I will always remember the wonderful sunny day when I had my job interview with Ms. Tammi Shreve, the ES AISB Principal. 


As an MA student in London I applied online for the Art Elementary Teacher position in my home country of Romania. My parents wanted me back after studying abroad in Copenhagen and London. I was not convinced I wanted to go back home to Romania but AISB’s reputation convinced me to apply for the position. Why not! I figured that if I got the job, I would stay for a year or two in Romania and then leave again for Europe. Plus, driving from my home in downtown Bucharest all the way to Pipera, was quite an adventure back then, so I couldn’t picture myself doing that for longer than that. 

I always preferred the bikes of Copenhagen! 



But that day definitely changed my life. The ground floor of Elementary School of AISB was full of wonderful artwork, warm coloured landscapes and imaginative self-portraits. 

I was surprised by the variety of art techniques used and the smart use of lines, crosshatches, tints and shades. The student exploration of different subjects was alive through art. The artwork was full of creativity and was carefully framed and displayed. 

Everywhere I looked parents and teachers were smiling and the kids with their Vampire jackets looked wonderfully happy and full of energy. After my interview - for the ES Art Teacher – I knew that AISB was the place to be! I had forgottenall about the traffic! It was the same day when I met the one and only ES Art Teacher Angela Achim, visited the classrooms and compound and I realized that this is how every school should be - everywhere in the world! 





The educational process was focused on each child’s unique personality and learning style as well as cultural background. My fellow colleagues’ passion for contemporary education was contagious and they were always available to provide extra help for a young teacher like me. Every week we had long and meaningful personal development meetings where we worked in teams to develop and constantly improve education for our students and cultivate a cross-cultural approach to learning. We bore a great responsibility: preparing global citizens for the world of the future. The AISB educational programs had to reach beyond the classroom, beyond the world today and apply in the greater context of a future world. The world where our students will live long after graduating. We were preparing them for the future. 

I spent six years teaching art at AISB and enjoyed every single one of them. Leaving my wonderful job as an art teacher was a hard decision. I had to do that to fully dedicate my time to Art Safari. 





Now, Art Safari Bucharest is the largest art event in Romania, with more than 163,000 visitors to it’s exhibitions. 

Designed as a temporary museum, Art Safari takes place annually, bringing together heritage and contemporary art. 

For the 2019 edition 2,500 children visited Art Safari, among them many wonderful AISB students. 

I can say with an open heart that being the entrepreneur that I am today was shaped by my years at the AISB campus and the international community that is the school’s soul. 

I have learned so much from AISB, the PYP program, and wonderful colleagues but mostly from the kids and I will always be grateful for that! 

 

Ioana Ciocan 

General Manager of Art Safari Bucharest 
www.artsafari.ro