It's nearing the end of March and I would feel like a complete failure if I didn't update this blog at least once a month.
The truth is there's been a lot going on here in Tisovec and in life in general... I feel bad for not updating.
I will attempt to write the top things that have been happening (in ABC order for added fun!)
A is for Anna Wilson, my Fulbright BFF. I visited her last weekend and I am going again this next weekend to Kosice. While in Kosice last weekend we went to a couple interesting concerts. This next weekend our friend James is coming from Budapest and it should be a hoot!
B is for birthdays. Everyone's birthday is in March, it seems. I've been celebrating a lot!
C is for Ctibor, my home-brewed mead that is finally finished. yummmmm.
D is for Domica Cave. A spectacular cave in Slovakia (there are lots here) I went March 12th with the birthday girls (see above) and we had a great time!
Heidi and me in a cave!*
E is for England where I spent part of my Spring Break. I can't tell you how nice it was to speak English and eves-drop on people! I visited my lovely friend Clare from Hampshire College.
Clare and me playing dress up
F is for France, where I spent the other part of my spring break. I had a great time visiting my French friend, Marie Benedicte and eating lots of baguettes!
G is for grad school! I got into a fabulous program! (read below)
H is for hiking. The definite plus of living in a small town is all of the beautiful nature around me
The fruits of one of my laborious hikes - an abandoned house!*
I is for ice hockey. The International Ice Hockey World Championships will be held in Slovakia this year. It's a big deal for Slovakia. But my students told me that the theme song is a real disappointment. You can judge for yourself:
J is for June, when I go home. :( How has this year gone by so quickly?!?
K is for Karakoke Party! For Mardi Gras I helped our students throw a party with lots of karaoke! The other American teachers and I sang an epic rendition of Don't Stop Belivin' and the students sang songs together non-stop, for the rest of the night!
Just a small town girl...
L is for Linguistics - what I'll be studying in grad school. As well as Language Documentation. I'm so excited!
M is for the Maturita. This is a leaving exam all of my 5th years must take. It's making me quite stressed, but they are so smart - they'll do great!
N is for Nitra where my really good friend Sonicka studies. I often make trips to hang out with her and her friends. They are the funnest bunch of Slovaks I know!
Me, Soni and our hedgehog friend!
O is for outside where I have a lot of my classes these days. I spoil my students...
P is for the Parental Units. They're coming in 24 days! I'm getting really excited for their visit.
Q is for quizzes. I haven't been giving many actually, but my students sure do enjoy them!
R is for rollerblading, which is quite popular here. I'm thinking about picking up the sport myself.
S is for spring, which has officially sprung!
T is for travel, essentially the theme of this year. I'm desperately trying to fit in as much travel as I can in the next 2 1/2 months.
U is for the University of Hawai'i at Manoa where I will be studying next year! Jealous?!?
V is for Vienna where my parents and I will be spending some time in April, when they come.
W is for Wien (the Slovak and German word for Vienna) OK, this is a double entry.
X is for xenophobia which I definitely do not suffer from. This one's a stretch, but it was either this or Xanadu!
Y is for yoga, which I have been doing a lot of. Downward-facing Dog is my favorite!
Z is for zmrzlina. This is many people's favorite Slovak word. It means ice cream and it's almost time for ice cream! Slovak ice cream is a lot like gelato, as in AMAZING!
I hope this fills you in on what's going on. I'm having a great time. Staying incredibly busy but still trying to prepare myself for going home.
I hope to update this soon, but until then...
Me stuck in Child Prison after a hike during Birthday Weekend*
Dovidenia
* I must credit Rachel Liptak for these fabulous photos of me. Thanks Rachel!
(I am totally that teacher who gives pop-quizzes... who knew I was so mean?!?)
I was recently asked by some students to write an article or feature for the school magazine.
I decided to create a high school personality quiz for the students instead!
Quite honestly, Slovak students need to know what clique they would fall into if they went to an American high school. Unfortunately, Slovak high schools don't have cliques, or "in" and "out" crowds. Instead, they have tight-knit communities within their grades. I mean, Slovak's don't have this:
In Slovakia, the incoming "Freshman" are split into 2 classes - 1A and 1B (1 = first years). For the next five years they will have all of their classes with this group. Occassionaly they will be further divided into 1A1 and 1A2, 1B1 and 1B2. They are small groups of 15 that the kids usually have their languages classes with. For example, I teach 1A1 and 1B1 only.
This is much different than the American high school system. I think, because American high school students intermingle with so many other students their identity gets wrapped up into which clique they belong to, and "othering" different cliques. Slovak students simply don't do this. There is a lot of protection towards each member in the class. It's as though they each serve their role and purpose within the class. There is almost no bullying in Slovak high schools. I find that the relationships formed within a class mirror a brother/sister relationship (even with the bickering).
Obviously, the Slovak students are missing something huge. I could no longer allow them to continue on, calling themselves high school students, without stereotyping their fellow classmates. So, I wrote the following quiz. Feel free to take it, and discover your High School Personality!
Until Next Time...
Me and the other American teachers at the school "Prom" las weekend (photo credit: Rachel Liptak)
Dovidenia!
Quiz: What’s my American High School Personality?
You have watched all of those silly movies about American high schools, and I’m sure you realize that they are quite different than EGT. One of the things that makes American high schools unique is the mix of all different types of students. Luckily, Miss Locke has created this quiz so you can see what kind of student you might be if you went to an American high school.
Question1: Ahhh! It’s Friday morning and you have 1st lesson. What time do you wake up?
A.6:00 AM so I can double check all of my homework from last night
B.6:30 AM because my perfect hair takes some time
C.Oh, I’m feeling too sick for school today *cough, sneeze
D.5:30 AM so I can go for my morning jog, and hit the gym before school
E.7:00 AM – I still need to do my homework
F.7:45 AM and that’s plenty of time. Who cares what I look like?
Question 2:
Now that you’re out of bed and ready for a wonderful day of school, you need to get there! How do you arrive?
A.The bus, it gives me more time to study
B.By Car!
C.I come in late, so it doesn’t matter.
D.I ride my bike (or jog)
E.The bus so I can make fun of the kid studying
F.I walk and think about life
Question 3:
You’re at your locker, putting on your school-slippers, and a group of popular students laugh at you while walk by. What do you do?
a.Run away!
b.I am one of those laughing students.
c.Laugh with them, I don’t know why…
d.Beat them up
e.Insult them back
f.Who cares what the mindless popular students think?
Question 4:
You’re in your first lesson, English. What are you doing?
a.Paying very close attention to the teacher and ignoring the idiots in the class.
b.Passing notes and laughing at the jokes others are making.
c.Woah, I’m in English!? I thought it sounded funny.
d.Eating a bageta, I get so hungry after PE class
e.Making fun of the teacher and cracking jokes
f.Drawing, or listening to my MP3 player that’s hidden inside my EGT sweatshirt
Question 5:
Now you’re in the hallway, making your way to second period when the person in front of you falls down the stairs! What is your reaction?
a.Cry, because someone just tripped you in the hallway.
b.Glare at them - what a nerd.
c.Chuckle and continue towards class, you can’t be late again or you’ll get a low behavior grade.
d.Laugh, then help pull them up
e.Point and Laugh at them, then remind them of how stupid they are all day
f.Glare at the people laughing
Question 6:
You made it to the 2nd lesson, and you weren’t late! You sit down and notice that you’ve just sat in gum. Oh No! What do you do?
a.Sigh, go to the teacher and asked to be excused, again.
b.Scream. Who ever did this is going to pay!
c.Don’t even notice.
d.Get upset, but then change into the running shorts you keep in your bag.
e.Pfff! I didn’t sit in gum, I put the gum on the chair!
f.Shrug. It’s just the school uniform, who cares?
Question 7:
For 3rd lesson you have a substitute (YAY!) What are your plans in that class?
a.Help the teacher with anything he/she needs!
b.Chat with my friends and make fun of the student helping the teacher.
c.Sleep.
d.Take this opportunity to eat a few bagety.
e.Think of new ways to insult my classmates.
f.Write a poem or draw in my new sketchbook
Question 8:
Now that that’s over, it’s time for big break! Where are you hanging out?
a.I’m waiting in the classroom for 4th lesson. I don’t want to get a “T”!
b.I’m blocking the stairway with everyone else, or making out with my boyfriend/girlfriend on a bench.
c.At the ping-pong table, trying to figure out how to skip 4th lesson.
d.I’m at the ping-pong table, WINNING!
e.Near the buffet line so when people come out, I can trip them!
f.On the 4th floor, listening to music
Question 9:
After lunch you’re sitting in your Chemistry class. The teacher is trying to explain how to balance chemical equations and you’re...
a.Gasping! The teacher has made a mistake!
b.Asking Jan/Janka what he/she’s doing tonight.
c.I don’t remember chemical equations, I might have been in the toilet
d.Practicing throwing your trash into the trash-bin from across the room
e.Throwing things at the teacher while his/her head is turned towards the board.
f.Trying very hard to pay attention but you can’t focus on chemistry, it’s too mathematical
Question 10:
The day is going by fast, and all the sudden you realize you’re in 7th lesson! It’s almost 13:30, and you get out at 13:55! Your gazing at the clock when you’re teacher, Miss Locke, asks you what should be done to stop world hunger. How do you reply?
a.There are soooooo many things we could do! All the food our country wastes each year is one of the reasons for world hunger! If we each...*rambles on*
b.Ummmm… Ako sa povie…..???
c.I didn’t hear what she said, I was asleep.
d.I don’t know, but now I’m really hungry. I wish I had another bageta.
e.Well, if we just gave Turkey to Hungary, they wouldn’t be hungry!
f.Ugh. Answering questions in class is my least favorite thing and the American teachers always make us answer their questions!
Question 11:
Yay! The bell has finally rang! It’s Friday night and you’re going to...
a.Go home and start on my homework!
b.Go to the DISCO! Isn’t everyone going?
c.The same thing I do every night, go find a pub.
d.Go to the practice, then watch a match, then go home and watch my favorite team on TV with my friends.
e.See a funny movie with some pals, then go out to eat or something
f.Listen to music with some friends and talk about life
Question 12:
Your mother/father calls your cell phone and told you to come straight home. Why did she/he/it call?
a.I was at the museum and she/he called because my favorite documentary film is about to start!
b.Because my friends are there and they want to hang out with me
c.Don’t know, Don’t care, Not going home...
d.We lost the game and they’re disappointed. NO, WE LOST!
e.Oh no, they found the fake barf in my drawer and they know I used it to get out of class!
f.He/She is trying to oppress me. My parents don’t understand me at all.
Question 13:
Well, you parent called because you were out too late. Whoops! You go home to sleep in your bed and start having dreams. What about?
a.Oh! I discovered a new plant species! I WIN A NOBEL PRIZE!
b.There is no need to dream when you’re real life if as great as mine
c.I don’t remember my dreams…
d.I’m a famous hockey/football player
e.I’m at school, but I forgot to wear any clothes… oh that would be so funny!
f.It was very vivid and colorful and inspired me to paint something
Results:
Mostly A’s – Nerd/Overachiever- Teachers would love you and you would definitely get into a great college, even though your classmates might not respect you very much. But you win in the end when you are a millionaire and they work at McDonalds.
Mostly B’s –Most Popular – You would have no problems in an American high school. Everyone wants to hang out with you because you know about all of the good parties and always have a good-looking boyfriend or girlfriend – even if you and your friends aren’t very nice to others or each other.
Mostly C ‘s– Slacker – In Slovakia you probably wouldn’t be in a gymnasium, but in America you still have to go to public high school for four years. Sorry.
Mostly D’s – Jock – You would play for all of the sports teams and be quite popular as well. Not always the smartest student, but that doesn’t matter when you can beat up the smartest student, does it?
Mostly E’s – Class Clown – You are always making your classmates laugh (but probably not the teachers) and Americans like to laugh too. Just don’t put all of your energy into jokes and insults, because high school does end. And it’s NOT funny to be working at McDonalds (well, it is for the nerds).
Mostly F’s – Artsy Kid – American high school is not the place for you. You hate how everyone acts without thinking first. In fact, you probably hate this quiz too. You do not like to be labeled and you do not care what others think about you. You understand that there are more important things than high school.
I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping up with this blog recently.
Truth is, not much is going on here in Tisovec.
Over Christmas and New Years I had a wonderful time in Itlay, however! I spent two full weeks in the cities of Rome, Vactican City ( a whole other country, boo ya!), Florence, Pisa, Venice and Milan! I went to midnight mass, which the Pope presided over. I saw the Sistine Chapel, Michaelangelo's "David", "The Birth of Venus", and "The Last Supper." I visited the Pantheon, the Colloseum, the Leaning Tower and so much more! I ate soooo much food (gelato almost every city, fresh seafood, tiramisu, cappuccinos, pasta and pizza galore) and I only got kicked out of one bar (for dancing, when it was forbidden). I was certainly living "La Doce Vita." It was a vacation, however, so I'm not going to write too much about it. (I would like to focus this blog on Slovakia.)
But here's a couple photos (thanks to Sara and Rachel who took many photos of me) :
Sara (my lovely travel companion) and me waiting for Midnight Mass
The next day - Me filming our "Christmas Morning"
The coffee was simply amazing in Italy!
You know...
Me and my Best Friend - Rick!
My very Italian haircut!
New Years Eve!
Leaning Tower - The day after New Years!
Finally, Venice! The city I've wanted to visit for so long!
Meanwhile, back in Slovakia, my students were working hard. The second semester is coming to an end (I can't even believe it) and the students had to take a "Big Test", which is a comprehensive exam, as well as study for other tests in almost every class.
Today the grades were due. Grading really isn't so much fun when you have countless papers and tests in front of you and your grade actually matters to the students! When writing numbers (1 = A, 2 =B, and so on) in the books I felt very official, but unsure of my teaching at the same time. It's so difficult to asses students in a fair and inclusive way. I'm worried that my grading isn't fair to everyone (or that I even know how to grade my students) Fortunately, most of my students received 1s and 2s - so they don't really complain - but then I worry that I'm too easy on them!
I like to give my conversation students these "participation surveys" where I have them evaluate their growth and participation in my class as well as give me suggestions on what they would like to do more ,or less, of in class. This usually serves as an ego boost as most of the kids write, "This class is great because you are a great teacher. I participate much more in this class than in the others. " I'm not sure how I feel about this, but it usually puts a smile on my face. However, today one of my students wrote that everyone in the class does good work because they like me and they want to make me happy. I like to believe that story over any of the other possibilities and therefore everyone deserves their good grades!
While I'm bragging about how well liked I am I would like to mention a result from a survey that happened before Christmas break. Our school psychologist surveyed all of the 1st year students ( of which I teach half) about their attitudes of the school. One question in particular was: Who at this school do you think cares about you? The students' answers read as followed:
1. No one
2. The American teachers
3. A Slovak teacher, who was their homeroom teacher
4. ME! - Miss Stephanie Locke
This just made me so happy. To think that some students actually wrote in my name above others, and they really believe I care about them! Learning that really cemented my love for teaching. I do care about my students, and it's so lovely to hear that they think so. OK- enough bragging.
Truthfully, I feel like I'm in the middle of the year and it's really cold outside. Not much has been happening since Italy and I'm itching for another adventure. The most adventurous thing I did this weekend was mop my floors.
Luckily, an adventure is coming my way! Next week I am traveling to Trencianske Teplice, a spa town in Slovakia, where I will have another Fulbright conference. I will give a presentation about my experiences thus far in Slovakia. I'm really looking forward to going and meeting up with all of the other Fulbrighters from Slovakia and the Czech Republic again. I'm also looking forward to hearing about their experiences. So, stay tuned for that blog entry.
Until then, I would like to leave you with a paper one of my students wrote about the Roma population/problem here in Slovakia. In my Christmas blog - where we went to visit the orphanage - talked a little about the prejudices towards the Roma population (gypys) here in Slovakia and how difficult it is for them to be accepted as equal Slovak citizens. This student wrote, what I think is a very in depth and well-rounded piece on the issue if you would like to read more:
Until next time ...
Atop the Duomo in Milan!
Dovidenia or Arrivederci
White or Black, Roma or Tisovec Resident
Peter Dlhopolec
TISOVEC – „Black“, filthy, smelly, drunk, ragged, impolite, lazy, uneducated, unemployed or, by accident, doing public work. Although, it is always better to do something rather than nothing. Such is the picture of the Roma population as seen by the majority of Slovak citizens, including young students. Why is this so? Are they all, in fact, the same? What is the situation like in Tisovec? What should be done with this long-term and seemingly endless issue?
„Not only is this community Slovakia´s most populous minority, but also the Roma are the weakest social class, socially and economically - afflicted with poverty and social separation that they are unable to conquer individually,“ says Iveta Duchoňová, M.A. fromThe Department of Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities. If Slovaks can coexist with the Hungarian minority, why is it impossible to achieve a positive relationship with the Roma? The response is simple: Slovaks are not racists nor extremists, even though certain exceptions can always be found. It does not have to do with the use of the Roma language, or their culture. Besides, most Slovak residents respect the traditions of other nationalities living in this country, as well as their own traditions. The only things that bother the inhabitants are the indifference, irresponsibility and attitude to life the Roma seem to express. The fact that they do not take showers, do not put clean clothes on, do not work for the most part, do not educate themselves, but they just sit on benches in parks and stations or they vex well-behaved people are the only results of their mental thinking. Rightly this unutterably irritates the people around.
New, but troublesome, situations and scrimmages with the Roma happens nearly everywhere in Slovakia, and Tisovec isn´t any exception. Rude and vulgar shoutings at people, thefts, clashes - this is a daily routine here. „Dávid was beaten when he stood up for the girls, whom the Roma had uncalled comments for, and the poor wretch carried the burden,“ says a young student.In that case, alcohol had also played an important part. However, what is more shocking is the fact that small, school-aged children wander aimlessly in and around Tisovec while they should be sitting in chairs at school. „Fero wants to f...k you!“ This shout and many similar ones, yelled to female high school students, is already used by the small Roma kids in Tisovec.
And what about their parents? Lukáš Vetrák, Tisovec resident, claims: „The majority of them don´t work. It is very easy to find a job, but it is necessary to seek one, and they are too lazy to do so. As the result, they do nothing - only make an awful din in the square where they sit all day. When they already have child-allocations from the government, they are still aggressive. They do not even have a bit of respect to those citizens who work hard. Their children seldom play with balls at playgrounds; they wander around, and another unadaptive generation of Roma is on rise this way.“ But what is the point of view of the Roma proponents?„We do public jobs; our relationship to Tisovec citizens is normal, and if one of us drinks alcohol and gets drunk our behaviour is the same as the behaviour of other drunk men.“ proclaims Marián Bóldi, one out of a million,who does public work and receivies a monthly salary of 62 euros. When the children and social allocations are added, he gets about 125 euros. His working spouse gets approximately 150 euros and together they have a daughter in kindergarten. He also adds:
„We are not lazy, we just don´t have an opportunity to work, there aren’t any suitable conditions available.“
Plenty of the non-working Roma get more money than the working ones, at least doing some public job. Life in the „social“ state is not as easy as it might seem to be. If it´s righteous, is a question to be asked to the inhabitants of the republic itself. However, it is admirable to see the Roma who stands up for one another, in spite of financial unfairness. It would be good to imagine whether a Slovak would defend another Slovak in this case. It is also important to say that not all Roma are the same. There are the „black“ who work, live and study as the „white“, but there are also the „black“ who are indifferent to life and there are „whites“ that are the same. So, we shouln´t immediately deplore all Roma and throw them into one sac because not everyone is the same.
Social separation is an immense problem concerning the whole society, for the reason that it leads, inter alia, to the deterioration of civil coexistence and increases the danger of extremism. The Roma attitude to life and the Slovaks´ prejudices towards all Roma is a murderous combination mounting a way to the previously mentioned extremism, that is why it is necessary to do everything possible to avert this.
4 089 citizens live in Tisovec, and 350 of them are of Roma ethnicity but only 73 of them do public work, thus confirming the words of citizens of the town that most of them do not work but just receive social allocations. Since there are work shortages in the entire region, it is very likely that other job offers - apart from public work - aren´t available at this time. Ida Krišková, a professional officer from the Office of Social and Legal Matters and Education at Tisovec Town Hall, says, „ Tisovec itself tries to do the best it can to solve the Roma issue. We have done everything that the law and economy allows us to carry out. In Tisovec and district Rimavská píla, for example, field and community social workers operate. The town has been built up, with the help of the Department of Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic, a community center (SCHOOL), housed in the building of the evangelical school in Rimavská píla, where we make an effort to help the Roma integrate to the society. You can find schools in our town where Roma children can go study, but we cannot protect them against truancy, that is the task of the police. Furthermore, the mayor of Tisovec approved one-off social allocations for these social groups.“ In the next four years, the town would also like to build a health center, but apartments of a lower standard, i.e. for the Roma, are still out of sight.
A high level of segregation from the Roma community, not only in Tisovec, carries some impacts, itself, such as high illiteracy, poor hygienic habits, unhealthy lifestyles, high morbidity, low usage of medical treatment or distrust for institutions. In order to solve the Roma issue, it is necessary to solve every single problem concerning the issue, not just a few of them. In all parts of Slovakia, it is needed to show how a full citizen lives in the Slovak republic. Politics are everywhere, but issues like this are usually left out. It is not yet a political game to find out who will be the first in solving this mystery, but rather to build a grown-up and well-informed society. How have politicians sorted out the current Roma issue? They have only made it worse. Terms such as „sanitation“, „health“, „literacy“, „work“ and „belief“ are concepts of which they are familiar with, but haven´t built any relation to. Our task and aim is to mend this.
We can´t handle it by ourselves, though. However, a new government has been elected and there is great hope that the very delicate issue could be, at least partly, resolved in its mandate. After former governments put millions of euros into diverse projects solving the Roma problem and supporting this ethnicity, no outcome has approached. It is definitely possible for the government to do more. Evidence of this is seen in their fight against corruption and people who have „bagged“ money for themselves.
In their Manifesto, the government of the Slovak republic, for the period 2010-2014, has also addressed precisely the question of the Roma minority. The government tends to support the development of culture and literacy of the Roma and also protect their rights. Particular attention will be paid to the issue of status, integration and development of the Roma community. Also, this government would like to welcome the full participation of the Roma in social, cultural and political life on the basis of their minority status. They want to introduce measures preventing segregation, but to do so, the will of the Roma would be inevitable. The government and institutions will have to opt for apolitical access and no populism, as well, to regain the belief of the Roma. They would like to extend the Police Department of the Slovak Republic with so-called „police walkers“ in the Roma settlements, but they had better consider the question of housing as well. If segregation ends, then we have to integrate the Roma among the citizens in the towns and mustn´t leave them living in shacks in the slums. Previously, The Department of Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities will have to resolve the question of health, education, employment and social field to be fully integrated to the life of the full –fledged inhabitants of the Slovak republic.
