Q: What do Ethan Hawke and U.S. Ambassador Hans Klemm have in common?
A: They have both been a Kindergarten Teacher for a Day.
“Every visit we received was wonderful for the kids because it rarely happens for somebody else to spend time with them. It made them feel they were important – and then their parents were so proud and happy too. It was like a confirmation – that they are on the right track by bringing the children to grădiniță. For me, as a teacher, every handshake from the visitors meant hope. Thank you!“
Izabella Orban, teacher in Apața, Brașov County
Being a Teacher for a Day gives volunteers the opportunity to experience the reality in which rural children are living and learning, while giving the children a chance to interact with adults from the outside world. Since 2015, over 200 volunteers from all walks of life have been “Teachers for a Day”, including 65 Raiffeisen volunteers (2015/2019), 40 UiPath volunteers (2019), and many well-known Romanian ‘movers and shakers’, including Dana Deac, Andreea Esca, Cristian Ghinea, Steven van Groningen, Marcel Iureș, Marius Manole, Cristian Mungiu, Florin Piersic Jr, and Victor Rebengiuc.
.
Greeted with curiosity and enthusiasm, our substitute teachers quickly become heroes to the children as they read them stories, teach them new skills, introduce them to new worlds, and engage in many other creative activities devised by the volunteers themselves.
At the same time, visitors gain a new understanding of daily life in rural areas. They also provide an important affirmation to the teachers who, day in and day out, receive very little appreciation for their hard work and influential role in the lives of Romania’s most vulnerable children.
For more information on how you or your organization can participate in the Teacher for a Day program, contact: patricia.puschila@ovid.ro.
“After spending the day with the children I realized that most of our stereotypes are built on the presumption that we all get the same start in life. Access to water and electricity is taken for granted nowadays, but not in Apața.”
Răzvan Exarhu, journalist
“I honestly wonder who benefited more from our encounter: the children or I?”
Dan Rădulescu
“I was truly touched by what I’ve seen today. I don’t know what impressed me more: the children, the teachers or the poverty they live in.”
Nicoleta Lungu, Raiffeisen volunteer
“I became a teacher for a day, and got a lesson for life! The teachers, the team at OvidiuRo, and the mums–they all won our respect. Even through the simple act of walking, not driving, up through the community, we were paying our respect to the mums who are making it happen, and encouraging all those who could be involved but aren’t yet. It was like an energy charge for everyone!”
Peter Hurley