“They are tired and tense, like they are always in a race.” What a teacher from “Sava” College says about high school students

There is often talk about students who are no longer interested in school or who don't learn like they used to. In the classroom, however, the picture is more complicated. In front of a teacher they trust, students begin to talk about what's bothering them—how they feel at school, the fear of being judged, or the feeling of not being understood. A professor from the “St. Sava” National College in Bucharest describes this reality seen from the bench and the chair.

Bogdan Teodorescu, whom the students call “Sibi”, is a teacher of visual education. The nickname, left over from his adolescence, also says something about the relationship he has with the students: a close one, which allows him to have honest, deep discussions with high school students and understand what they miss when he sees them sad or thoughtful. He is one of the teachers in front of whom the students actually speak. And one of those who ask them what is wrong with them when they are silent. In the interview below, “Sibi” talks about a generation of jaded high school students under constant pressure of assessments with a great fear of failure.

“Fear of school is no longer an exception, but an increasingly visible phenomenon”

All About Mothers: – How would your students describe the Romanian school?
– Professor Bogdan Teodorescu: They would probably say it's tiring. A long route of exams and assessments, which leaves little room to breathe. Their faces show a mixture of exhaustion and constant agitation. They are both tired and tense, as if they are always in a race. You don't need statistics to see that. It is enough to look at them.

– Are there children who come to school with real fear? What are they afraid of?
– Yes. Fear of school is no longer an exception, but an increasingly visible phenomenon. Students fear failure, humiliation, the way they are seen by others. Added to that is the constant pressure of exposure – everything can go online, everything can be commented on. Screens amplify these fears. Intimacy disappears, and any mistake seems bigger than it is.

PHOTO: Ioana Cîrlig

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