Poland NOW!
US Ambassador Welcomes WorldTeach Poland Volunteers, August 2011
United States Ambassador Lee Feinstein welcomed the Poland Summer 2011 volunteers at his residence during the End-of-Service Conference in Warsaw. Read on for more information!
Dzień dobry klasa! By Caitlin Lewis, June 2011
On my first day of class I met Halina, the high school English teacher in Makow, at the front gate of the school. About thirty-five kids of
varying ages surrounded her when I walked in the door, causing my nerves to kick in for the first time since arriving in Poland. I spoke details with Halina for a bit before entering the crowded classroom. She informed me that I would be teaching primary, lower-secondary, and secondary students, an age range I was not initially expecting but one I’m definitely willing to tackle. The schedule she had prepared included classes 4 hours per day, poniedziałek through piątek (Monday through Friday). Because fewer students showed up than anticipated, we decided to rework the schedule, and I walked away with 4 hours of teaching on Tuesday and Thursday, and 2 hours on Monday and Wednesday. Once everything was cleared up, we walked upstairs to classroom 26, my second homefor the rest of the summer. I introduced myself to the kids and then met with the groups by age level so I could hear their names and answer any questions they had. Halina then asked the secondary school students to stay after so I could complete a lesson with them.
The lesson went well and consisted mainly of getting-to-know-you activities. Once I had learned names, I taught them all some slang which we utilized in a game called “Dude, I like that too.” I was surprised to find how quickly the games moved, and I found myself itching for something to do for the last part of class. Drawing on suggestions provided during orientation, I decided to introduce the term “field trip,” and took my students through Makow to the nearest lody shop. We chatted informally over ice cream as they showed me around the small man-made lake bordering their city. I was amazed to find such a high level of English amongst my students, as I had mentally prepared for a much different situation. We were able to converse about a wide range of topics rather fluently, and I realized quickly that planning useful secondary school lessons is going to be a challenge. Regardless, they are going to be an awesome group. Most of the students are basically my age, so I think it’ll be very fun and rewarding for me as well.
After making it through the first day, Asia picked me up at the school, and we headed home. Because the weather was fairly nice, we took a long bike ride through the neighboring villages. Exploring the rural Polish countryside put me in an incredibly good mood, as I could not believe how beautiful the simplest things looked. I guess there is a purpose to all this daunting rainfall—the pastures are perfect year round, and the grazing cows look picturesque against the green background. Though I have a particular affinity towards rural life, it would be hard to claim that the views are anything short of spectacular.
I jumped in bed early that night, tired from the first day and nervous about making my primary and lower-secondary classes even better. Teaching is going to be a ton of fun, but it’s definitely a laborious venture.
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