The heroine of today’s story — Poltava mathematics teacher Svitlana Pasko, with 50 years of teaching experience in schools. For half a century, she has not only taught children the exact sciences but also explored new technologies with them.
When children teach you how to live…
She created her first website together with her students. Now she has a whole arsenal of projects — both her own, where she shares educational materials, and those she helped other teachers create. The most important project for this web developer is "Mathematics for Applicants", which helps high school students prepare for external independent testing (EIT) and successfully enter universities.
Another one — "Eureka", is an online mathematics learning website designed for middle school students. It was originally the website of the scientific society at the gymnasium where Svitlana worked. Now retired, she continues to use it with the students she teaches out of passion.
The "About the Word" website — a resource of Ukrainian language teacher Iryna Kysla, used in her lessons. Incidentally, Iryna now holds the title of Honored Teacher.
"History as a Whole" — a new resource that Svitlana’s young colleague, history teacher Zhanna Avramenko, is working with.
Today, we will share more about this amazing and energetic woman Svitlana Pasko and share her story of mastering website development at the age of 60.
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Svitlana Pasko began working at a rural school in the Poltava region back in the distant 1970s. She was very eager to teach, but there were no vacancies in the city.
She later continued working as a mathematics teacher at Poltava Secondary School No. 14 and received the "Soros Teacher" grant in 1995. Afterward, she held the position of Deputy Director for Scientific Work at the "Health" Gymnasium, an institution she actively helped establish.
Spring 1996
The gymnasium educated children who also attended sports schools.
— We are proud that we were able to prove that athletes can also achieve high academic success, — says the teacher. — Now, among our graduates, we have European and world champions in swimming, wrestling, volleyball, and basketball.
She learned to master computers and basic IT skills together with her students.
— They probably taught me more than I taught them, — Svitlana recalls. — And it worked out. When the gymnasium finally got a more or less modern computer, it probably worked 20 hours a day. Our first books, video materials, presentations, and even the gymnasium emblem — we created all of this together with the children and teachers. That’s when the scientific society "Eureka" was born.
2004, the first IT "teachers" who opened the world of technology for Svitlana Yegorovna
The first website was built from scratch by my student during his first year at university, and it was called "Eureka". All the design elements were purely original. The entire gymnasium used it. As time passed, I, as a teacher, realized that students opened textbooks less often than the internet. And I also learned a few things.
The young generation, 2020
Unfortunately, only images and the idea of the first website remain. But by then, I had already learned to use the WordPress platform and later created my first blog (which I have since deleted) and the same website for senior students, "Mathematics for Applicants", which became a true platform for further work.
— How did you learn to administer them? Was it difficult?
— When I suddenly realized I had reached retirement age, I didn’t leave the school, but I began exploring the possibilities of working online and simultaneously learning different methods of online teaching. I wouldn’t say it was easy. Rather, it was scary, but also very exciting because I discovered (almost at 60!) a whole new world of the Internet.
As for administering the website, it’s not difficult when you have at least basic skills. My colleagues, who are growing up in a more modern world with mobile devices and artificial intelligence, confidently continue to develop the resources that have already been created.
Svitlana Pasko’s resources are used by her colleagues and their students. The retired teacher remains actively engaged:
— Now there are many online lessons, and there’s no need to look for tests on other platforms when I can create them myself in the way I see fit for my students. If I count the total number of students using my tests posted on the websites, it could reach up to 500 views per test in a month.
— How did you find Cityhost?
— Cityhost was recommended by one of my graduates who had his own hosting — that’s where the first "Eureka" was hosted. Then he changed his field of work, and I turned to Cityhost to register a domain and get my own hosting for online resources.
I’m very happy because I consider this decision more than right. There were times when I simply lacked the knowledge, and there was no one to help quickly. The support service always responded without any questions. And for that, I am very grateful. In more than 10 years of cooperation, the Cityhost team has never let me down. They are professionals. I recommend your service to all acquaintances who are interested in this matter.
The Birth of a New "Eureka" Section
— I see there are no ads on your websites. Did you ever think about monetizing them?
— Regarding monetization, I had thoughts and even made attempts, but I eventually abandoned the idea completely because "Tank games" and swimsuit ads on an educational resource didn’t exactly please me. Moreover, Google accused me of artificially inflating the visitor numbers. It was simple — right before and after the External Independent Testing (EIT), when I posted solutions with comments, more people wanted to work with the site. That’s what caused the traffic spike.
After a few months of trying to monetize the site, I gave up on the idea entirely. And I think it was the right decision. I don’t need a lot of money to live, and what I do need, I can earn with my intellect and experience.
Meeting in the Scientific Lounge, 2019
— What do these websites mean to you personally? Are they a work tool, a personal mission, or a hobby?
— Today, probably all of the above. Unfortunately, education is moving more and more online, especially during the war. Children need constant help, both those in Ukraine and those abroad. Undoubtedly, such a site is a great help in work. And perhaps it’s a hobby as well.
I only start updating the materials on the site in the summer when there’s at least some break from work. It sounds strange for an old lady who’s almost 70 years old. I’m always happy to help my colleagues. Sometimes I feel like I’m "stuck" and need to move forward, but it’s a bit difficult to find free time — even for social networks.
But despite everything, I’m grateful for our meeting and for the emotions you’ve stirred in me.
Svitlana Yegorovna also stirred many emotions in the author of this article — I’ve always admired people who continue learning throughout their lives, never stopping in their curiosity, and who don’t want to hear anything about "it’s too late for me" or "it’s too hard". People who are passionate about their work and draw inspiration and energy from it are truly admirable. And I want to meet such individuals more often, especially teachers.
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