Participant of the regional competition “Young Person of the Year - 2025” in the nomination “Youth Worker of the Year” Iryna Bobryk
My name is Iryna Bobryk, I am 25 years old, and for four years now I have been teaching my favorite subject, biology, to students.
I was born in Avdiivka. This is the city where I spent my happy childhood years, where I actively searched for myself: first I went to folk dances, then to aerobics, sang at school performances, drew, and was always the first to represent the school at various competitions and contests. From year to year, I was the class leader - the girl who did not want to sit at the back of the classroom and wanted to show everyone what she was capable of. I dreamed of entering Donetsk National University in the future, so in the 8th grade, my chemistry teacher and I did a research paper that we presented at this educational institution. But the outbreak of the war in 2014 changed our lives and plans.
In January 2015, my family decided to move to Druzhkivka for a while to be safer away from the frontline. It was immediately clear that six months without school had left its mark - I had a lot of material to catch up on. I am extremely grateful to the teachers of the then 6th grade school who saw my desire for knowledge, who answered my questions outside of class. They helped me pass my exams and enter V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. That's why in 2021, after graduating from university and returning to Druzhkivka, I was very happy to become part of the staff of my school (now gymnasium No. 6).
I remember how scared I was to go to the first lessons! How my voice was trembling, how I stuttered, how I spent hours in the evening preparing for tomorrow's lessons, writing down all the material on sheets that I was afraid to forget I went through the “initiation into teachers,” namely the loss of my voice, within a week of starting work, because my vocal cords were in shock from the workload. At that time, the support and advice of my fellow teachers helped me a lot. I wanted to develop, so I spent a lot of time on self-development, and soon enough I started to feel more confident.
The beginning of the full-scale invasion has dramatically changed the work. Since February 24, 2022, classes have been held in a remote format, which required changes in the teaching approach: searching for and creating online materials for visual display in class, attracting attention and engaging students in the work. This is probably the most difficult task because we are all in different parts of Ukraine and the world, in different conditions, often after sleepless nights. All of this has a strong emotional impact on children, so it must be taken into account in our work. That is why I believe that the educational process should also be a means of emotional support for children. It is important for a modern teacher not only to teach, but also to hear, support, and give a sense of stability and protection. In such conditions, each lesson is not just a transfer of knowledge, but a meeting that helps us all to hold on.
Over the years, I have taken a large number of advanced training courses because I wanted to master the material better, to make learning informative, structured, interesting and accessible. The teacher's active work is confirmed not only by certificates, but also by the results of the students: they won prizes at the city stages of the Olympiads, and in 2022 and 2024 represented the city at the regional stage. In 2024, together with a 9th grade student, they took second place at the city stage of the All-Ukrainian competition of the Minor Academy of Sciences, participated in environmental and local history competitions, and other competitions. I have a co-authored article, was a member of the Biology Olympiad committee, help manage the gymnasium's Facebook and Instagram pages, have an active civic position, which I express on my pages, create fundraisers for the needs of my friends who are in the Armed Forces, and actively promote and donate to fundraisers for others, because nowadays helping the army is a necessity.
I have always enjoyed looking at the flora around me, taking care of plants and animals. That's why I studied biology, that's why I am passionate about telling the material in class. I try to pass on my passion for science to my students, to develop critical thinking, environmental awareness and curiosity in my students.