Veteran Lithuanian Basketball Commentator Vaidas Čeponis embarks on Teaching Career
Vilnius,lithuania - After more than 20 years as a prominent basketball commentator,Vaidas Čeponis is beginning a new chapter as a Lithuanian language and literature teacher at Vilnius Maironis progymnasium. Čeponis, a graduate of Vilnius University, shared he had been contemplating a career change for a few years, feeling the need for something new.
He admitted to experiencing unexpected nervousness before starting his new role,stating,”I didn’t worry even on a live broadcast,when there were important competitions,listening to thousands of people. And this night was really excited,I slept very easily.”
Čeponis’s wife, Lina, is also a teacher of Lithuanian language and literature, providing both understanding and support. School principal Lina Tamulytė praised Čeponis’s dedication, noting, “This is probably one of the first cases in my practice when I see a person so responsibly preparing for the new school year.” She added that even if teaching proved unsuccessful, a position would be found for him, jokingly suggesting roles in the school canteen or as a security guard.
Throughout the summer, Čeponis diligently studied Lithuanian language and literature materials, even playfully referencing a recent three-week teaching practice as nearly thirty years of experience.
Čeponis expressed his primary goal as a teacher is to instill a love of books in his students, a passion he attributes to his own Lithuanian language teachers. He intends to find a balance between being approachable and maintaining discipline, saying, “I’ll look for the middle of the gold – how not to be too good and too strict. Maybe you’ll need a gingerbread, or sometimes a gentle bison.”
While acknowledging he received attention from students and parents during the September 1st celebration, Čeponis expressed a hope to eventually fade from public recognition, stating, “I hope that in a few years I will disappear from the ether, I will no longer recognize me and live more calmly.”