In schools, the quality of education is often associated with textbooks, technology, or the learning environment. But the most important factor always remains the same: the teacher.
Teachers shape the atmosphere in the classroom, build relationships, support children in their growth, and help them discover both the world and themselves. That is why at Maple Bear, we pay extraordinary attention to selecting our teachers. We are not only looking for education professionals. We are looking for individuals who want to become true guides for children in bilingual education.
What we look for when selecting teachers
Each candidate should have appropriate qualifications and experience in the field, but this is only the beginning for us. Very important is the relationship with children, the desire to support their individual potential and the ability to create an environment in which children feel safe and naturally motivated to learn. At the same time, we are looking for people who are willing to continue their education, actively participate in school life and function as part of a team. Reliability, independence and the ability to work in accordance with the values of the school are also important to us.
In addition to professional competences, however, something else is essential — the character of the teacher.
In Maple Bear, there are always two teachers in the classroom — one Czech speaker and one native English speaker. Together, they plan lessons, complement each other and form one team. That is why we are looking for personalities capable of real tandem cooperation when choosing. A teacher who can work in pairs with someone else — with a different language, culture, and style — brings something extremely valuable to children: a natural model of what respect, mutual listening, and cooperation across differences look like. Children don’t learn it from a textbook. They learn it by seeing and experiencing it every day.
What makes a teacher a really good teacher
Some skills can be learned. Others are based on a person’s personality and are difficult to gain through experience or study. For us, it is crucial that the teacher has an authentic relationship with the children and that he or she naturally feels good in the classroom. A good teacher does not perceive the classroom only as a workspace, but as an environment that he or she creates together with the children. That’s why she often invests energy and time in making the classroom safe, inspiring, organized, and enjoyable.
Children will quickly know if the teacher respects them, listens to them and is genuinely interested in them. And relationships are essential in education. As American educator Rita Pierson says: “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” Therefore, the teacher must not be just an authority. He must also be a person whom children trust and next to whom he is not afraid to make mistakes, ask questions and discover new things.
That is why we do not only care about a paper CV when choosing. Education and experience tell us a lot — but not everything. Each candidate prepares a demonstration lesson with us and we want to see them in action, with the children. And children are the best judges at that moment. They quickly sense if the teacher is present, if they enjoy it, if they care about them. No CV can replace this.
Teacher as a lifelong learner
At Maple Bear, we believe that education doesn’t end with a degree. On the contrary — learning is a lifelong process. This principle is based on the Canadian approach to education, which has long been one of the most respected in the world.
Canada is now considered one of the leading countries in the field of lifelong learning. An emphasis on continuous development, openness to new skills and the ability to learn throughout life is part of the entire educational culture. Maple Bear also brings this philosophy to schools in Central and Eastern Europe.
We expect the same approach from our teachers. We are looking for people who have a natural curiosity, want to develop further and really enjoy education. A good teacher doesn’t just go to school to pass on information. They also go to learn — from colleagues and from the children themselves. Working with children enriches him and moves him forward.
It is thanks to this that he can develop the most important things in students: the joy of discovery, the ability to think critically, independence, creativity and the courage to learn new things. It’s not just about knowledge, but about the mindset that accompanies children throughout their lives.
School as a community
Maple Bear is a community school made up of children, teachers, and parents together. We believe that quality education is created through cooperation, mutual support and good relationships, which is why we are looking for teachers who can function as part of a team, support their colleagues and actively participate in school life. We want to create an environment where people help each other, get inspired and together build a school where children like to go and where they can fully develop their potential.
The support of our teachers is equally important to us. At Maple Bear, we value teachers to the utmost and do not believe in the “throw the teacher in the water and swim” approach. Each team member has the support of an academic coordinator, the opportunity to draw know-how from the Maple Bear Global Academy and the support of the entire school team. We pride ourselves on a human approach, open communication and an environment where it is good to work and where people are not alone in things.
What we want the children to take away
Our goal is not only to pass on knowledge to children. We also want them to take away from school a relationship with learning, healthy self-confidence, the ability to allow themselves to make mistakes and the ability to think about the world in context.
And it is teachers who play a key role in this. That is why we do not only look for teachers when choosing them. We are looking for personalities who inspire, support and help children grow into confident and inquisitive people ready for the world of the future.
