The long-tail effect

Ms Yana does not place responsibility for her future in anyone else’s hands, because she understands that it is her own actions that lead her towards the future she aspires to. She teaches at a college, volunteers, heads the local Plast leadership team, and shares her professional experience with fellow educators at numerous educational events.

“EdCamp is a special chapter in my life, because everything that has happened to me through this organisation accounts for a good 40% of my development as an education professional,” Ms Yana says with a warm smile.

And when asked whether being an educator is difficult, she is genuinely surprised by the question. She sees herself as an equal to her students, respects each and every one of them, and receives the same respect in return.

Her colleagues say about her, “Borysivna has gone off somewhere again — she’ll come back with yet another new idea. We’d better hide!” But she explains that teachers cannot afford to stand still: they teach children, and they need to do it as well as they possibly can. To achieve this, they must understand what their students need and stay on the same wavelength as them.

Olena has zero tolerance for stereotypes, which is why, for several years now, she has been taking part in the Girls in STEM initiative together with her female students. In 2018, she joined the EdCamp community of “white crows.”

Over the years, she has come to realise that EdCamp is more than just a teachers’ movement — it is a source of strength that gives educators confidence and helps them believe in themselves. And a confident teacher who believes in themselves can pass that confidence on to their students.

“Emotions are what make us human. We need to understand them and learn how to manage them, because they can either lift us to the heights or plunge us into the depths.” These are the words with which Iryna Tomych begins her story.

After 24 February, she remained in her hometown of Khmelnytskyi and continued working as a school principal. After attending the first gathering of SEE Learning facilitators, Iryna realised that postponing the programme’s introduction at her school until the following year would mean losing an entire year — something she felt they simply could not afford. She therefore initiated the introduction of the course for Grades 1 and 5 at her school.

The principal is deeply grateful to her fellow teachers for not being afraid to experiment and for being willing to try something new.

“Big changes should start with the people around you,” Olesia believes, and she strives to put this idea into practice at her school. She embodies the European Ukraine that we all aspire to — the Ukraine Olesia herself dreams of.

One day, Olesia realised that her students did not feel entirely comfortable around her as their teacher. So, during one of her lessons, she invited them to try working together in a different way. They agreed. This marked the beginning of changes that helped build stronger relationships and foster genuine partnership.

EdCamp Ukraine became part of Olesia’s life five years ago.

Deputy Principal of Novomykolaivskyi Lyceum and a teacher of world literature, Ihor took part in the Teach Talks competition in 2019, where he shared his professional experience with educators from across Ukraine.

After his presentation, a video appeared on the screen showing a green car with three faces peeking out from behind it. It was the EdCamp Ukraine team. That same year, Ihor attended the national EdCamp (un)conference for the first time. Soon afterwards, he brought together a group of like-minded educators and organised an EdCamp-format event at his own school.

“Anyone who attends an event like this even once becomes infected with this ‘virus’ for life,” Ihor laughs as he talks about the EdCamp Ukraine movement.

A history teacher at Paniutynskyi Lyceum, Vladyslav has worked in different fields and attended many different events, yet it is only in the classroom that he truly feels alive. To him, every student is a unique world. “This applause is for you” — these are the words he uses to end every lesson.

He shares his teaching practices with fellow educators to help make lessons effective, engaging and, most importantly, enjoyable for both students and teachers.

In May last year, Vladyslav and his school joined the EdCamp movement in Ukraine for the first time by hosting a regional EdCamp (un)conference. The team carried the energy and enthusiasm of that event forward through the SIMSCHOOL project, “Teaching Children to Protect Themselves.”

When he was at school, Oleksandr could never have imagined that his entire life would be connected with education. But fate does not ask — it simply knows.

After several years of teaching, he organised a regional EdCamp event at his school and was named among the Top 50 finalists of the Global Teacher Prize Ukraine. During the COVID-19 lockdown, he went far beyond simply creating an effective distance learning system for his students.

Blowing out birthday candles through a screen, filming TikTok videos, exploring maps on the banks of the Dnipro, or using augmented reality at some of the coolest festivals — ideas seem to spring to life whenever Oleksandr and his students come together.

A teacher of history, law and civic education at the Oleg Mishukov Kherson Academic Lyceum, Svitlana has been part of the EdCamp community for many years.

At a national EdCamp event, she delivered an open lesson using the “fishbowl” method, and she has twice organised and coordinated mini-EdCamps at her school. She is also frequently invited to speak at regional events. In 2018, her teaching talent was recognised by the Global Teacher Prize Ukraine, where Svitlana was named among the Top 10 finalists.

Most importantly, she has succeeded in helping her students understand that any change must begin with yourself — and then anything is possible.

When Larysa became principal of Mykolaiv Secondary School No. 29, she had to fight for the school’s survival: with only 200 students, it was at risk of closure.

Larysa saw only one way forward — not simply to preserve what already existed, but to transform the school fundamentally. She involved the school in several innovative projects, including the #EducationWithoutCorruption programme.

Larysa’s favourite EdCamp principle is “Give if you want to, take if you can,” and she makes the most of every opportunity available to her, bringing new ideas and approaches into her school.

The principal and history teacher at Kryvyi Rih School No. 114 is not only an active member of the EdCamp Ukraine movement, but also an educational leader in many ways.

After learning about anti-corruption tools for working with young people, Liudmyla became genuinely passionate about them and actively promotes their use within teacher communities. “We need to tackle cheating, plagiarism and fabrication, because these habits can later give rise to bribery and other harmful practices,” Liudmyla believes.

She has also brought the ideas of EdCamp’s “white crows” to Moldova through fellow educators she knows. Today, Moldova’s own national EdCamp movement continues to grow.

First a teacher, then the principal of Hlukhiv Secondary School No. 2 in Sumy Region, and now Head of the Territorial Office of the State Service of Education Quality in Sumy Region, Alla, like many educators, has encountered academic misconduct and corruption more than once. At times, the injustice left her feeling discouraged and powerless.

Then, one day, Alla attended an EdCamp Ukraine event for the first time. There she found like-minded people, inspiration, and the strength to transform the educational environment, while also discovering anti-corruption tools for working with young people.

Today, she fosters zero tolerance for corruption among both children and her colleagues.

An IT teacher, Maryna has always continued learning herself in order to provide as many opportunities as possible for her students. Her dedication earned her a special prize from Microsoft Ukraine in the national Global Teacher Prize Ukraine competition.

Maryna believes that knowledge that was relevant five years ago may already be outdated today. In her view, a responsible educator should care not only about their own work or school, but about every child in every school across Ukraine. That is why it is so important to keep developing professionally and to share new discoveries and ideas with fellow educators.

“The EdCamp movement gives teachers freedom and countless opportunities for professional and personal growth,” Maryna says.

While working as an IT teacher at a Kharkiv gymnasium, Taisiia happened to meet the Development Director of the Vynakhidnyk network of technology studios (now INVENTOR STEM School) at an EdCamp Ukraine (un)conference. That chance encounter led to an invitation to head the school’s branch in Kharkiv.

Today, she serves as Director of the professional development university for educators within the INVENTOR STEM Schools network and is also the creator and leader of the School for Wise Parents project.

Taisiia moved to Kyiv, where she trains educators, develops new approaches to building strong partnerships between teachers, parents and students — the three sides of the educational triangle — and feels truly happy.

A methodologist at the Scientific and Methodological Centre of the Department of Education, Youth and Sports of Oleksandriia City Council, a geography teacher, the father of a schoolgirl and the husband of a teacher, Oleksandr succeeded in transforming teacher professional development across the entire Kirovohrad Region.

Inspired by the ideas he discovered at an EdCamp Ukraine (un)conference, he joined forces with like-minded educators to develop a unique approach to professional development. Having experienced the impact of the EdCamp movement first-hand, Oleksandr is convinced that it changes educators’ lives by offering a new understanding of the profession, renewed motivation, new methods, and mutual support.

Since 2020, he has served as Deputy Director of Ukrainian Global School in Kyiv.

A mathematics and physics teacher at Trudoliubivska School, Valentyna discovered EdCamp during one of the most difficult periods of her life — after her husband was killed during the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). At the time, she felt she had no strength to move forward and was considering leaving the teaching profession. When Valentyna was told about EdCamp, an event that teachers from across Ukraine dreamed of attending, she replied, “I want to go too.”

After discovering new principles and teaching approaches, she brought them back to her school, convincing both her colleagues and the school leadership that these ideas represented the future of education.

This decision eventually helped Valentyna fulfil her dream of experiencing Finnish education first-hand, while Trudoliubivska School went on to become one of the most progressive educational institutions in Ukraine.

To better understand his students, Leonid, Deputy Principal for Student Affairs at Poltava Specialised Sports Boarding School and a PhD in Education, decided to try an experiment: he asked his former student, Artur Shyika, to switch roles with him for a while.

After experiencing school from a student’s perspective, Leonid changed his approach to education and, as a result, earned greater respect from his students. His colleague and wife, Olha, believes that the opportunity for educators to share their own discoveries and insights with others is one of the most valuable aspects of the EdCamp movement.

Since 2020, Leonid has served as Deputy Head of the Territorial Office of the State Service of Education Quality in Poltava Region.

The principal of Khmelivskyi Educational Complex became the very first EdCamper in the history of the Ukrainian EdCamp community. Maiia was the first teacher to support the idea of holding an EdCamp-style (un)conference for educators, enthusiastically exclaiming, “I’ll be the first to come!”

She believes in equality among teachers, parents and children. She is convinced that EdCamp Ukraine needs greater support from people outside the education sector, because changes in education matter to society as a whole.

In 2019, Maiia was named among the Top 10 finalists of the Global Teacher Prize Ukraine, and since 2020, she has served as Deputy Head of the Territorial Office of the State Service of Education Quality in Kirovohrad Region.