On October 8, the deputy prime minister of the Tula Region, Olga Gremyakova and the Empathy Foundation of entrepreneur Mikhail Shelkov, awarded the best teachers in the region – the winners of the “Teaching as a Calling” contest.
The total prize money donated by Empathy, in the amount of 7 million rubles (100 000 USD), was shared by 33 winners across 11 different categories. The winning teachers, depending on the category, received certificates for lump sum payments of 100 000 rubles or monthly payments of 15 000 and 20 000 rubles (200 and 275 USD) over the course of a year. The foundation will also cover all taxes.
The contest, which ran from June to September 2021, received 214 applications. The contestants demonstrated the training courses and other materials they had developed, which were then evaluated by members of the Competition Commission – education specialists from the Tula Region and federal experts from the Empathy Charitable Foundation.
The award ceremony was held in the creative industrial cluster of Oktava, created with the support of Mikhail Shelkov in 2018. The awarding of diplomas to the winners from the Ministry of Education in the region and certificates from Empathy took place as part of the Festival of Science and Education, timed to coincide with Teacher’s Day.
Mikhail Shelkov, creator of the Empathy Charitable Foundation, said: “214 teachers and educators from 123 educational institutions across the Tula Region took part in the contest – 33 of them became winners. We specifically expanded the list of categories to 11 to support talented social educators, teachers of children with disabilities, educators at rural schools, in addition to specific subject teachers and classroom curators. I would like to believe that we have succeeded in this, and the teachers will be satisfied. Because our ultimate goal is to give them the opportunity to invest in themselves and their development.”
In each category the committee chose 3 winners:
Category – “Teacher Mentor”:
- Tatyana Sych, physical education teacher at Education Center No. 17 named after Hero of the Soviet Union I.P. Potekhina
- Svetlana Kulyova, elementary school teacher at Secondary School No. 8 in Efremov
- Anastasia Dotsenko, physics teacher at Secondary School No. 25 in Novomoskovsk
Category – “Rural School Teacher”:
- Olga Shtukaturova, elementary school teacher at Bogdanovskaya Basic Comprehensive School
- Svetlana Shalimova, teacher of Russian language and literature at the L.N. Tolstoy Education Center No. 53 in Tula
- Oksana Kuvshinova, elementary school teacher at the Buchalskoye Secondary School named after Hero of the Soviet Union I.P. Potekhina, in the Kimovsky District
Category – “Innovations and Traditions”:
- Maria Anikushina, teacher of English at the Alexander and Oleg Troyanovskikh Education Center – Gymnasium No. 11
- Alexei Subbotin, English teacher at Tula Education Center No. 7 named after Hero of the Soviet Union S.N. Sudeisky
- Yulia Soboleva, computer science teacher at Education Center No. 23 in Novomoskovsk
Category – “Professional Debut”:
- Anastasia Larkina, foreign language teacher at Secondary School No. 20 in Shchekino
- Nadezhda Zakovirkina, mathematics teacher at the Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov Education Center No. 44
- Eleonora Balashova, speech therapist at the Novomoskovsk Regional Education Center
Category – “Vocational Training Master”:
- Viktor Petrov, teacher of Shchekinsk Polytechnic College
- Elena Fadeeva, a teacher of Russian language, literature, MCC and professional disciplines at Chern Professional and Pedagogical College
- Vadim Vyazankin, a teacher of professional disciplines in the field of tourism at Donsk Polytechnic College
Category – “Pre-school Educator”:
- Tatyana Denisova, a teacher at the Combined Kindergarten No. 1 in the Plavsky District
- Natalia Samsonova, teacher at the Combined Kindergarten No. 16
- Lyubov Minaeva, teacher at the Kurkinsk Secondary General Education School No. 1
Category – “Rural Pre-school Educator”:
- Elena Kirdyasheva, teacher at the V.D. Polenov Strakhovskaya Secondary General Education School in the Zaoksky District
- Galina Govorukhina, a teacher at Kindergarten No. 22
- Oksana Ogonkova, teacher at the Novocherepetskaya Secondary General Education School
Category – “Educator working with children with disabilities”:
- Tatyana Morozova, teacher and speech therapist at Kindergarten No. 34 “Raduga”
- Yelizaveta Ladonkina, speech therapist at the Tula Kindergarten for Children with Special Needs
- Irina Dubyaga, speech therapist at Kindergarten No. 34 “Raduga”
Category – “Extracurricular Education Teacher”:
- Polina Subbotina, a teacher of supplementary education at Education Center No. 7 named after Hero of the Soviet Union S.N. Sudeisky
- Nadezhda Lebedeva, a teacher of computer science and mathematics at Kindergarten No. 34 “Raduga”, in Novomoskovsk
- Lyudmila Korosteleva, teacher of supplementary education at Education Center No. 7 named after Hero of the Soviet Union S.N. Sudeisky
Category – “Class Teacher / Group Curator”:
- Ekaterina Mineeva, mathematics teacher and teacher-organizer at Education Center No. 47
- Sophia Erokhina, teacher of computer science and physics at the V.D. Uspensky Odoyevsky Secondary General Education School
- Lyubov Lapteva, teacher of Russian language and literature at Secondary General Education School No. 1
Category – “Social Pedagogue”:
- Marina Parshutina, social pedagogue at the Tula Regional Medical College
- Natalia Komarova, social pedagogue at the Tula Technical School of Social Technologies
- Natalia Mertekhina, social pedagogue at Secondary School No. 6 in Efremov
The contest is the first joint project of the Ministry of Education in the Tula Region and the Empathy Charitable Foundation. The cooperation is aimed at supporting educational and development activities, as well as the development of creative and intellectual abilities, and the professional competency of teachers in the Tula Region.