SuperTeach Gala 2023: The “perfect” teacher-student-parent triangle, the solution for changing education in Romania

SuperTeach Gala 2023: The “perfect” teacher-student-parent triangle, the solution for changing education in Romania

”Alone, I go fast; together, we go far. Where would we all be now if we had learned the power of togetherness earlier? The upbringing of a child is like a flight, which has two wings, namely the parent and the teacher, and these wings must synchronize to help the child become the best version of themselves”, explained Felix Tătaru, the president of SuperTeach, referring to the symbol of the teacher-child-parent triangle, which will be the strategy of SuperTeach starting this autumn. Additionally, Dragoș Anastasiu, co-founder of SuperTeach, mentioned that the association’s objective is ”SuperTeach to become a national project and to talk about a change in mentality in every Romanian school”.

Former student of SuperTeach School in Constanța, ”Dan Barbilian” General School, Iulia Niculae, spoke in front of the over 500 guests at the SuperTeach Gala about the moment when “I felt inferior and overwhelmed, I felt that I couldn’t keep up with others in terms of mathematics, just a few months before the exam. What helped me was precisely the fact that my parents and the math teacher supported me, and we communicated with an open mindset.”

Cristina Gheorghe, co-founder of SuperTeach, emphasized that the need for creating an “equilateral triangle” of teacher-child-parent was highlighted following the two years of implementing the Outward Mindset Program and changing the organizational culture at ”Dan Barbilian” General School in Constanța, the first SuperTeach School in Romania. ”Organizational culture is like air. If we don’t pay attention to it, it becomes toxic, and we can no longer see each other as human beings, whether we are talking about the culture in a school, our family, or any other organization,” said Cristina Gheorghe.

The solution is to change our mentality, and then our behaviour.

”Teachers are not superheroes, but human beings like everyone else, who face challenges, different states, and situations. However, I feel every day that I am not going to work, but to school, and that makes all the difference. I want to be better for the children in my class,” confessed Alexandru Tănase, a mathematics teacher in Focșani, on the stage of the SuperTeach Gala.

Adding humor and irony inspired by the reality of the Romanian school system, actor Toni Grecu concluded, in a serious tone: ”The problem with the Romanian school is that we want to change behaviour without changing mentality. We change the structure of the school year, we change textbooks, we build toilets, but we don’t change the mentality, and we fail to understand that the Romanian school doesn’t develop curiosity, only memory.”

Present at the SuperTeach Gala, Mihai Ghigiu, the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister of Romania, stated: ”Unfortunately, the profession of a teacher has faded into the background; it is no longer a benchmark and a role model for young people. I assure you that in the government, you have a sincere partner who, although making mistakes, wants to contribute to a change in society.”

Education auction – entrepreneurs’ contribution to education with an open mindset

The event also included an auction for education with the aim of raising funds to support the community of teachers and parents with an open mindset. Business representatives present at the event bid for artworks, experiences, development programs, or tickets to various events. Additionally, the most involved parent, child, and teacher with an open mindset received the symbolic SuperTeach trophy from the association’s strategic partners – BCR, Fan Courier, and Iulius.

The SuperTeach Association represents a community of over 30,000 teachers, more than 500 events dedicated to them in the past five years, 1,050 teachers graduated from the Outward Mindset Program, with an impact on 300,000 students nationwide. The association’s objective is to modernize the education system from the bottom up, starting from the teachers who shape and influence thousands of children throughout their lives.

SuperTeach Events Calendar, Autumn 2023

Interested parents and teachers are invited this autumn to participate in events or courses that aim to transform the parent-child-teacher relationship and improve the quality of Romanian education through a mindset change. Thus, on November 18th, the SuperTeach Conference will take place in Bucharest, with 1,000 teachers and parents expected to attend, and on December 9th, SuperTeach will reach Bacău.