Simona Baciu

I am here for you

Simona Baciu
trailblazer in education

Until the mists lift, the road is not yet clear.
First, come the boulders. Big rocks I jump over.
Then the wide, muddied road cars take. Then, the chasm.
I like the climb and the descent just as much. I like running and shouting out: yes!
I like reaching the top.
Up, the world is different.
The peak demands presence. It humbles and challenges all the same.
I climb.
My mind is not on the risk. I stay watchful for the next leap.
I am the one who dreams.
In my dreams, people help me as much as I help them.
I dream all is well.
Maybe not now, but it will be.

It started in 1993,
with a dream of bringing the joy of learning in the classroom..

… when my children would come back from kindergarten without a single story to tell.

Except for the “Emperor of Silence”, a game where my daughter would guard her younger brother and the toys around them to sit still and quiet, with their hands behind their backs.

In those times nobody would talk about the joy of learning; it was all very serious, based on discipline and competition.

And I was not OK with that. I missed the noise of curiosity and the laughter of happiness.

Inciting change in education

First came Happy Kids, a kindergarten we opened in our two-bedroom apartment.

Every day started with the question: “How are you feeling today?”, exploring our feelings and emotions.

Social-emotional learning for that time was groundbreaking.

We walked the path together and
grew alongside the children. Parents trusted us and asked us to continue the path of education; that’s how we opened the school.

It’s how Transylvania College came about and developed into a prestigious school, recognised both on national and international level.

Thousands of children have passed through our doors. Today our student body is up to 700 pupils from 34 countries from 6 continents.

It all started with a dream: to see smiles on children’s faces, while exploring the joy of learning.

When a teacher teaches from the heart, with kindness and care, creating a warm and safe environment, students will blossom.

A voice for education

Emotional well-being is equally important for teachers and students.

It took me 25 years in education to fully understand how to make that happen.

Together with my friend, author and international educator, Susan Shapiro, we synthesized our findings in a book in which we planted
the seeds of transformation:

The Teacher Within,
A Mindful Journey Toward Well-Being For Teachers In The 21st Century.
See on Amazon

When we feel good, we bring forth change.

Because we connect to ourselves, to our own humanity and the world’s. We relax, we smile gently and radiate positive energy.

That energy ripples onward.

I believe the world is one big family, and we are all connected together with invisible threads.

Each one of us has the power to stir up humanity.

To educate is to serve

To serve means to help others from who you are.

When you serve others, you give from within.

That is a full-time job.

I wish to grow in order to help others.

Simona Baciu
Joyful servant of humanity

A good school helps children understand who they are and discover
their strengths and passions.

In 2008, we nearly lost our school. A big hole for the foundation of the new campus was dug, however, we didn’t even have the money to pay the salaries. We couldn’t even think about going on with the constructions.

A few months before the financial crisis we had signed for a big credit. Suddenly we found ourselves in a vertigo of debt.

It became clear that this was going to be our last year.

So I decided to make the best of it and simply be grateful and focus on what I already had.

We did not have the money, but we had the students, teachers, and parents, trustful in all that we could do. The Advisory Board has always been beside us encouraging us with words of wisdom.

I’ve always been a joyful, positive person. So I decided that during that year I was going to make everybody feel good, instead of letting them down; to put a smile on people’s faces and make them feel good in these moments of deep crisis. I sent them notes of appreciation and small tokens of kindness.

Then the miracle happened. The Advisory Board united as one to help us manage the credit, create a breakthrough performance and raise funds.

I can still hear the wonderful piece of news saying that an international foundation donated us $100,000.

Those experiences paved the way for the ARAT philosophy, we later developed into a guided journey for teachers towards achieving the state of well-being.

Which brings me to you...

Dear teacher, educator, agent of change,
You have that power within.

Who you are and how you teach will imprint deeply into your students' lives.

Awareness of the way you feel every day is a powerful asset.

I invite you to dive for your teacher within and connect with those who share your values and aspirations.

I am here to serve you.

Custodian of the Romanian Crown Medal, for outstanding contribution to education

Winner of British International School Lifetime Award

Advocating for education at The Presidency of Romania

On my journey I met extraordinary people working for viral goodness. One of them is Ethan Hawke

Explore Simona's Work

Transylvania College

The Cambridge International School in Cluj, pursuing and demonstrating excellence in education.

The Teacher Within

A mindful journey toward well-being for teachers in the 21st century

Videos & Interviews

Dive into Simona's story, the philosophy her work is founded on and the incredible results it can bring

Simona Baciu is a trailblazer in education, President and Founder of Transylvania College.

Simona has always pursued the joy of learning and wished to see smiling, happy children around her.

She opened a kindergarten in her own two-bedroom apartment, to offer at least a few children this opportunity. It bloomed into Transylvania College today, a highly acclaimed school, now educating children from six continents.

An audacious believer in the role of behavioural and socio-emotional education, Simona developed a framework and co-authored with Susan Shapiro “The Teacher Within,” an instrumental book for teaching with kindness and care.

Simona Baciu has briefed Heads of States, CEOs and international decision makers in education, pleading for the inclusion of emotional and behavioural health education in schools around the world.

Find your Teacher Within

Mindful, resilient and authentic teachers are groundbreaking leaders.

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