Maria Marchenko, a history teacher at Kyiv School No. 207, joined the project Fashion & Profession in Prospekt shopping mall and told about her inspirers in the profession. 

"Almost every member of my family is a teacher: my grandmother, aunt, sister, and cousin. It is not surprising that as a child, when it is customary to "try on" some professions, I played only as a teacher. I even had a pointer – it was without this item that I could not imagine any teacher at that time. 

As a child, I thought that teachers are smart, special people who know everything, so others turn to them for help. Now I want the state to protect teachers more, and there is more mutual respect and understanding with children and their parents. 

It is considered that the teacher has no right to make a mistake and not know something. But nowadays, information changes at the speed of light, so it is physically impossible to cover everything. A teacher is an ordinary person: they, like everyone else, are influenced by many factors. Therefore, they can make a mistake, and this is not a reason to condemn them. But whether a person is able to understand their mistake is another question.  

In my profession, I focus on the teachings of the Czech mastermind Jan Amos Komensky, who was the first to systematize information on pedagogy. He was convinced that since childhood it is necessary to educate people in justice, moderation and perseverance. I also adhere to this in my work. 

As for the Ukrainian classics, I admire the thoughts of Vasyl Sukhomlynskyi. In his opinion, it is important to teach children to be in harmony with nature and respect others. And he illustrated this best through instructive and interesting stories. Now, in my opinion, this is relevant, because modern students are interested in storytelling.

If we talk about modern realities, I borrow a lot from my younger colleagues, whose main advantage is interactivity.

In class, when several dozen pairs of eyes are turned at me, I feel familiar, in my element. But outside of it, I don't like to attract attention, so I choose the clothes that will not make me stand out from the crowd. I create a casual look depending on my mood or weather. Sometimes, in the evening I will prepare one set, and in the morning I will get up and radically change everything. 

My first look for the photo exhibition in Prospekt shopping mall is festive: I wear this green dress to school celebrations. I like the color and style of the dress, but most of all I appreciate it for the fact that it suits me very well. But the light pink dress, in which I also posed for a photo shoot, is simpler and designed for everyday work.  

The second set consists of jeans, T-shirt, shirt and sneakers. I am impressed by the fact that I feel free and comfortable in it. I usually wear it when I'm going for a walk or on a field trip with students. 

To update my wardrobe, I am pushed either by my own preferences, or by the need to buy outfits for certain events. And sometimes it's even easier: I came, I saw, I bought." 

Exhibition Fashion&Profession in Prospekt shopping mall will last until June 14.