Parenting is hard. Not the kind of hard that comes when a colleague sends you an email with a word you’ve never seen before (like “epistolary”) and you struggle to figure out its meaning without resorting to Google definitions. Not the kind of hard that comes when you’re walking the streets of Bulgaria looking for…
Teacher Spotlight: Mitko Nassapov
Introduce yourself in one sentence, please My name is Dimitar Nassapov aka Mr. Mitko and I am the Athletics and Activities Director at AAS Sofia. How long have you been at AAS? I have been at AAS for 8 years now. Share something we do not expect to hear from you? I am the captain…
The Magic of December
“Winter is not a season, it’s a celebration.” – Anamika Mishra Autumn was longer and warmer than normal this year (yes, technically it is still autumn). The usual easing into winter didn’t happen. With the recent dustings of snow and holiday decorations in the malls, it feels sudden that the “holiday season” has arrived. A…
It Takes a Village…
I pride myself on being an independent woman and a professional, to a fault at times. Western society places a high value on self-reliance. It has been ingrained in me since I was a child. If my first year of motherhood has solidified anything, it is that at times you are going to need support…
Oh No! My Child Got a 1 on His Report Card.
As a parent of a child in school, you’ve probably been there: report card time. You know it’s about that time of year and you wait for the email to come with your child’s report card (Dec 6 this trimester). You have gone to school yourself and if you are like a lot of us,…
Why I Mo?
Over the years, I have had many curious students ask me questions about why I have a mustache. My answer has always been that my mustache is the conversation starter that gives me an opportunity to communicate with people about the important issues surrounding men’s health. For the past 12 years I have taken part…
Reflections on Global Citizenship
Global citizenship has become quite the buzzword throughout the education world over the past few years. It ends up in mission statements and visions in international schools worldwide. Yet, like many aspects related to teaching, there exists much ambiguity surrounding what the term means, what value the global citizen has, the best ways to nurture…
Alumni Spotlight: Antoni Konieczny
Introduce yourself in one sentence, please. I’m Antoni from Żoliborz, Poland and I studied at AAS for 3 years. Can you tell us a little bit about your experience at AAS and what you love most about the school? It was the antithesis of the school I had attended. To be able to pace around…
Why Do We Fixate On the Bad?
Do you ever find yourself dwelling on something negative that happened a few days ago, even though most other aspects of your week were really positive? Turn on the news and you will see overwhelming negative content dominating TV, print, and online media. Why? Because negative news coverage grabs more attention (viewers) than positive content….
Teacher Spotlight: Sam Croft
Introduce yourself in one sentence, please Hi, I’m Mr Croft and I teach English Language, Literature and Theory of Knowledge in High School. How long have you been at AAS? I joined AAS last August in 2021. My daughter Eliza and my son Joe are also at AAS – my youngest son, Jack, joins us…
Life is a Field Trip
As students return from cultural trips, I’m reminded of the words of the great American author and teacher, John Gardner: “The business of education is to give the student both useful information and life enhancing experience; one largely measurable, the other not.” The importance of the above quotations has stuck with me since I first…
The Benefits of Reading to Children
“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.” – Kate DiCamillo Earlier this month, the children’s classic Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd celebrated 75 years in publication. Through the years, Goodnight Moon has been translated into many languages–unfortunately…
