Cristina Altadmory – Year 1 Teacher

I am Cristina Altadmory and I am the Year 1 class teacher. I have been working at our school for the past 3 years and I am a passionate teacher who really loves her job. I see myself as a positive, and enthusiastic person who always looks forward to evolving as a teacher. I have been working with students of various ages a major part of my life, both in public and private schools but I truly love working with young learners. Teaching young children can be a real challenge, and my secret is to treat them with care and respect. I am always learning, especially from my students and I let myself be guided by their needs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Berrak Kademlioğlu – Year 1 Teaching Assistant

I am Ms. Berrak and I am the teaching assistant in Year 1. I graduated from Eskisehir Osmangazi University with a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature. I worked as an English teacher in a private study centre after I graduated. This experience allowed me to interact with and support children with various abilities in their lessons and activities while teaching me new behaviour management strategies. I spent a year and a half teaching English at the American Culture and Language School after this position. In 2021, I earned my TESOL certificate. TESOL is an internationally valid certificate/diploma program that allows you to teach English anywhere in the world. I’m presently enrolled in Istanbul University’s distance learning program to study child development. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maria Muntean – Year 2A Teacher

My name is Maria Muntean and I am a certified Cambridge teacher with experience in Sudan, Malaysia, and for the past four years in the Maarif International Schools of Bucharest where I taught years 1, 2 and 3. For the past two years I also have had the honour of being the Head of the Primary section, I am lucky to work with an amazing team, that continuously strives to ensure classroom positive and nurturing learning environment where students can develop and gain confidence in their educational and personal goals. I have been in education for over 19 years now. I taught Primary British Curriculum as well as English as a second language to young learners, teenagers, and adults at the British Council. My passion is to work with students who are just learning to read and write and progress to be confident learners that believe in themselves and grow to be autonomous lifelong learners. I was inspired to teach by great mentors, learnt and am still learning every day, especially from my students.  

 

 

 

 

 

Maya Charara – Year 2A Teaching Assistant

I am Maya Charara and I have been a dedicated Teaching Assistant at Maarif School for the past 3 years. I have worked with Years 1 and 2. I am committed to my students and love to see the class organised. I love being part of the team and being involved in Primary events. This year, I have taken the responsibility of being part of the team that guides the Cambridge Students Council, where they work on creating interesting activities and events and help the school to become a place where the students’ voices are heard. I enjoy being part of the Cambridge Team, reading individually with the kids as well as learning and developing daily. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniela Bandoi – Year 2B Teacher

I am Daniela Bandoi! I graduated from Sociology and Psychology University and I also have a degree in Communication and Public Relations. I have been a teacher for about 20 years, most of them in International Schools. This experience taught me how to manage large class sizes, work with kids of various skill levels and backgrounds, and use technology to encourage learning and retention. I will continue to hone my teaching skills as I work in the classroom and I believe my enthusiasm, positive attitude, and hands-on experience working with students are a great asset in my teaching journey. I have been at MISB for three years and I look forward to many more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alina Oana Popa – Year 2B Teaching Assistant

My name is Alina-Oana Popa, and I am the Teaching Assistant in Year 2B. I was born and raised in Romania but lived in the UAE for 9 years, where I had the chance to meet and learn more about children coming from various cultural backgrounds. I am patient and optimistic and I love to interact with children. I am always there to meet their needs and support them in their learning process. In my spare time, I enjoy playing with my daughter, spending time with family and reading. I am very enthusiastic about this new journey with Maarif!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sana-Ramona Abusidu – Year 3 Teacher

My name is Sana-Ramona. I graduated from the Faculty of Languages and Translation in 2013. Ever since, I have had the pleasure of working in various universities, language centres and schools. I had the honour of teaching adults and children of all ages, and in return, I have learnt tremendously from my students.  As for my teaching style, I always strive to make the class educational as well as interactive. No two classes are the same, nor are two students the same, therefore I try to find the key to each student’s mind and heart, for them to be the most receptive.  Teaching at Maarif is already proving to be a rewarding and satisfying experience for me, on both educational and personal levels. I have an amazing and supportive team that backs me up at any given time and encourages me to grow professionally.  I also get to work with students from different backgrounds and walks of life, which allows me to enrich my horizons and become a more open-minded individual.  I am incredibly grateful to be here, and I am looking forward to this awarding journey ahead!

 

 

 

 

 

Zahwa Qanadilo – Year 3 Teaching Assistant

My name is Zahwa Qanadilo and I am 38 years old. Last year, I started at Maarif as a shadow teacher. Entering the field of education, I realised how challenging it is to be a teacher and I now appreciate the teacher’s effort to give every child a greater level of education. This year I was offered the chance to continue with the school and I didn’t hesitate to accept. I am the Teaching Assistant in Year 3 alongside Mrs. Ramona, and I am very happy because I started a new experience with new people and adorable children.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diana Rammal – Year 4 Co-Teacher

I am Diana Rammal and I graduated from the College of Pharmacy in 2017.  I began working as a teaching assistant in 2019 at MISB and in 2020 successfully went through a teacher training programme at Maarif.  In 2022, I continued working at Maarif as a co-teacher for the Year 4 class Cambridge system; I also took a course to prepare students for the Cambridge Exam, and I am currently doing my master’s degree at the Faculty of Education, Dimitri Cantemir University. I enjoy being a teacher because it is never boring, despite the routine, we create in our classroom each day is different. I get a lot of satisfaction when I see students learn, improve, grow, and develop over the course of a school year. Science is my favourite topic to teach since science is all around us, and the most exciting part of teaching this subject is sharing information and ideas with the students and conducting several experiments in class.

 

 

 

 

 

Vlad Coraci – Year 4 Co-Teacher

My name is Vlad Coraci and I have been in the international school environment for over 10 years, first as a student and now as a teacher. For a long time, I wanted to be a teacher and inspire the next generation. After graduating high school in the IB(International Baccalaureate) system, I went to university in The Netherlands at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, graduating with a Bachelor of Education with a focus on Primary Education. Throughout my four years at university, I had the opportunity to have internships at international schools in The Netherlands, Germany and Türkiye. This is my second year teaching at MISB and I look forward to many more great years ahead!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Niazi – Year 5 Teacher

My name is Summer Niazi, and I’m the Year 5 teacher at MISB this year! I believe we will have a great time working and learning together.  

I am a New Zealand and Canadian Qualified Primary school teacher who has been very fortunate to teach internationally in New Zealand, Cairo, Dubai and now, Romania.  I am dedicated to honouring each of my student’s unique development and helping them to reach their full potential. I strongly believe that students are most successful when the teacher, parents, and students work together as equal investors in the child’s education. I aim to ensure my classroom is a positive and nurturing learning environment where students can thrive and exceed their educational and personal development goals to grow into future leaders and an asset in a dynamic world.  I hope to inspire students to discover their talents, pursue their passions, and make a positive impact on their communities and the world beyond. 

 

 

 

 

Gina Pandelica – Year 6 Teacher

Hello! My name is Mrs. Gina Pandelica and I am the Year 6 class teacher. I was born and raised in Urziceni, a small town near Bucharest. I graduated from The Foreign Language Faculty in Bucharest, in 2000 and started teaching right after that in my hometown. I have been teaching all age groups, starting with kindergarten and ending with my last year of high school. I am married, I have a teenage daughter, who is also a student at Maarif, in Year 10 and two cats. 

I started working at Maarif in 2019 and since then I have been teaching Year 6 students, preparing them for Checkpoint Exams and making their move to Secondary School a smooth one. 

I have always enjoyed teaching children; they are all so different and interesting and my main goal is to make them excited about learning and desire to learn more. I am eager for another teaching year at Maarif as teaching is stimulating and demanding, but most of all extremely rewarding and self-fulfilling. What I think I am anticipating the most, though, is learning from my students, since some days teachers learn as much or more than the children. 

 

 

 

Silvia Crisan – Year 6 Teaching Assistant

I am Silvia Crişan and I joined the school as a Teaching Assistant in Primary in 2022. I graduated from the National University of Arts in Bucharest with a bachelor’s degree in art education and a master’s degree in education through the Visual Arts. I also gained the Psycho-Pedagogical Certificates for Level 1 and Level 2 and the Cambridge English Level 2 Certificate in ESOL International (Advanced). 

As a TA I support the teachers and students through a variety of organizational, leadership and classroom management tasks. This is my second year in Year 6, and I am also part of the Cambridge Checkpoint Exam preparations. 

Every day helps me to discover myself and to continue my development on the path to being the best teacher I can be. Also during my studies, I spent several semesters abroad with the Erasmus Programme, which shaped me and gave me the opportunity to be in an international environment. This is something I searched for, and I was fortunate enough to find it at Maarif. 

 

 

 

Manal Nasrallah – French Teacher

My name is Manal Nasrallah, I am a French teacher at MISB. This is my second year in this school. I teach French in Primary and lower Secondary classes and I truly enjoy being here! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manuela Barazi – Romanian Teacher

My name is Manuela Barazi and I teach Romanian language in Cambridge Primary (Year 2 to Year 4) at MISB since September 2022. I graduated from the Faculty of Psychology at Titu Maiorescu University, and I also have a post-secondary nursing degree – „Fundeni” and a post-secondary pharmacy degree – „FEG Bucharest”. I have been a teacher for about 10 years, teaching various age groups of students. I am married and I am a mother of two. I am a calm, empathetic, responsible person with good communication skills and I love working with children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emel Erzurumlu Yaman – Turkish Teacher

I am Emel Yaman Erzurumlu and I graduated from Hacettepe University, Department of Turkish Language and Literature. I have also a ‘Teaching Certificate’ from Hacettepe University and a ‘Teaching Turkish to Foreigners Certificate’ from the Yıldız Technical University. I currently teach students who take Turkish as their mother tongue and Turkish as a Foreign Language at MISB.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melis Aleyna Kurt – Turkish Teacher

I am Mrs. Melis-Aleyna Kurt and I was born in Istanbul; I graduated from the Faculty of Letters, Romanian-Turkish specialization, at the “Ovidius” University in Constanța. As a student, I participated in Turkish language and literature olympiads and other various educational competitions. Currently, I work as a Turkish language teacher at “Liceul Maarif International School of Bucharest”. I am very happy to teach the Turkish language at MISB and to be part of the school community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salim Akbulut – P.E. Teacher

My name is Salim Akbulut and I am the P.E. Teacher at MISB since 2019.  I have a Bachelor’s degree in Physical and Sports education – from the National University of Physical Education and Sport, Bucharest 2018 and I am also a certified Physical Trainer. For more than 5 years I have worked with children with disabilities, and I was also a part of Special Olympics Romania. My passion is to work with students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elena Oprea – Dance Teacher

I am a Dance instructor since 2012 and I worked in various places, such as kindergartens, schools, placement centres, and senior clubs. I am a dance teacher at MISB since 2019 and it is a joy to work with young students.
• Dance instructor of the Davidans Sports Club Bucharest.
• Dance instructor in the various projects of the Bucharest City Hall and the City Hall (“talent Nurniera” S3, “children’s Academy” S2, Proedus Coordinator).
• Choreographer assistant, various TV shows, such as “Dancing for you”
• Coordinator of sports camps and various activities for children.
Teacher of Maarif School since 2019.

 

 

 

Mohamad Dakroub – Upper Primary ICT Teacher

I am a proud dad of two, my daughter is a university student, and my son is a year 10 student at Maarif. I have tackled the IT domain since my twenties when I started as a primary ICT teacher. Since then, lots of my students finished university or are already working which makes me proud. I joined the Maarif family in 2020 as an IT specialist and this academic year I had the chance to get back to my old passion ‘Teaching ICT’ in Upper Primary.

 

 

 

 

Nada Kbeissi – Arabic Teacher

My name is Nada Kbeissi and I started teaching Arabic for Primary classes at Maarif International School of Bucharest in September 2022. I have been teaching Arabic for 11 years in Lebanon and Romania. I have a bachelor’s degree in Education and Education Management from the Modern University of Management and Science.
I enjoy being part of the Maarif family and looking forward to continue teaching the children!