The teacher who left accounting to work with children | The story of a multigrade teacher

AllGrow’s programs are built by people, with people, and for people. Behind remarkable results, there is always a teacher eager to learn more, give more, and help students grow. That is why we are starting a series of stories about the educators we work with — people who are changing a small corner of the world, each in their own way. We hope their stories will inspire other teachers as well, and we believe their voices matter.

We continue the series with the story of Paraschiva Dumitriuc, a primary school teacher at Școala Gimnazială Cacica and a participant in the “Future in multigrade classrooms” project, implemented by AllGrow Association with the support of Fundația Dacia pentru România.

Paraschiva Dumitriuc was still in high school when she first thought about becoming a teacher. Still, she chose to study accounting and worked several jobs before eventually enrolling in a pedagogy program alongside her former high school desk mate.

This year, she entered the education system and now teaches first- and fourth-grade students in a multigrade classroom in Cacica, Suceava. She describes her students as empathetic, creative, and loud whenever they get excited or discover the answer to a question.

At first, it was difficult, because every beginning is difficult.

Paraschiva Dumitriuc relied more on the support of her fellow teachers and students than on the training she received during university, and she believes it would have been challenging even in a regular classroom setting. The students she teaches have been part of the multigrade system since they first started school, so they already understand how things work. They had very clear classroom rules established in previous years, which she only adjusted where she felt it was necessary.

From her experience working in the private sector, she brings several skills that also help her in the classroom:

“Even when I am faced with a new topic or one I haven’t approached in a long time, I know how to manage it more quickly. Even if I don’t know something in the moment or can’t remember it, I involve the students. Let’s see. Let’s discover it together.”

What has changed in education from when she finished school until now? From her perspective, it is the communication between teachers and students. There is no longer that rigid barrier between teachers and students. Students express their opinions more easily and are much more open, but this can also have a downside—some students become too open and test the limits of respectful behavior.

She realized she did not want a career in accounting because of the volume of documents she would have had to work with, and she feels that the level of bureaucracy in education is still too high and takes away from the joy of teaching.

“At least in the first two months, most of my time was spent completing documents—more than preparing materials for class,” the teacher says.

However, she compensates for this through the small successes in the classroom: from students telling her they enjoyed the lesson, to first graders who eagerly wait to reach fourth grade so they can do the same activities as the older students.

One of the games her students enjoy the most is the “spider web” game, where they throw a ball of yarn from one to another while expressing ideas. They like it because it can be adapted to many topics, it is interactive, and it gets them out of their seats to do something physical. Movement helps them relax, unwind, and come up with better ideas.

Parents and their importance in the school ecosystem

Paraschiva Dumitriuc believes that a lack of parental involvement in the educational process is reflected especially in students’ behavior at school.

There are very few cases in which a teacher alone can bring change in children, helping them become more attentive or more engaged. It is difficult for things to function properly without a strong parent–teacher relationship.

Moreover, the role of parents is essential in students’ performance and in how they acquire new skills. Unfortunately, for some parents, teachers—whether educators, primary teachers, or preschool teachers—are seen as babysitters who take care of children until 12:00 or 14:00. Some parents do not realize how important the skills are that children need to acquire by the end of fourth grade. They do not understand how important it is for a child to arrive at school on time, or to know how to sit properly at their desk.

Future in multigrade classrooms

Paraschiva Dumitriuc is one of the 25 teachers involved in the “Future in multigrade classrooms” project, implemented by AllGrow Association with the support of Fundația Dacia pentru România. The project aims to bring Design Thinking—a method that AllGrow has been using for more than 8 years in Romanian schools—into multigrade education, where its benefits can significantly improve classroom learning experiences.

Within the project, students started from the needs of the school community, thinking about solutions to improve their time at school. Paraschiva Dumitriuc says that first-grade students were motivated to communicate more during the project. She also observes changes in students’ behavior: they are more attentive to their peers, help each other more, and often ask her:

“Miss, I finished my work—can I go help my classmate?”

The teacher’s experience in Cacica shows how important adaptability is in the teaching profession. Paraschiva Dumitriuc demonstrates that a non-traditional path to teaching can bring valuable resources, and that involvement in innovative projects such as “Future in multigrade classrooms” can transform not only lessons, but also the relationships between students.