned many things in terms of methodology, language awareness, planning and resources.

As time went by, I continued to focus on my professional development and study my students’ behaviour in order to cater for their needs later on. I learned that children are eager to learn, to discover new things, their minds are like sponges, ready to absorb everything around them. Above all, it is in playing that the individual child is able to be creative and to use the whole personality.

I started working as a Teacher of English at Avenor College in 2014 and what a great experience this has been! I continued my learning journey setting myself new goals. In 2016, Avenor College became a member of The Common Ground Collaborative and this provided me with the opportunity to learn more about guided inquiry, thinking routines and visible learning.

During these years, I have been a Teacher of English, the Curriculum Leader for Lower Primary English and an active member in The School Improvement Group.

In 2017, new opportunities arose and I made sure I grabbed the ones that suited not only my professional needs, but also the school’s, therefore I signed up for the leadership course ‘Leading Learning from the Middle’. The most important outcome of this experience was the fact that I managed to design a plan that aimed at developing the process of teaching and learning in Lower Primary. As the Lower Primary Coordinator, I was able to implement what I had learned, but only for one year as after that I was blessed with a baby girl and I took maternity leave.

This year I am back with a new perspective. In a classroom, little boys and girls in front of me are not ‘students’, they are foremost what their parents treasure the most, they are complex human beings whose needs should be respected, who deserve to be listened to, despite their young age. They have so many things to say, so many things to teach us!

As Teacher of English and the Pregatitoare Classes Coordinator my goal is to work closely with my amazing colleagues, to develop outdoor learning, ensuring continuity from Nursery to Lower Primary and a motivating, supportive learning environment for us all.