An ORT informatics and technology teacher has just won the Teacher of the Year Moscow 2018 competition.  Ignat Ignatov, who teaches ninth grade at Moscow ORT Technology School, received this distinction based on the results of the third stage of the city-wide contest, surpassing an initial 11,000 contenders, of whom 29 advanced after the first stage, followed by 10 teachers who advanced after the second level to become finalists.

“This is a great honor and responsibility,” Ignat said, adding, “This is a serious test.”  A young teacher with 3 years of pedagogical experience and 2 years of experience at the ORT school, Ignat speaks about his work.  “I’ve learned a lot.  We have an excellent team.  The children have the opportunity to realize their most challenging engineering ideas, from ‘the smart lighting system’ to ‘the copter to monitor the environmental situation.’

Teacher of the Year Moscow 2018 Competition

The competition, established in 2017 by the Moscow Department of Education, which publicized it throughout city schools, has four categories:  Teacher of the Year, Teacher-Psychologist of the Year, Pre-School Teacher of the Year, and Optional School Teacher of the Year.  Participants must have a higher education, at least two years of teaching experience, be certified for their position, and hold a full-time position corresponding to competition requirements.

For the first stage of the contest, teachers participated in a multi-subject Olympiad.  The second stage entailed delivering a speech entitled ‘I Am a Moscow Teacher,’ writing an essay entitled ‘Moscow School 2018,’ and presenting a concept in a video entitled ‘An Easy Talk About Complex Things.’  The third stage for the finalists was held March 24 to April 30 and involved teaching a master class, completing an educational project, and presenting experience and work results to a pedagogical council.

Ignat’s vision: new school projects and 3D modeling studio

Ignat is determined to develop his teaching, and has ideas for the future.  “My plans include the expansion of the 3D modeling studio; next year we will study more design programs. And I really want to study and create neural networks, and introduce this theme in school projects.”  Last year another staff member of Moscow ORT Technology School was a finalist, Tatiana Mansurova, a math teacher.

Having an ORT teacher win the Moscow Teacher of the Year award is a testament to the fact that ORT delivers quality instruction and offers a motivating environment for professional development, all part of the ORT mission of making an impact through education.