My walk to school has always only been under 10 minutes. Sometimes I could even cut the distance in half because I knew a shorter path. When I went to Sanborn Elementary, I walked right across the street and then ran over to school to chase my friends around the playground. In middle and high school, I was always driven, either by bus or a friend, so all I had to do was simply walk a few minutes to my home room before the bell. Even at Bates – granted the campus is very small – my walk from class to class, to the library, gym, etc. was never more than 10 minutes.
And, once I was at school, every teacher always knew my name and was excited to greet me and welcome me into their class. I was never afraid to raise my hand and discuss a theme in a novel or ask a question about a confusing math or any sort of science concept. I was also very involved with after-school activities, participated on varsity cross country and track teams, and lived close to all my friends. I was comfortable in these settings and felt I could even step inside the shoes of a pretty vocal leader as I entered my senior year of both high school and college.
While hectic and definitely overbooked at times, my school life has always been something that I have had in control. I always prioritized school above all else because I knew that if I worked hard and tried to go above expectations in all assignments I could endure a work ethic that would help me secure my independence and any sort of career goals that come my way.
As I continue to work on finding my footing here in the Czech Republic, this mentality had had to switch – I still ensure that I exert as much effort and energy into any task. However, I also know that I can’t accomplish this on my own and that I can’t expect to excel and perfect all tasks and projects the first time around – even small tasks like learning to lock and unlock the door to my flat, making my first meals without any pots or pans, or even trying to open my boxed milk – everything is a work in progress here and that is okay. I simply laugh at myself, ask for help and move on.
Part of the daily routine I am working hard to develop for myself here in Česky Têšín is simply my walk to school, my greetings in the hallway, and interactions I have with Czech students and teachers. My walk to school is about 15 minutes long – I walk past local cafes, stores, and restaurants, I walk past local school children and parents and I walk past local adults on their way to work. I walk under a train station, across a railroad, and past neighborhood schools and parks. This walk is 15 minutes long and with every step I feel stares and hear people greeting me or asking me to move in a language I am only beginning to learn to comprehend. I do not know anybody yet and these stares definitely are not something I am used to in my neighborhood in Andover or on campus at Bates.
Instead of letting my fears get the best of me, I still smile what my mentor’s husband, Roman, calls my American smile and say Dobry den! My first Friday morning at school, I even walked into a cafe on my way to work, ordered a Cappuccino in my attempt at Czech, received an appreciative smile and was given a small gingerbread cookie as a little treat. I thanked my headmaster with a Dêkuji and he smiled and acknowledged the fact that I am looking to learn and speak some Czech. These small victories keep me going.
Similarly, when I walked into my school for my first day of teaching, I immediately received nervous stares from students, teachers and other staff members. I tried a mixture of different greetings: Ahoj!, Dobry den! and even a desperate Hello?! This has become my routine everyday so far. Some respond, some laugh, and some shy away. When I walk into my assigned classroom, students stand, stare, and giggle to their friends. As I was taught at Bates, I know I need to appear confident and in control as this will help me garner respect from my students and peers. So, I laugh alongside my students and emphasize that while I am their teacher, I am also a student this year – a student of a new culture and new way of life.
During my first day of teaching, I gave a presentation about myself – introducing myself, Fulbright and my position, my family, hobbies, schooling, and plans for the year. I gave this 45-minute presentation a total of 10 times this week – to a group of different students each time and with each presentation I was faced with a new set of successes, challenges and little triumphs. I found myself nervous about small aspects of the lesson such as logging onto the computer, turning on the projector, and reading PowerPoint buttons in Czech. All seemingly minor details but large enough that they could make or break the lesson.
Every student loved hearing about my family, American holidays such as Thanksgiving, and my travels to London, Dublin, and Paris. I received several stares and some laughs when I explained my experiences with cross country and track – some students were unsure of what a track team entailed. I also had several students ask, “What are you doing here?” and “Why do you care about our city?” When these questions come up, I answer, “Because I want to explore new places and I love to teach. The best way for me to learn about teaching is to challenge myself and share my culture and language with students abroad. So, here I am.” When answering questions, I not only want to appear respectable but also approachable – I want students to be able to approach me with any questions, concerns, or comments about where I am from and how I can help them, and vice versa, this year.
This week has proven exhausting – I have had to set up a bank, phone and internet plan, register at the Czech police, move into my flat, and, most importantly, start teaching. All day Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, for blocks of 45 minute classes, I met a new group of students and exerted enough positive energy to reinforce to the students that I am confident and excited to teach and learn with them this year. I would be lying to say that stepping inside the classroom was seamless for me. I was definitely terrified. However, for the first time since my arrival to the Czech Republic, when I stepped inside the classroom I felt more in my element. I felt prepped, ready, and excited as I shared my life with my students and presented my ideas for the school year. The students speak English at an impressive level and the teachers value my ideas – these last few days in different classrooms has reminded me why I decided to travel thousands of miles away from my United States routine and loved ones. I simply love to teach, and I am motivated by the challenge of helping students discover the value in learning and conquering academic feats and writing phobias.
Perhaps my favorite moment was the afternoon of my first day of school – after my last class one of my students stayed behind and came up to me and asked, “Would you like to run with me sometime?” I felt a huge sigh of relief and immediately thought, “Alright, I must be doing something right!” I met with this student the next day and we agreed to run from the city square Friday after school along with one of her friends and another one of my students.
As part of my Fulbright application I wrote about my desire to organize an after-school running club. These ideas always seem easy when you write them down. However, to see application proposals actually become a reality is much more complicated once at the site so to see my running group begin to blossom is very rewarding for me.
While running with this student and her friends, they talked the entire time about how nervous they were to ask me to run, how relieved they were when I said yes, and finally, how excited they are to have an American, close to their own age, lead English lessons this year – they are excited by my enthusiasm and want to share their city and culture with me as well. I shared my ideas to hold after school tutoring sessions at cafes, running groups on Wednesdays and Fridays, and an American baking and cooking club on Monday afternoons. Our mutual sighs of relief about joining each other for a city run has shown me that it is okay to be nervous. We all are in part of the same community. These two students encouraged me that other students are excited as well and that they are inspired by my travels so far away from home.
I have spent over 300 hours assisting in primary and secondary school classrooms in the United States. However, leading your own classroom as THE teacher is a whole new ball game. My first week of teaching in my new, year-long home abroad, has taught me the importance of flexibility, patience, and empathy in not only education but also simply life. In every lesson, I have emphasized to students to be patient with me as I learn their names, practice my speaking speed, and navigate a new culture – and I will do the same for them. As I learned during my education courses at Bates, when teaching, it is important to redistribute the power between students and teachers and encourage the development of authentic relationships – this lesson will help me establish a collaborative, dual lingual classroom community that will thrive off of each other’s mistakes, laughs, and accomplishments.
Next week, I am traveling to Česky Krumlov, in the southern region of the Czech Republic, known as Bohemia, to participate in a boating course with my students. Here, I will be camping as the only native English speaker. When in Andover, my family and friends would laugh if I said I would be setting up a camp by myself and sleeping outside for a week with no easy access to coffee or a nice, cozy bed. However, stepping outside of my comfort zone is my mantra for the year, and this way I can continue to place myself in situations where I begin to understand Czech culture and share my American language and culture with others. I have already successfully climbed steep mountains close to my home Czech city and attempted climbing in Poland and I’m ready for more adventures. So here goes, and until next time, Ahoj! Ciao! And of course, Good-bye!
Redefining Escape 