Once upon a time, a young man named Hayk traveled to the remote village of Bagaran. This fairytale-like story began one and a half year ago, when Hayk’s life took an unexpected turn towards fellowship at Teach For Armenia.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
“I always assumed one would do many different jobs in their lifetime, but never have I thought I’d teach algebra, geometry and informatics in a rural community,” says Hayk.
He was working on private orders and various graphic design-related projects in the office, as usual, when a friend of his mentioned Hayk’s name during the interview at Teach For Armenia (TFA). “He said he promised I would send my CV,” recalls Hayk, “I couldn’t let him down, could I?”
Hayk got a call inviting him to an interview. Afterwards, there came the examination and the Academy for teacher-leaders.
“Seeing people who had a mission, who didn’t just say that this or that would be great but actually worked to make the great things happen inspired me so much, and the opportunity to join those people was even more inspiring. It takes a lot of effort to settle in a new environment: you start at the bottom and gradually get a chance to show what you can do. In case of Teach For Armenia, the chance just arrived at my door, so to say. With that in mind, I signed the contract,” tells Hayk.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
His chance was waiting in Bagaran, which stands closer to the border with Turkey than to the nearest Armenian settlement – Vanand village. Although Bagaran is not that far from the capital - 100km, it is extremely isolated. The village lives like one large family. However, the proximity to the border means that the ways in and out of the village were guarded. Guards at the checking points would ask you to identify yourself and say who you were visiting before they decided if you should get the permit. That practice was canceled around 8 years ago. The unofficial explanation is that the checking points and permits made it difficult for Bagaran’s young women to get married.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
The village is open to everyone now, but not many people are coming. This secluded place is exactly what Hayk dreamed about before getting his TFA assignment.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
“Will we have games today?”
“Yes. And what do you need to do for that?”
“Be quiet!”
Hayk explains that the 5th grade students are especially active because of our visit, but total silence is a rare occurrence in the classroom anyway. The most cheerful math lesson I’ve ever seen is interrupted when a teacher from the next-door classroom opens the door to ask if everything is alright. Hayk applies the more or less successful method of getting kids to be quiet – the threat of canceling the games.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
“When Mr Minasyan is done explaining the lesson, we get bored, and we play games so the class is interesting. He says we can play at every lesson if we behave.”
“If we talk too much, he either tells us to draw something or gives us an F.”
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
“I know one thing for certain: if the lesson is monotonous and dull, it can’t be useful. The only way to get children to study is to make the process interesting. If they are entertained, they get involved and start working. And if they work, they definitely succeed, and when they succeed, they love the subject. My job is to engage them in the learning process, and they do the rest,” explains Hayk.
“What is the difference between a triangle and a square? Sveta, tell us.”
“I might get this wrong.”
“That is actually the best thing that can happen.”
“When I introduce the topic, I don’t just start explaining. I try to ask as many questions as possible, and it doesn’t matter if all answers are wrong. It is better that way, in fact, because children are no longer afraid to make a mistake, which means they aren’t afraid to work and learn from mistakes. It is one of the most important things we should teach at school. If you manage to help the child overcome feat, your job is half done,” tells Hayk.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
The Bagaran school has 92 students and Hayk teaches most of them. He has 7 lessons a day and manages the “Armath” lab and the math club. Some months he doesn’t have time to visit family. The way Hayk imagined teacher’s job was very different from reality: he used to wonder what they can be complaining about if they just give several lessons and go home.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
“I had odd jobs since I was 16. I did physically and mentally demanding work, organizational work, but nothing tired me out as much as the school does. In September, I would come home after classes and just go to sleep without dinner or anything else. I worked without sleep for about 50 hours in the past, but I still wasn’t as tired. Teaching demands so much labor. Children just absorb your energy, like a sponge! Add the efforts it takes to keep them quiet and focused in the class,” tells Hayk.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
The fatigue is emotional, not physical, he says, because you must never lose focus. Not even one error or moment of distraction is allowed. “Children remember every detail. They notice if you said one thing yesterday and another today or if you said one thing to this student and another to that one,” adds Hayk.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
However, his work doesn’t just take – it gives energy as well. According to Hayk, children have such unique viewpoints and ideas, which would never cross an adult’s mind. And it takes working in school to see that, says Hayk.
“It doesn’t matter how tired I am. In school, I am always energetic. What are other options? I can’t go to the school unprepared. The children come expecting to learn something new and I have no right to fail them. Nobody asks if you’re tired. You must simply do your job. It is one of the few “must” situations in life.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
Besides, outside of the classroom children give you as much energy as they take during the lessons. When you see that your efforts did not go in vain, that even if you’re reprimanding the kids they still give you affection, you can’t help but feel recharged,” explains Hayk.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
It’s empty in the school yard when we come out after the 7th lesson. According to Hayk, children are embarrassed of us, otherwise they would be waiting for him to take them home by car. They used to wait for him outside when he didn’t have a car too.
“Last year I was stunned to come outside and see all boys from the 9th grade waiting for me to walk home together. It was such a compliment.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
I changed school four times and I never waited for any of my teachers. I was out as soon as the bell rang, the same as all my 132 classmates in those four schools. Here in Bagaran, kids don’t just wait to accompany me home, they also ask for permission to visit. I understand, of course, that they’re looking for informal communication, not more math lessons. It shows what the children think of me, so at least I’m doing some things right,” says Hayk.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
The school and his house stand in the opposite corners of the village. Hayk blows the horn to greet passerby as we make our way to the house.
“When I recall the conditions in the military unit where I served, this house seems like a suit, VIP-class place,” Hayk says, laughing.
Hayk’s hours at home pass in one room. It’s difficult to heat the house, especially in winter. The village is not supplied with gas and the residents take water from the spring and keep their houses warn with stoves. Despite these conditions, Hayk tries to turn even difficulties into enjoyable activities.
“Chopping wood is an exercise, getting water is a walk, and getting the fire started in the stove and is just fun because it reminds me of my childhood. The stove gives off special heat. I always have a kettle on. What else does one need?” tells Hayk.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
The only other thing one needs, according to Hayk, is good neighbors, and that’s exactly the case in Bagaran. The teacher discovered the true Armenian hospitality in the village. If one of the neighbors cooks something tasty, they share with Hayk. When he didn’t have a car, he walked to the school and the neighbors often stopped him. “Simonyan!” they called out. “Wait a minute!” And they would treat him to home-made lavash (flat bread – Mediamax), cheese, eggs, etc. This year they forced Hayk to accept two boxes of apples and apricots. “I don’t know what I’ve done to earn this attitude. These people are extraordinary,” notes Hayk.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
Grandpa Pushkin makes an entrance, carrying dried plum for us. We invite him to have a cup of coffee with us, and he responds: “Call me when you get to spirits.” Grandpa Pushkin is possibly the most extraordinary person Hayk has ever met.
“When I just arrived in the village, it was 10 p.m. No running water or electricity, no familiar faces. Grandpa Pushkin knocked my door, offered water in a large container, saying the road was long and I must be thirsty. Next day, I come home after classes and see the electrician on the roof: grandpa Pushkin brought him first thing in the morning. I tried to pay the electrician, but he said: “Come one, you’ve come to our village to teach the kids. How can I take your money? Please, don’t offend me.” And then he takes a melon out of the car! “You’re just back from work,” he says. “You must be hungry.” A moment later they were gone and I was left there standing with a melon in my hands. Grandpa Pushkin returned with cold water, and his attitude hasn’t changed ever since,” tells Hayk.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
He takes all his guests to grandpa Pushkin’s garden, which stands just a few meters from the Turkish territory. When Turkish village celebrates a wedding on their side of the border, the sounds reach Bagaran. The mullah’s voice also carries over to the Armenian side.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
Hayk makes coffee for the whole company and we take it to the yard. In November, it’s warmer in the street than in the house.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
“Sorry, I don’t have anything sweet to offer,” Hayk apologizes, laughing. “I’ve eaten all sweets I had.”
A cup of coffee helps Hayk cheer up after 7 lessons and return to the school for the club meetings. Another TFA fellow, Hayk’s predecessor Vanik opened an “Armath” engineering lab in Bagaran. Children had had no clubs or labs before.
“Mr Simonyan brought the parts and the software for the robot and we built it! We worked with Wi-Fi. This robot moves and it can change direction if it comes against an obstacle. You can draw a line on the floor and the robot will walk it. But we are still working on the code,” Gevorg explains, presenting the robot.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
This is the last year of Hayk’s tenure in Bagaran. According to Hayk, he has learned more from Bagaran’s experienced teachers than any courses. If he were to start over as a teacher, he would have done many things differently.
“I understand now how hard and important teachers’ work is. In school, you don’t educate children – you teach them to educate themselves. We give kids knowledge but don’t tell them how to use it and get more knowledge out of it. What children learn at school is not the multiplication or the periodic table, but the attitude towards knowledge, the skills and desire to learn. If that doesn’t happen, we get an illiterate society,” explains Hayk. “But if it does, we are a prosperous nation.”
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
This weekend Hayk won’t go visit his family in Yerevan: he’ll be busy collecting wood. Last year four boys from the 10th grade helped him with that, but as they came back, a group of unhappy students was waiting. The other kids got offended that Hayk didn’t take them too with him.
Photo: Vaghinak GhazaryanMediamax
The drama won’t be repeated, because this year Hayk will take a large group to wood collecting. The students are queuing for the last few weeks to help him: days are getting colder, but Mr Simonyan is not ready for winter.
Lusine Gharibyan
Vaghinak Ghazaryan (exclusive for Mediamax)
Comments
Dear visitors, You can place your opinion on the material using your Facebook account. Please, be polite and follow our simple rules: you are not allowed to make off - topic comments, place advertisements, use abusive and filthy language. The editorial staff reserves the right to moderate and delete comments in case of breach of the rules.