Studying Abroad! What an Experience This spring I had the amazing opportunity to travel the Russia. I visited the bustling city of Saint Petersburg and the provincial town of Pskov. In Saint Petersburg, it being the "culture capital" of Russia, I saw so many awesome things! I hope to be a history teacher and this place was teeming with history, all at my finger tips. I think I went to all the major museums in the city and walked all over the city center. I was able to really experience the Russian culture both old and new. I attended two shows while I was in the city. One was a newer type of entertainment, similar to vaudeville shows. I thought it was fantastic, because of the language barrier some of the jokes were lost on me but I thought it was fitting for our group to have been able to see this show because it just happened to be about teaching and the
|
pressure surrounding the end of grade state exams. I thought it was a really great comparison to was is available to us in the US. Our group also saw the "Folk Show" which is a showcase of traditional Russian song, dance and music. It was fantastic!!
Then I traveled to the smaller town of Pskov where I was welcomed like a celebrity, We saw some really amazing historical sites like Esborsk, (to the left) the most ancient fortress in all of Russia. It was such a great opportunity for me. I met some really great people who I hope to be friends with for a long time. |
provide the motivation in this case because learning English is motivation enough for these students because it required for being successful not only in school but also later in the work force.
How Will I Utilize This Experience? The document to the left describes how I plan to incorporate my time in Russia into my career in the future. This experience has given me such a different outlook on teaching. If you truly want to know the meaning of diversity I suggest working in a foreign classroom. It is a new perspective because suddenly YOU are the minority... YOU are the one who doesn't always understand what is being asked of you. I plan to take this experience into me classroom and try to remember when I see that look of confusion on a student in my class who just doesn't seem to be able to grasp the concept. I also have a greater appreciation for the methods we are taught to utilize during our training. I don't think my need for creativity would ever be satisfied by teaching out of a book.
Eventually, I would like to go back to school to get my masters degree. I am considering trying to qualify for a Fulbright Scholarship and get my Master in a something that focuses is teaching from a globalized perspective. I think it would be phenomenal to teach abroad full time and then bring that experience back to the states with me. |
Student Teaching In RussiaThe main reason I traveled to Russia was to experience student teaching in a completely foreign atmosphere. I had the privileged of teaching some students at a Pskov School English as a second language. This was an incredible experience. The students were wonderful (most of the time). I taught two seventh form classes, a ninth form class, two tenth form classes and one eleventh form (graduating class). The diversity in student levels was challenging, especially because of the different levels of proficiency, but this challenge really only helped me to grow and become more confident in my abilities as
a teacher. I really learned a lot about what students can do when they are given the proper motivation. In this case I didn't have to |