Education - Czech Style

"The essence of intercultural education is the acquisition of empathy - the ability to see the world as others see it, and to allow for the possibility that others may see something we have failed to see, or may see it more accurately. The simple purpose of the exchange program...is to erode the culturally rooted mistrust that sets nations against one another. The exchange program is not a panacea but an avenue of hope..."

Senator J. William Fulbright in The Price of Empire, 1989

We are here in the Czech Republic, in essense, because of our belief in the above quote - to develop our sense of empathy and to pass that along to our students and of course our girls. I hope that the following entry provides a better sense of our purpose here and that you will see the reality of our daily lives as we teach and learn here in the CR for the year.

The front of the Secondary School in which I (Heidi) teach and where Mark teaches a conversational English class for local adults who want to practice their English skills with a native speaker.

I so wish I had taken a picture of my school in Barrington, just so you'd see the contrast. But I'll try to create the picture in words, for those of you who've never seen it. Barrington High School (BHS) has nearly 3000 students and a staff of well over 200. My school here in Moravske Budejovice has around 250 students and a staff of about 20 - it's a school much like the size of my own high school back in Michigan - my graduating class boasted 36 people - which was a school record. The graduating class here has a few more - around 55. BHS graduates nearly 700 students each year - the number difference is vast and there are as many differences between American education and Czech education - too many to enumerate here - as there are students at BHS. I'll address only a few through the following picture show:

The above is a picture of the weekly schedule, which took me 2 months to figure out. At BHS I teach the same 5 classes everyday at the same times. Here, I teach 7 different groups - some 4, some 3 and some 2 times a week, all at different times within a 4-week rotation of classes - which means I have a different teaching schedule every day within those 4 weeks. For example, some days I teach only 3 classes and go home by 11:30. Other days I teach 6 or even 7 classes right in a row with no break, save a 20 minute snack break between the 2nd and 3rd hours. The American flag (graciously used in honor of me!) is posted on the current week's schedule - just in case we get confused and plan lessons based on a different week's schedule. The students have a similar schedule posted to keep them up-dated as to room changes or cancelations of classes. It has happened that I go to my classroom and no students are to be found - they're in a different room as designated by the schedule. I, who have difficulties reading Czech, am usually the last to know of these changes. I'm quickly learning again the importance of flexibility in teaching. I think the reason for a 4-week rotation of classes is because students here take anywhere from 10-14 different courses a week - not the 6-8 that US students take. Every notion of teaching/grading/assigning homework/testing is different here as a result. Again, being flexibile and having a willingness to adjust one's practice are essential components in this exchange. I spent most of October and November readjusting my teaching methods. In some ways, going through this year is like reliving my first year of teaching....ugh!! Though I do have to say, I've got 9 years of exerience from which to draw ideas, so the learning curve this time around is much shorter!!

My classroom from both angles. I have 15 students or less in 5 of my classes, which is the standard in language classes here. In the other 2 classes I have 20 and 22 students respectively. I'm more used to those numbers, though it's rare to have a class of only 20 students at BHS. Most of my classes last year had over 30 students per class, so I am enjoying the lower class numbers, even though I have more groups here. There are no clocks in the classrooms, but there is a picture of Vaclav Klaus, the current Czech president.

BHS has numerous wings and 3 levels in some locations. Here we have 2 main hallways and 2 levels, with one connecting hallway. Here's Hallway #1 - the one right outside the teachers' room. Notice all of the plants! I love that!!!

The connecting hallway...

And now for hallway #3. My classroom is at the far end of this hallway and to the right.

Here's the staff room - It has it's own copy machine! My colleagues are very gracious with me, even though my Czech is nearly non-existant. I listen attentively and hear all the words I know, but that's just not enough to communicate clearly. However, I'm really good at reading facial expressions and intonations, so I usually know what's going on. It's a real bummer though to laugh at a joke way after the fact once I'm told the translation. Still, I'm holding my own and am learning enough words to survive fairly decently. It is funny, though, that some emotions translate instantly - like laughter and sarcasm and annoyance. Deprivation in one area (verbal language) causes heightened sensitivity in another area (body language). I don't read everything correctly, but I'm not bad at anticipating responses.

The students' cloak room during school hours....

And after hours....take note of the "slippers" - Birkenstock style sandles that are worn in school only. The Czechs change their shoes everytime they enter their homes and schools and wear these indoor shoes. Our apartment stairways are filled with shoes that are taken off and kept outside the door - no Czech enters the main part of the house in outside shoes and it is expected that you provide your guests with house shoes when they come to visit.

Just a few more points. I teach in a secondary school, which is nothing like the US high school really. Czech education is stratified - there's a Gymnasium for the college bound students; secondary schools (like mine) that specialize in particular areas of study, such as Public Administration and Social Care, which is what my school provides - some students will proceed to the university if they pass the entrance exams; then there are technical secondary schools, such as computer programing or optical studies; and finally there are trade schools such as service and hotel management. I eat lunch at one of these schools and am served by students learning to work in such an industry. Most students in all of these schools are aged 15-20, unlike the 14-18 year olds in US schools. If you enter a class, you stay with that class throughout the day, even if your ability is different than your classmates. For example, if you are a first year student but are advanced in English, you stay with all of your first-year classmates, even if some of them are beginning English students. If you have to repeat a year due to illness, you repeat every one of your classes, even the ones you passed last year. At least that seems to be the case with several of my students this year. Other comparative points between US and Czech education - well - teachers are horribly underpaid here - something like 5-6 times less than their European counterparts. In fact, this coming Tuesday the teachers are striking in protest of reduced wages for next year, and 80% of the country's schools are expected to be closed for the day. Apparently the former education minister quit because of a major mismanagement of educational funds and the politians just appointed a 30-year-old political science major to head the education department, despite his lack of background in the field. His response to that criticizm - he'll do fine because he's a good manager and will hire all the experts to help him do his job. Hmmm...that sounds a bit too familiar. I think teachers here expect more strikes to occur.

Other differences of interest include the fact that there are no after-school sports or activities sponsored by the school. All after-school activities are connected to outside organizations, though they may conduct their activities in the schools, especially at the primary levels. Teachers are not expected to coach a sport or sponsor a club to keep their jobs. Students have class reunions from their primary schools. For secondary schools, lunch is served in a separate school and can be taken by people from local businesses as well as students and teachers from area schools. And secondary schools must market themselves to stay in operation, much like colleges and universities in the US. These are just a few differences. A few similarities include the fact that Mondays and Fridays are not as productive as the other 3 days; no one likes homework and tests; and verbal affirmation always elicits a smile.

Teaching is never an easy job...but I love my profession and am grateful for the change in perspective, despite its many challenges. Hopefully my students, both current and future, will benefit as a result and enjoy learning as much as I do. Ahoj!

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