Tell us a few words about yourself:

First of all, I am honored to have the chance to talk about the educational community where I work. From the age of 14 until now, everything that shaped my teenage years and adulthood has been intertwined with the colors and rhythm of this school’s journey, which for me has always been and still is HOME.

Over its century of existence, the school has proven that it values its students and teachers, that it beautifully shapes the destinies of teenagers by giving them confidence and hope, while also offering knowledge opportunities through international projects. We are proud to have been the first school in the city to launch such projects, to hold six titles as a European School, to be an Ambassador School of the European Parliament, an E-Twinning partner, and a Cambridge training center. We chose to invest in our school and our students, and today we have a high pass rate at the Baccalaureate exam, which is a remarkable achievement for a technological high school.

How did you become a teacher?

During high school, I loved getting involved in the many activities happening in the school. I enjoyed – and still enjoy – working with people, sharing what I know as best I can, while also learning from them. I saw and felt that for my teachers, youth was a permanent state, even if their age might have said otherwise. That convinced me that I wanted to give something back to the school that formed me – as a teacher.

What motivates you?

I am motivated by the small yet meaningful moments: the satisfaction and joy of students when they understand what we go through in class, the discouragement on their faces when things are harder or less accessible… A sense of duty weaves through all of this, and that is why I continue to do what I do, always looking for solutions and methods to make things better. I am not a person of extremes – I seek balance, harmony, fairness, rigor, but also empathy, responsibility, and accountability.

How do you encourage love and curiosity?

I teach notions of law, I talk to students about rules, norms, about the necessity of respecting them, but also about the consequences of not doing so, and I always bring examples. I explain that everything is connected to life, to our existence, to any future profession. I encourage their curiosity about the usefulness of rules and norms in our lives.

What is the greatest challenge?

There are many challenges, all connected to what is happening in society today. In the classroom, the real challenge, I believe, is making students present not only physically, but also mentally. The teacher’s status has eroded, our role in the classroom is questioned. Today, many parents neglect their relationship with their children, so the challenging part is not necessarily delivering the content, but the educational and formative side that falls to the school. We do not just transmit knowledge – we, as teachers, at some point, become complementary to parents in shaping and guiding students: we mentor them, teach them how to learn, how to make decisions, how to manage even without someone constantly by their side.

Advice for a future teacher

To a colleague at the beginning of their career, disoriented, struggling in their relationship with students, I would say: be the teacher you would have wanted when you were a student – but adapted to today’s students.

Think: What did I feel when I was a student? What did I expect from my teachers? Because, in the end, teenagers will always exist, even if times change.

If you had unlimited resources…?

I imagine a generous courtyard, full of trees, with benches and tables for students, where they can sit in the shade, socialize – transforming our current paved courtyard, which we’ve decorated as best we could, into a green, idyllic landscape. Our 37 classes study in shifts from 7:30 a.m. to 7:40 p.m., so they would need such a space, even for outdoor lessons like biology or physics.

I would create a place where everyone feels safe and where they actually want to be.

In conclusion, I would like to add that for each of us destiny paves a path, and those who choose this profession must show love and understanding toward children and young people. It is said that we make humanity better if we make young people better.