July 20, 2009

Thought for the day:
Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand.
Chinese Proverbs

The day of reckoning finally arrived, whereas this morning we were on the brink of conducting our first English class with our students. But, wait! As usual, we had to eat first, which is the usual Polish tradition no matter what the occasion. After truly enjoying our breakfast of pancakes/crepes filled with the cheese, along with the usual assortment of cold cuts, cheeses and hard rolls, we were ready to embark on the first teaching day of our two week adventure with the students at Reymontowka.
After conducting four classes with our students for the day, it was time to eat again, as lunch was served. We arrived at our dining room, some of us exhausted by the four teaching sessions, but all of us having a greater appreciation for the people who courageously chose teaching as their profession.
After lunch, we shared with each other what we felt had been successful lessons and techniques in our teaching sessions. Afterwards, we all came to the unanimous conclusion that there were little, if any, differences between the students in Poland and those in the U.S. Kids were essentially kids, all of whom enjoyed computer games, cell phones, sports, board games, Frisbee, and all of the other activities which young people enjoy doing, no matter what country they may reside.
After lunch and our sharing session, we all proceeded to go to the volunteer planning workroom where we prepared our lessons for the next day of classes. Later in the afternoon, we took a break to celebrate Bruce’s birthday, which, in addition to sharing his birthday cake, included singing happy birthday in English, as well as the Polish birthday song, Sto lat, which joyfully wishes the person celebrating the birthday a hundred more successful and fruitful years of life.
After Bruce’s birthday celebration, it was time to return to more planning for tomorrow’s day of teaching. We all retired for the night with a sense of satisfaction that it was a fruitful and rewarding day of teaching, and looked forward to the challenge that tomorrow and the rest of the week would bring.

By Jim