Three School Vists and a very long day! :)

Yesterday was an incredibly long day, starting with a ten minute walk at 7:15 to the university to pick up a small charter van for the day. We drove about two hours to get to the first school, a secondary school, which had a program for students interested in becoming teachers. We had a round table discussion with these students about teacher education programs in the States and how they differ from those in Poland. (Polish ones tend to be more theory based with less practical experience and internship time.) We've discovered that the students here have great pride in their schools, as many of them are quite historic, both as a school organization and in the buildings.

The second school was the one Stan attended as a student, so there were personal ties for him here. We talked about American culture with students here in their huge, historic auditorium. They all had many questions about our students and the program that they might become involved in. These particular students were ones who were studying English, so it was especially beneficial to them to be able to ask us questions. Some of them told us the history of their names and about family traditions. Others were greatly interested in American basketball and the sports teams that we were fans of. After our meeting with the students, we had a tour of the school and a lunch to discuss the project.

The last school we arrived at well after the end of the school day, only to find that several students had stayed to welcome us with tea, coffee, and cookies. This particular school was a secondary school that was like a magnet school that focused primarily on science and math. These students were interested in becoming engineers, scientists, or having a career in medicine. When we demonstrated Teleplace to them, they were quite excited to be able to talk with a colleague of ours at ASU who happened to be online at the time. Since there was a smaller group of students at this school, most of them had the opportunity to move the avatar around the space and talk with Ed if they wanted to. When we finished, they had to leave to meet their Danish exchange students, whom they were hosting. Students at this particular school seemed to have many more opportunities for international collaboration than some of the other schools.

After leaving the last school, we joined the faculty of this school for Teacher Appreciation Day at a local restaurant. This restaurant was quite elegant, with a DJ and ballroom dance floor. The meal was formally served and we were welcomed in they typical fashion. You can see some pictures of the fabulous food here, which included multiple types of potatoes, cabbage, and dumplings with bacon. There was also chicken, soup, and some salads. Dessert was a fabulous apple pie with icecream and fresh whipped cream. We stayed at dinner until well past 8:00, so we didn't get back to the hotel until after 10:00. A long day, but well worth it!

Leave some love in the comments! :)