Karine Dabagyan

Teacher of Russian Language and Literature, High School · Editor of School Publications

Karine Emilyevna Dabagyan teaches Russian language and literature in the upper grades and prepares students to compete in the National Heritage Speaking Olympiada (ACTR), a national competition for children from Russian-speaking families. She edits most of the school's Russian-language materials (aside from Facebook).

She is a professional scholarly and literary editor. She graduated from Moscow State University and has worked at major publishing houses in both Russia and abroad, as well as at the Russian children's charitable foundation "Alfavit," whose core mission is helping orphaned children access a quality education.

"...I believe every child is smart, capable, and talented, and that a teacher's task is to help each child unlock their potential. It's only by engaging with children as equals — a principle I consider essential to teaching — that you can earn their trust, and without that trust, a genuinely creative learning process simply isn't possible. In short, my motto is: 'Trust children, if you want children to trust you.' I also believe teaching shouldn't be a string of lectures and admonitions, but rather the passing of experience and knowledge from a well-educated adult to a child who is still discovering the world. Working with children, we're recharged by their boundless energy and become younger ourselves. And there's no better reward for a teacher than the spark in a student's eyes as they say, 'Let me answer!'"