Dragoljub Popovik, Mihajlo Pupin School

Mr. Dragoljub Popovik is an art teacher in the biggest vocational electro-technical school “Mihajlo Pupin” in the capital town Skopje.

He is very communicative, open-minded and a pleasant person. You can recognize him with his specific white beard and his sense of humor.

His subject was not so “popular” among the other specific subjects for vocational schools, because of the “heavy” theory and students learnt lessons by heart. The results were not on satisfactory level, concerning the fact that practice was not included as a part of the lessons plan in the subject.

“I knew that I have to change something and improve my art teaching and get closer to the students with entering some new fresh activities during my classes,” says Dragoljub.

His enthusiasm grew up when he joins the USAID E-school project implemented in secondary schools for using ICT in teaching.

“I finally found the clue and I’ve started to think about changing the teaching approach and experiment with the students in other modern way. You have to follow the modern technology and to be one step closer to the new generations. They are born in computer era and using computers is a key of their future,” says Dragoljub.

On his web site, you can find the students presentations and their “art” products. They already know in advance, what is the next teaching lesson. The parents are satisfied with the opportunity that they can see the products done by their sons/daughters.

“I never thought that my teacher will become a friend of mine. I love being present on Art classes. It is so interesting”, says one student.

A “positive virus” is spreading among the other teachers and one of them says:” We can feel his influence in the school.” The students request from us to do our teaching like Dragoljub’s. We are already working on it, especially after finishing the USAID E-school project in our school.

“A new page for modern lecturing is turned and we must keep on going with the reforms accomplishing the Macedonian National Education Strategy. I am really happy that Dragoljub is one of them”says the principal of the school.

 “The main goal in art is a freedom for expressing the feelings and the liberty of experiencing the events and persons during making the Art history through the centuries,” he says.

Now, I feel that my profession as a teacher is completely fulfilled. Thank you, USAID.