Tamara Ilchenko
From the Director of a Kindergarten to the Principal of the Ukrainian Global School
We got acquainted with Tamara Ilchenko when she was the director of a kindergarten in the center of Kyiv. Among her pupils were also children of foreign diplomats. English was necessary to personally familiarize herself with international educational systems, implement them in her kindergarten, and take it to a new level. Knowledge of the language was also essential for communicating with English-speaking parents of her pupils, relatives from the USA, and teaching in the kindergarten.
Learning
Tamara, along with the educators from her kindergarten, started learning from the Elementary level (A1). Levels from A2 to B2 were mastered through individual lessons.
The psychological barrier of SPEAKING English was the most challenging. Internal perfectionism hindered progress. Thanks to our sessions, Tamara achieved, in her words, the "greatest victory" and overcame the fear of speaking English.
Visual aids proved particularly effective in learning. Thanks to this, Tamara still remembers what was depicted in them.
Results
After working in the kindergarten, Tamara managed a private educational institution called "Gymnasium A+." Mastering English, she independently navigated the requirements, documentation, and procedures for obtaining the IB certificate for her school. Tamara implemented the IB system at "Gymnasium A+" and taught the Community Project discipline in English. Currently, she leads the Ukrainian Global School - a modern school with a global approach to education.
Tamara hires and communicates with foreign teachers, studies literature and documentation, presents her school, undergoes international accreditation, watches movies, and communicates with relatives living abroad. And all of this is done in English!
Tamara even gave an interview to a London newspaper, and she was offered to head an international school for migrants under the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.
Testimonial
"If you ask all my teachers whom I mention and consider an example, they will tell you that it's you. I say that I have one English teacher. There was, is, and will be. It's you! It's really like that. What a joy when you have a good teacher. Demanding and at the same time loyal. If I had fallen into someone else's hands, I probably would have given up everything."