Catching Up!

Cześć!

My apologies for not coming out with this second posting sooner. But I can tell it's time to write again. I'll walk through my general schedule, my experience with the students, and then more about Cieszyn and where I live.

The Schools

This 2013-2014 school year I have been spending the majority of my work day at the Liceum i Gimnazjum Towarzystwa Ewangelickiego w Cieszynie -aka Senior and Junior Evangelical High School in Cieszyn, guiding English conversation classes. The first three weeks or so were quite challenging and tested my patience, but as of late the dust has settled. Where once we were never sure if we'd actually teach in the room we were assigned, or if a class would change periods, we can now predict (mostly) how our day will be structured.

I say "mostly" because about a month ago I arrived at the Elementary school where I teach one class on Fridays, and I was told they were gone on a field trip. If I'd known I could have slept in an extra hour and a half, but instead I enjoyed a cup of coffee and chatted with colleagues I rarely see and I have to say it was worth it. (My one cup of coffee at 9 am kept me caffeinated and jittery until past 1 pm :P ).

My colleagues have been helpful in practically every regard. If Shirley or I have a question they'll answer and often engage in fixing any number of our problems directly and without asking. However, and despite spending plenty of time in the teachers' lounge between classes and during free periods there tends not to be a lot of English conversation between anyone. I respect my colleagues' natural inclination towards speaking Polish, but I just can't help thinking of my time working and living in CLV El Lago del Bosque communities where native English speakers spend their whole work days speaking another language.

I can see I'm on the border of making a judgement call and that's not where my focus should be. Does it feel lonely not being spoken to? Yes. What country am I living in? Poland. Yep, so I need to let it roll off my back and work on learning Polish if I want to take part in these conversations. Or, as has been suggested to me, I need to be more assertive in making my own conversations happen in English. Either way, it requires work on my part. *high-ho, high-ho, it's off to work I go*

The Students

My lineup this year includes three of the first year Gimnazjum classes (7th grade), all of the Liceum (10th-12th grade), one 5th grade class at the elementary school, SPTE, and in addition one English seminar for seniors wanting extra English. Plus the Spanish teacher and I have started our very own conversation group -it should be excellent!

With the older students we had been discussing topics such as American identity, English in the U.S., important places, human trafficking, religion, and, of course, any variety of personal questions they have about the U.S. For obvious reasons the discussions had been gritty and frank at times, to the point where it became clear that I was pushing them too far and too fast for both of our comfort levels. So, I've released the pressure and am keeping the focus of conversation on the students' own experiences, and, whenever they feel brave enough to ask, of my own experiences.

What I've learned from all the hours of teaching these kids so far is that even though it can be uncomfortable for me to approach their questions or remarks, I do feel it is the responsible thing to do. In Poland there is very little diversity, which prevents people from having much direct experience or relationships with people of a different race, religious upbringing, or simply a different way of being and living. Because of this I do want to ensure that I am upholding a positive and honest view of all people. Being their American role model is as big of a responsibility as it sounds. To them everything out of my mouth is the honest to God truth about the U.S., its people and our lives, and its not something of which I, or any American teacher, should be frivolous in our responses.

Additionally, I've come to learn that by releasing the pressure from the students that they really are fun and intelligent people; I am enjoying getting to know them. Sure it can be painstaking coming up with new discussion topics every week, but in the end we all enjoy our time together more :)

Ok. Next!

The City

Cieszyn is a small city of 40,000 people located on the southwestern border of Poland right next to the Olše river across from which is located Český Těšín and the Czech Republic. Like much of post-communist Europe it has its grey side, and its historical, beautiful side as well. Historically its roots are very diverse and involve previously hosting a large German population; and what is now known as "Český Těšín" was once simply "Cieszyn". (Yes, Těšín and Cieszyn are the same if different in spelling).

Hey! Did you know that for over 100 years Poland, as a country, was not even on the map?! Crazy, right?

The Amerykański nauczycieli
Shirley and I live above a pizzeria in split apartments. We've both got our own bedrooms, kitchens, and baths. I've got the larger digs, which I enjoy (and an OVEN), while Shirley does have the benefit of having the washing machine and balcony (overgrown with a leafy vine) on her side. We both, unfortunately, inherited a lot of extra junk -ie: two miniature Christmas trees, several strings of lights, a broken guitar, an air mattress, board games, empty picture frames, yarn, a dehumidifier, tons of children's books, lots of maps, and overused/broken kitchen utensils. Otherwise a great space with good smells wafting up from the pizzeria below, and the occasional whiff of gas or chemical.

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Next time I update I'll write about some of the adventures I've taken and some cultural insights I've been gathering. Cross our fingers that it won't take me two months next time!

;-)

Krystal
aka Miss Mordor