“Honorable dedicated work of a teacher” - an article about Elena V. Sableva, a teacher of mathematics of Belousovka Secondary School No. 1 of Education Department of Glubokoe district of Education Administration of East Kazakhstan region

It's no secret that the teaching is one of the most honorable professions, but it’s also one of the most challenging professions at all times. Today’s teacher is a multifaceted blend of intelligence, wit, empathy, immense responsibility, and a constant commitment to self–improvement. Teachers are the ones who guide us in learning to write, count, and draw and much more… As Aristotle once said: “Those who educate children are more to be honoured than parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well.”

The future of the country depends on the teacher. Elena V. Sableva, a teacher of mathematics and a research educator at Belousovka Secondary School No. 1, believes that modern teachers should strive to nurture independent, self-reliant, responsible, critically thinking and happy citizens. Elena Vladimirovna has dedicated 35 years to teaching. While much has changed during this time in the country and in the world, but one thing has remained constant for her – the children, their world, their souls, their sincerity.   

The school’s primary goal is to cultivate the character in every learner, and the learning process should become an integral part of that development. At the same time, this development should focus on instilling qualities like string moral behavior, general culture, creative initiative and entrepreneurship, and social engagement. For this reason, Elena Vladimirovna consistently prioritizes achieving educational goals related to intellectual development and character building. The teacher emphasizes the importance of diagnostics in her activity.

“I use diagnostic results to determine teaching methods and resources,” explains Elena Vladimirovna. In order to improve the quality of diagnostics, I work closely with the school psychologist, and stay updated on new methodologies in psychology. Moreover, I participated in the psychology festival “Art of Life: Snow Zone” (organized by the Center for Practical Psychology, and the Bliss Psychological Center).” 

A modern teacher should be intelligent, energetic and mobile. A teacher is truly a teacher when their schoolchildren eagerly attend their classes, knowing that they are going to encounter something new, exciting, unusual. One of the most powerful levers in learning is the child's interest. For this reason, it is essential to use all the opportunities for “learning with joy”.

In her work, Elena Vladimirovna prefers active teaching methods. Collaborative activities and discussion-based formats are the cornerstone of many of her teaching approaches. As the teacher says, this feature does not negate the individualization of learning, but requires a balanced and skillful application.

Problem-solving is a key characteristic of active learning methods, continues Elena Vladimirovna.  By placing learners in a challenging situation, where their current knowledge isn’t enough to fund a solution or make a decision, we force them to actively build new knowledge with the help of a teacher and with the participation of their peers, drawing on their own and others’ experiences, logic and common sense.”

Elena Vladimirovna also emphasizes the importance fostering a collaborative environment, taking into account age characteristics, using interactive technologies, new teaching approaches, teaching critical thinking, a special approach to teaching talented and gifted children to achieve a higher level of teaching quality.  

Elena Vladimirovna highlights the role of action research and Lesson Study in improving the quality of school students’ knowledge. The teacher shares her experience. “I conducted an action research entitled “How a research conversation motivates schoolchildren to learn the topic of “Interval Method”. The study helped refine dialogical teaching strategies and identify solutions to problems outlined during the research process. This school year, I’m working with a group of teachers on a Lesson Study focused on “Group formation principles”, and we’ve already established a principle for forming groups based on learning levels.”

However, Elena Vladimirovna believes that the main motto of teaching is “Do No harm,”. She says, “Often, in our pursuit of quality knowledge, we overload children, and neglect health-saving technologies, causing irreparable damage to their health. The teacher tries to build all her teaching activities in such a way as to minimize harmful factors.  

Elena Vladimirovna is an active person in every sense. She believes that sharing experiences is crucial for professional growth.

Being the leader of District Methodological Association of Teachers of Mathematics, he pays great attention to organizing collaborative efforts among teachers of mathematics of the district. Currently, she mentors young professionals and serves as a member of the School’s Assessment Commission.

To further facilitate knowledge sharing, Elena Vladimirovna, a teacher at Belousovka Secondary School No. 1, created her own personal website. There she published the article “Working with definitions” and medium-term planning on the topic “Polynomials”, and also posts lesson plans for her most successful lessons. Elena Vladimirovna, a teacher-researcher, shares her experience and research in district, regional and republican information and methodological magazines.

Elena Vladimirovna has extensive experience working with gifted children. For several years she led the school’s science club “Eureka”. The projects led by her schoolchildren have constantly won awards. And, of course, the result of Elena Vladimirovna's successful work are reflected in her learners’ awards at District and Regional Olympiads in mathematics.

 

Tatyana S. Zinkovskaya, a teacher of the Russian language of Belousovka Secondary School No. 1 of Education Department of Glubokoe district of Education Administration of East Kazakhstan region