Lydia Staikova writes all editorial content on mrfoxcrafts.com.
Education
Lydia’s educational background is in languages, literature and education. At Shoumen University her focus was on preparing to become a school teacher, so she studied pedagogy, teaching methodologies, psychology, and child development. She graduated with an MA in English and Bulgarian Literature and Linguistics and a full teaching qualification in 1994.
Teaching
Her teaching career started when she was still a university student, and she gained extensive teaching experience with young school children before she received her formal degree. Then she went back to teach at the high school she graduated from, and later founded her own language school with classes for children, teenagers, and adults. There she designed curricula, trained younger teachers, taught and counseled students.
Volunteer work
From 2013 to 2017, Lydia volunteered at Harmanli Refugee Camp, organising and leading English language and art classes for children and contributing to broader educational programmes at the camp.
Research
For over two decades her main research and teaching focus was on language acquisition, learning, psychology, higher education traditions and curricula. Then her focus shifted towards child development, home schooling, children’s literature, art, and culture.
Parenting and homeschooling
Lydia is a parent and homeschooled her children for several years — an experience that brought her formal understanding of child development into direct, sustained contact with how children actually learn and play.