The “Viilor” Economic College is a large high school, with over 1,400 students. Mrs. Stoica told us that they come from social backgrounds facing major financial and social challenges, and at times she feels overwhelmed by these issues, which can be even greater than those faced by adults.

“I want to help them, to stand by them, to help in any way I can, whether it is with students or colleagues. I believe that the biggest problem our children face is low self-esteem.”

When and how did you decide to become a teacher?

I decided to become a mathematics teacher in the summer vacation between 5th and 6th grade, when I was solving problems from Gazeta Matematică. I loved mathematics and decided to become a teacher out of love for the subject. The pleasure and passion for the teaching profession came afterward.

First, however, I attended the Pedagogical High School because my parents wanted me to become a primary school teacher. This helped me, because I deepened my knowledge of methodology and pedagogy and realized I enjoyed working more with older children. In the end, all roads led to becoming a mathematics teacher, and this way I fulfilled my childhood dream.

What motivates you to continue in this profession?

At first, I looked at teaching strictly as a job, but as the years passed, I wanted to do more and more for the school and the students, and I became fully involved.

I like to think that I get along well with the students and they with me. It also helps that I am a coordinator of projects and programs and have the opportunity to spend time with them in other activities, not just in class.

How do you encourage love and curiosity for your subject?

Beyond the subject I teach, I try to teach them other things as well. They come convinced that they cannot learn mathematics, that it is too difficult, and that it will not help them anyway. I try to attract them with different things – curiosities from mathematics, separate from what they need to learn for the Baccalaureate exam.

If I were to describe myself as a teacher, I would say that I am an opener of paths. And I don’t mean only professional paths, but personal ones as well. I want, for example, to teach them to discover beauty, to discover art.

What is your greatest pride?

One thing I am proud of is that I can make children trust themselves. I would like to tell you about a girl who was in the 9th grade during the pandemic and never responded when we worked online. At one point, because I kept marking her absent, her mother wrote to me and told me that she had a blockage and couldn’t speak with us, the teachers. The situation remained the same when we returned to in-person classes. I included her in a remedial program, took her to the theater, and little by little she gained the confidence to overcome that blockage. Now we talk, and she tells me many things.

I am also proud that I have created a classroom environment based on trust, where students are not afraid to ask questions or give answers, because they know they are listened to and that no one laughs at them even if they make mistakes. I encourage them, I motivate them, and they know that I have more confidence in them than, perhaps, they have in themselves.

What does a successful lesson look like?

A successful lesson is one in which students ask questions, participate with interest, make connections – one in which, by the end, they have learned something from me, but I have also learned something from them. A successful lesson is one that students would like to repeat, and when they ask me, “Teacher, can we also do math next period?”, I think that is the best feedback I could receive.

What is the greatest challenge for a teacher in the classroom today?

For me, the greatest challenge is to make them believe they can achieve what they want for their future. To make them aware that they are capable of much more than they think, to fight for what they want, to truly believe in themselves when they say, “I can too!”.

I am amazed to see how creative they are when we have extracurricular activities. They have shown me once again that we must trust them, let them participate, because that is how they open up.

What is the role of a teacher?

Apart from transmitting information – which I consider the easiest part of our profession – the teacher must help shape the character of the child. To help them discover themselves, to grow, to make wise choices – to form responsible people.

And what I tell everyone is that I would like to teach them to be happy.

What advice would you give to a young person at the beginning of their career?

I would tell them that this is a 24/7 profession, not just 8 hours a day. To have a good relationship with children, you need to have a good relationship with yourself, to constantly develop, to be as close to the students as possible, and to be receptive to their needs. You must be empathetic and always keep in mind the reason behind a child’s unpleasant behavior.

If the school had unlimited resources, what would you like to do?

I would like us to be able to offer a hot meal to all students, to have a dormitory for children who commute, and a reading room like the ones I have seen in movies: with many books, with access to technological resources, with comfortable armchairs where they can go when they need to or when they want to spend some quality time.