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TURLOCK TEACHERS SHARE DISCOVERIES OF WORK OVERSEAS
The Modesto Bee
Nan Austin
Published: Jun 26, 2011
An urge to travel sent two from Turlock to teach English in Tbilisi,
Georgia.
Jessica Schlitz and Jeremy Inabnit met half a world away from the
Central Valley, sharing what they learned in classrooms of the former
Soviet republic.
Schlitz, 22, teaches fourth-graders at Tbilisi's Public School No.
37, a school where Russian is spoken. Inabnit, 29, teaches in a public
school where Georgian is spoken.
They recently shared their thoughts about teaching abroad, including
the differences in foreign educational systems, what they've learned,
how they've coped, some of the challenges they've faced and why
they're doing it.
Here's a sample of what they had to say:
Q: What is life like in Georgia? SCHLITZ: My host family really isn't
that different from my family back at home, so I've really enjoyed
living here. The most important thing to remember when living in
another country is to never compare it to the U.S.; that will only
lead to a severe case of homesickness.
I live in Tbilisi, the capital. I would say the hardest thing to get
used to is the diet. Most meals consist of variations of bread, cheese,
beef, oil and fat. And you usually eat the same thing for breakfast,
lunch and dinner for several days in a row. I am definitely not used
to such a heavy diet.
INABNIT: Georgians take great pride in hosting. In fact, many
teachers gain weight here because they have huge spreads of food put
in front of them at all times of the day, including the regular 11
p.m. meal. Georgian meals usually have bread, cheese, fried potatoes
and perhaps fried eggplant, soup or another regional favorite.
Meals are usually eaten as a family, and if there is a guest there
is often a reason to drink wine or "cha cha," which is a homemade
liquor that is stronger than anything I've ever tried.
Q: How different are the schools there? SCHLITZ: The differences
between U.S. and Georgian schools and teaching methods are immense.
Teachers are severely underpaid (about 250 lari or $140 per month).
The buildings are all leftovers of poor Soviet construction. There
has generally not been many rules, so students are in the mind-set
that they can do, and come and go, as they please. Top this off with a
lack of funds and you get the status of the Georgian education system.
I have talked to many of the other English teachers here in Georgia
and this is the general consensus: There is no school-supplied paper,
copy machine use is almost nonexistent, the textbooks are terrible
and filled with mistakes, many students don't have textbooks for
their classes, some schools run out of chalk, and the list goes on.
Resourcewise, it is severely lacking in every aspect.
Since the students generally don't have to actively engage in the
learning process, I have attempted to force the students to use the
language through group and pair work, reading activities, simple games
that get the students to use what they've learned in the unit, etc.
INABNIT: I work in a Georgian-Ukrainian school with approximately
170 students between first and 12th grade, which means the class
sizes are very small with only 10 to 20 students in each grade. My
co-teachers and I use English textbooks as a guide for lesson plans,
but we also implement our own ideas.
Q: How did you end up in Georgia?
SCHLITZ: I chose to teach abroad because I've done a lot of work
with youth in the past (teaching swim lessons, coaching swimming and
volleyball, and volunteering at schools) and have really enjoyed it.
Teaching English was also a way for me to learn a new language,
experience a new culture, and get the opportunity to travel around
the area.
INABNIT: I was looking for a way to travel and work or volunteer
rather than just be a tourist.
I enjoyed working with students when I volunteered for a couple of
months in Kenya, so I decided to consider teaching English. I found
the program on a Web site designed to bring English teachers and
schools from around the world together.
Since teaching would be new to me, I liked the short initial contract
for 3½ months that was offered. Many schools want you to commit to
at least a year, which I felt would be too long if I found I didn't
like the area, the school or the job. As it turns out, I enjoy all of
these things and have extended my contract to be here until December.
Q: What are your career plans? SCHLITZ: I have a bachelor of arts in
international studies and a minor in Spanish from the University of
California at Irvine.
I plan on following a career in the security studies or international
relations fields, so having experience living and working abroad is
an important resume-builder for me. Security studies concerns itself
with how nation-states remain secure - economically, politically,
and physically.
INABNIT: I don't have a degree, but I have a TESOL (teaching English
to speakers of other languages) certificate. I plan to travel and teach
English around the world and possibly earn a degree at the same time.
Q: What's next for you? SCHLITZ: I'm going to Turkey this month, and
probably Armenia next semester. I'll be coming back to Georgia for
the fall 2011 semester, as well, then after that I plan on teaching
English in Latin America so I can really perfect my Spanish. I leave
(Georgia) for good in December.
INABNIT: I will work at an English camp in Italy this summer before
returning to Georgia for the fall. I may head to China in 2012.
Bee education reporter Nan Austin can be reached at (209) 578-2339.
© 2011 The Associated Press.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
The Modesto Bee
Nan Austin
Published: Jun 26, 2011
An urge to travel sent two from Turlock to teach English in Tbilisi,
Georgia.
Jessica Schlitz and Jeremy Inabnit met half a world away from the
Central Valley, sharing what they learned in classrooms of the former
Soviet republic.
Schlitz, 22, teaches fourth-graders at Tbilisi's Public School No.
37, a school where Russian is spoken. Inabnit, 29, teaches in a public
school where Georgian is spoken.
They recently shared their thoughts about teaching abroad, including
the differences in foreign educational systems, what they've learned,
how they've coped, some of the challenges they've faced and why
they're doing it.
Here's a sample of what they had to say:
Q: What is life like in Georgia? SCHLITZ: My host family really isn't
that different from my family back at home, so I've really enjoyed
living here. The most important thing to remember when living in
another country is to never compare it to the U.S.; that will only
lead to a severe case of homesickness.
I live in Tbilisi, the capital. I would say the hardest thing to get
used to is the diet. Most meals consist of variations of bread, cheese,
beef, oil and fat. And you usually eat the same thing for breakfast,
lunch and dinner for several days in a row. I am definitely not used
to such a heavy diet.
INABNIT: Georgians take great pride in hosting. In fact, many
teachers gain weight here because they have huge spreads of food put
in front of them at all times of the day, including the regular 11
p.m. meal. Georgian meals usually have bread, cheese, fried potatoes
and perhaps fried eggplant, soup or another regional favorite.
Meals are usually eaten as a family, and if there is a guest there
is often a reason to drink wine or "cha cha," which is a homemade
liquor that is stronger than anything I've ever tried.
Q: How different are the schools there? SCHLITZ: The differences
between U.S. and Georgian schools and teaching methods are immense.
Teachers are severely underpaid (about 250 lari or $140 per month).
The buildings are all leftovers of poor Soviet construction. There
has generally not been many rules, so students are in the mind-set
that they can do, and come and go, as they please. Top this off with a
lack of funds and you get the status of the Georgian education system.
I have talked to many of the other English teachers here in Georgia
and this is the general consensus: There is no school-supplied paper,
copy machine use is almost nonexistent, the textbooks are terrible
and filled with mistakes, many students don't have textbooks for
their classes, some schools run out of chalk, and the list goes on.
Resourcewise, it is severely lacking in every aspect.
Since the students generally don't have to actively engage in the
learning process, I have attempted to force the students to use the
language through group and pair work, reading activities, simple games
that get the students to use what they've learned in the unit, etc.
INABNIT: I work in a Georgian-Ukrainian school with approximately
170 students between first and 12th grade, which means the class
sizes are very small with only 10 to 20 students in each grade. My
co-teachers and I use English textbooks as a guide for lesson plans,
but we also implement our own ideas.
Q: How did you end up in Georgia?
SCHLITZ: I chose to teach abroad because I've done a lot of work
with youth in the past (teaching swim lessons, coaching swimming and
volleyball, and volunteering at schools) and have really enjoyed it.
Teaching English was also a way for me to learn a new language,
experience a new culture, and get the opportunity to travel around
the area.
INABNIT: I was looking for a way to travel and work or volunteer
rather than just be a tourist.
I enjoyed working with students when I volunteered for a couple of
months in Kenya, so I decided to consider teaching English. I found
the program on a Web site designed to bring English teachers and
schools from around the world together.
Since teaching would be new to me, I liked the short initial contract
for 3½ months that was offered. Many schools want you to commit to
at least a year, which I felt would be too long if I found I didn't
like the area, the school or the job. As it turns out, I enjoy all of
these things and have extended my contract to be here until December.
Q: What are your career plans? SCHLITZ: I have a bachelor of arts in
international studies and a minor in Spanish from the University of
California at Irvine.
I plan on following a career in the security studies or international
relations fields, so having experience living and working abroad is
an important resume-builder for me. Security studies concerns itself
with how nation-states remain secure - economically, politically,
and physically.
INABNIT: I don't have a degree, but I have a TESOL (teaching English
to speakers of other languages) certificate. I plan to travel and teach
English around the world and possibly earn a degree at the same time.
Q: What's next for you? SCHLITZ: I'm going to Turkey this month, and
probably Armenia next semester. I'll be coming back to Georgia for
the fall 2011 semester, as well, then after that I plan on teaching
English in Latin America so I can really perfect my Spanish. I leave
(Georgia) for good in December.
INABNIT: I will work at an English camp in Italy this summer before
returning to Georgia for the fall. I may head to China in 2012.
Bee education reporter Nan Austin can be reached at (209) 578-2339.
© 2011 The Associated Press.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress