Finding My Place

Radoslav Garmanliev

Contributor

I graduated with degrees in Political science and French. My mother wanted me to become a lawyer or a doctor but I didn’t want that. 

But when I graduated I realized I wasn’t into politics at all. I wanted to start a career with an environmental NGO that influenced decision-making in Bulgaria. But again I found I wasn’t able to have the impact I wanted. 

I had a mentor at the time that suggested getting into the teaching. 

My first job was in a Montessori kindergarten. I was an English teacher and then a French teacher. But the most interesting for me was to work with kids above five years old. After two years of teaching with the Montessori school, I heard about the democratic education model. 

In this system, I became more conscious about myself also. I feel like I’m growing up and learning with the children also. It’s a challenge to be a teacher in such a school because you have to find your own unique way to interact with children. Somehow we have to find the core of what they need. 

If you’re seen the movie Forbidden Education, those forms of education are more like what is needed nowadays because I think the global collective consciousness is growing and children need different approaches. The education system worldwide, more or less, is not changing very much. There are some exceptions but, the system hasn’t adjusted since the industrial age until now. The decision-makers didn’t take the steps to change the education system and I feel proud now that I’m part of the change in this country. Our school is still seen as an outsider in Bulgaria. 

By working in these schools I’ve learned that I’m quite empathetic. I don’t want to lose my childhood outlook. I want to celebrate life. And at the same time I want to ensure I combine freedom with responsibility for the kids. I’ve learned that I’m able to handle conflicts well. I found myself that the role of mediator is suitable for my personality. I found that I can be a calming effect when I start dealing with situations. The kids can see this and trust me and somehow it works.

Independence and consciousness are at the top of what kids can get from this type of education. To become more self confident, to initiate their own ideas and projects, and to find a way to network. The mentorship is one of the pillars of our school because when you give the children the freedom to do what they want to do, sometimes they get lost and teachers need to guide them through that journey. 

Most people make the distinction between kids and adults. And kids are not equal because kids are still developing and adults are most conscious and independent. But in terms of life, we are equal because we are all a form of life which is changing constantly. But if we perceive children are able to make decisions which cannot be good or bad, and if we admit that then everything they do is part of the learning process.