U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer
English as a second language Teacher
Hungary June 1992 to June 1994

Pre-Service Training | Assignment | Description of Service

Peace Corps Pre-Service training in TEFL
Szekszard, Hungary
June to September 1992

    We had 120 hours of TEFL training over three months. In the afternoon our Hungarian language teachers would model methods we had been talking about that morning. We also had two practice classes of Hungarian students that we worked with. The Peace Corps trainers observed and critiqued our teaching. One of them told me that he felt that the training we went through in three months was comparable to what he puts graduate students through in two years. If only the Minnesota State Licensing board would feel the same.


Summer training class 1.


Summer training class 2.

Teacher of English as a second language to junior high school  and elementary students in Szekszard, Hungary
United States Peace Corps June 1992 to June 1994

    My assignment was at the Illyes Gyula Pedagogiai Foiskola Gyakorlo Altalanos Iskolaja, or the Illyes Gyula (a local poet and author) Teacher's Training College Practice Elementary School. This was very good for me because the staff was used to mentoring new teachers, as their school was the primary site for teaching practice for the students at the adjacent teacher's training college. The school director, a German teacher named Adrian Cserhatne, took me under her wing. The Peace Corps training had prepared me as well as possible in three months, but nothing could really prepare me for what I was going into.

    Hungary had undergone a revolution from a totalitarian communist state to a "democratic" form of government less than two years ago. The students felt that this revolution should be represented in the school. What they thought was democracy was in fact anarchy, as there was no respect or responsibilty for others. The teachers were split. Quite a few kept order using the old methods, including physical punishment of the students, even though this was supposedly no longer allowed. I abhorred the idea of hitting my kids and did the best I could with limited Hungarian language proficiency and a lot of spirit and passion. There are several students who I know I did reach. I know I could have done a lot better, but all in all it was a very good learning experience.

Class 8a and Faculty, 1993 - 1994

Class 8b and Faculty, 1993 - 1994



 
 
 
 
 
 

The girls of class 8a -1993 - 1994.
Esther, Andrea, Holti, Ibolya, Zsuzsa.

The boys of class 8a -1993 - 1994. 
Andrew, Zolt, Peter.

The teacher broomball team.

Making a snowman with Balazs and Janos from class 7c.

Community Outreach

    In 1993 I was contacted by Zoltan Kovacs, a Gypsy community leader in the nearby village of Szedres. He wanted to develop English lessons for adult Gypsys in that village. The Gypsys in Hungary, as in much of Eastern Europe, are a minority group that face similar challenges and prejudices as many minority groups in the U.S. do. We developed a program together and had two levels, beginning and intermediate. The classes were very successful.


Szedres English class for Gypsys.

Peace Corps Description of Service

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