The Storyteller of Mathematics
Doina Mircea
You will always find Doina Mircea involved in some kind of activity – whether for her students, or for her own personal and professional development.
She has been teaching since 1998 at “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” Technological High School in Slobozia:
“I am a product of this high school – I was once a student here myself. After graduating from university, my former homeroom teacher called me. She knew I had chosen computer science and needed a substitute teacher for the subject. She told me: ‘Come and help me for one year!’
I came back. I thought I would stay for just one year, but I never left.”
Slobozia is a quiet provincial town with few job opportunities, which is why many parents have gone abroad to work.
The high school has around 1,600 students, including many from the city, as well as from nearby villages and neighboring Călărași County. The school offers a wide range of programs, including science-focused tracks, economics, vocational education in technical and commercial fields, and dual education. “We have students who enter high school with low grades, and for us it is an achievement if we manage to help them graduate.”
Her path toward the teaching profession likely began when she was doing calculations with chalk on the kitchen cabinet, which served as her “home blackboard.” Later, in 8th grade, while preparing for the high school entrance exam, she would “tell the story” of mathematics to classmates who wanted to learn. That was the moment she realized she enjoyed this work and wanted to become a teacher.
She was part of the first generation at the school to follow the mathematics-computer science specialization. And, as nothing is accidental, her homeroom teacher, Anghelușa Romașcu, became and remains her role model – first her teacher, then her colleague, and for many years, head of department.
Speaking about herself as a teacher, Mrs. Mircea says:
I try to get close to my students, to understand them, to do things together. I want to reach their hearts. I want to broaden my own horizons so I can truly be there for them.
It is the students themselves who motivate her every day. “When I see that they have plans, that they want to do things, it motivates me too. Now I focus on courses related to my role as a homeroom teacher, learning how to stay close to them. I already have graduating classes with whom I have celebrated 10 years since graduation.”
Mrs. Mircea has many achievements she could add to her album of memories – from students who reached the national stage of the computer science olympiad, to being the mentor of the first robotics team in the city and county.
The robotics team, TehRoCuz, is perhaps her closest-to-heart project. While the team initially consisted only of boys, girls gradually began to join as well. Today, many students want to be part of the team because it helps them grow in multiple ways. They participate in national-level events where they meet peers who share the same passion.
“I’ve learned a lot myself since working with the robotics team – how to create a business plan, how to raise and manage funds, how to create promotional materials. We are organized like a small company. And they are proud to learn all these things.”
For some students, robotics influenced their career choice, leading them to pursue technical university programs. For others, it helped them overcome shyness and fear of public speaking. For all of them, it changed their mindset.
This is not the only activity she coordinates at the school. There is a strong culture of volunteering, and students now come forward with their own initiatives. For example, for two consecutive years, students from “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” Technological High School in Slobozia volunteered for the TV show Visuri la cheie, helping wherever they were needed.
Mrs. Mircea shared that she constantly initiates new projects and competitions to motivate her students. Just a few examples: she involved them in a project that showed what creating a podcast really means and how much work goes into it; she encourages 12th-grade students who can obtain a professional certification to build their web design projects as real websites; she organizes holiday events aimed at helping others.
And yet, what is the greatest challenge in her daily work?
Keeping up with them – with our young students – especially since the teacher’s role is to be a mentor for young people.
In a world where resources of all kinds would be unlimited, she would like to achieve three things:
- Ensure proper facilities so that the school offers a clean, friendly physical environment
- Have an educational counselor dedicated exclusively to identifying, accessing, and implementing projects in the school
- Provide continuous professional development opportunities for teachers through training courses
For any young person who wants to pursue a teaching career, her advice is simple: “If you truly like and want to do this job, follow this path.”
Acest interviu a fost realizat de către Mădălina Lescai, Program Manager în programul Caleidoscop, ca parte din proiectul Profesori de poveste, o serie de 20 de articole despre profesorii parteneri ai programului.