Every community is defined by the people it consists of. During summer, things always get a bit hectic about universities. At such restless times, we talked to Vitalii Redka, a student of EENU, who told us everything about his studies, his choice of the university, his job as a teacher and his free time as well.
To find out more, read our interview.
– Nowadays school leavers enjoy a great choice of opportunities and options for obtaining a degree. How did you make the decision to enter our university?
When I was leaving school, there were certain changes made to the process of applying to a university. New specialties to set as priorities emerged. So, I chose the Faculty of Information Systems, Physics and Mathematics of EENU first. I easily entered it toll-free; my exam results were very good – I got 200 for Maths. With such good points, I could have chosen Lviv or Kyiv, or other Physics faculties in Lutsk; but I specifically wanted to stay in the city. Moreover, the Faculty I chose provides students with profound knowledge. As a 4-year student, I think I can highly evaluate studying at this faculty (smiling).
When it comes to my Master’s degree, I just wanted to finish what I had started. When deciding about the university 3 years ago, a point I would make is that it had to be in Lutsk. Considering my Master’s degree, I was sure that it had to be at EENU. Everybody here, from professors to groupmates, had become a family to me.
– Have you ever regretted your choice of a university?
It has never crossed my mind, really. I have friends from different cities of Ukraine who told me about their universities, so I heard enough to realize that EENU is a good one. There were different situations during my studies, but things get easier when more consideration is given to the studies. To be honest, I’ve never regretted my choice.
– You’ve worked with many professors during these years. Are there any ”top” lecturers you could single out?
Of course, I’ve lost contact with most of them; still, there are some whom I am in touch with. I have a list of professors who appeal to me the most; Yuliia Pavlenko is one of them. She taught me Web Programming, and she was the scientific supervisor of my course papers twice. We have many things in common, too. She finished the same school where she was taught by the same teacher of Maths.
I’m also on good terms with Nina Padalko. She organized different events at our Faculty and I was playing the guitar there. That’s how we got to know each other.
In general, I have great memories about each of the professors I’ve had. I am grateful to all of them, because they’ve shared great knowledge with me.
– At what age did you realize what you wanted to do for a living in the future?
I’d never really considered teaching as a profession for myself. I’d always been keen on technical sciences and wanted to study Computer Engineering, but chose Information Science eventually. Still, I’ve never regretted a moment about my job so far. Being a teacher is interesting. My students often ask me for advice about computers, for instance, how to assemble a processor or choose a graphics card. I am happy to share my experience, so that children don’t waste their time googling. It contributes to building friendly relationship with students. The answers to their questions can be connected to the topics from the curriculum .
I’ve never imagined myself a teacher, but when I was offered this job, I thought I could go for it. In the end, I liked it. It’s been already a year since I started.
– As far as we know, you are from a dynasty of teachers. Is it possible that your decision was somehow influenced by that fact?
Yes, my mom and my aunt teach Maths. Of course, they cannot leave their school business at work, so I’ve always heard about that at home. They were discussing some issues and I was listening. Thus, when I got this job, I could implement the knowledge I’d got at the university in combination with that I’d learnt at home. But yes, the fact that I have family members engaged in teaching positively influenced my decision indeed.
– Considering your young age, how were you welcomed at work? Do you enjoy it there?
It was easier for me, because I’d already known several people from there. I work at Lutsk Lyceum №27. It is a new establishment, and the teachers are mostly young too, so I was treated just like everybody else. The fact that I’d been invited by my teacher of Physics also played a great role. Now she works there as Deputy Principal. She told me about this vacant post, so I took it.
All things considered, I quickly managed to fit into the teaching staff. In addition, my colleagues – teachers of Information Technology are all males, with whom I’m on friendly terms. At first I had shorter working hours than my colleagues did, which resulted in lack of communication, but things changed after all.
– What kind of a person can you call a real teacher? Which qualities should a good teacher of Information Technology possess?
First of all, good competencies are required. One has to be ready to give correct answers to the questions of his pupils. A teacher has to know how to present the material in a structured way. It is important, because Information Technology is not an easy one. A teacher has to learn to use different approaches; for instance, children nowadays learn programming at school. It is essential to give them full understanding without omitting anything. However, I am proud to say that my pupils succeeded in learning the programming basics.
All pupils of the 6th grade that I taught managed to write their first full-scale program, a calculator that can conduct 5 operations. To achieve that, we’d worked a lot. One has to devote enough time to his pupils and to think of the results, too. If pupils face some difficulties and there is no one to help, they immediately lose their interest. One has to encourage their pupils and good marks also work well for that.
– Have you had any trouble at work? Have you addressed your senior colleagues to help you?
It cannot be all smooth all the time. Mostly I had difficulties connected with documents, but yes, my senior colleagues were ready to help. Everything is fine now.
– How did you enjoy working during the quarantine? This time, did you get any request for help with installing programs from your senior colleagues?
In general, it wasn’t difficult for me. I worked just like everybody else. Well, I helped my mom. After all, she’s my colleague, too (smiling). I installed Zoom for her. Colleagues did not ask me anything, though. I think that’s because our school was provided with services for distance learning, so that wasn’t a problem at all.
Children were those who had some trouble with adaptation. They really needed help, but I believe we coped with that well.
– Young people are not very keen on working at school. What keeps you at your post?
Definitely not the salary (laughing). I just find it interesting to teach children, to share my knowledge. Few people realize that teachers learn a lot, too. They constantly have to develop their skills. That’s what makes a good teacher.
– Poorly educated people say that higher education is not necessary. What can you say about that?
I do believe that one should pursue further education after school. Not everyone may need academic education, but still further learning is important. I had never considered quitting studying.
A diploma of higher education opens new opportunities. It’s not so difficult to enter a university nowadays, even if it’s free-of-charge. Education is all about knowledge and experience.
The same thing is with Master’s degree. Many people think it’s of no use, but they’re wrong. I believe that every process should be completed fully and education is not an exception.
– How do young teachers spend their free time?
I have many hobbies, so I cannot single out just one activity. As I’ve already said, I play the guitar; I also spend much time in front of my computer – you know, my job dictates that. I don’t mean computer games here; it’s mostly about experimenting with assembling computers and things like that. I mean, I try to develop myself in a professional way.
I also like taking long walks, because it’s good to take your mind off the school matters now and then.
– What advice could you give to those who are still not sure about their future university?
Of course, to those willing to obtain education of high quality, I‘d definitely recommend our Faculty of Information Systems, Physics and Mathematics. Our university is famous for competent professors. Lesya Ukrainka Eastern European National University enables to get profound competences, so I don’t see any reasons to look for other universities. Apply and study here!