Iva Landsmannová teaches English language at Civil Engineering High School in Brno. During the Fall of 2021, she participated in the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achivement Program at Kent State University in Ohio. Together with Czech colleagues Šárka Opatová from Gymnázium Děčín and Karel Buchta from Gymnázium Šlapanice and about two dozen other teachers from Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, they spent six weeks in the U.S., focusing on strategies to broaden critical thinking and media literacy in their classrooms back home. Because of the ongoing pandemic, their stay started with a week-long quarantine period at a hotel, but afterwards, the program continued as usual. During the workdays, the group participated in classes and workshops at the university, and Tuesdays were reserved for visits to local high schools. During the weekends, the participants explored Ohio and some other sites, including Niagara Falls. They also experienced U.S. culture when spending time with their American host families. In this blog post, Iva Landsmannová focuses on her teaching experience at the Streetsboro High School and the Homecoming event. Even though Iva had never heard about Homecoming before the trip, this event turned out to be the highlight of her U.S. experience.
To be one of 21 scholars participating in Fulbright TEA program at Kent State University in Ohio was a great honor and I will always remember the six weeks spent there in the mostly sunny fall of 2021. During this time I experienced many new things and met multiple wonderful people, most of whom I am still in touch with and I hope not to lose touch with them in the future. As it was my first stay in the U.S., I was ready to soak up every aspect of my stay, both in and outside the classroom. The logistics of our stay were flawless from the very beginning, and we were catered for perfectly. The team at Kent State University did their best to solve any difficulties, and thanks to their careful planning and care, we survived even the mandatory quarantine in the hotel room at the beginning of our stay.
Our schedule was very tight, not leaving much space for free time. Great emphasis was naturally laid on academic sessions held at the university, covering three major themes of our program Media Literacy, General Academics and Technology. We completed each subject with a final presentation on an assigned topic that was streamed live - for me, this was a completely new experience and quite a big challenge. We created two of these presentation in small groups, which was a great opportunity to learn from other colleagues and their way of work. It was an inspiring process.
Each Tuesday early in the morning a taxi waited outside of our hotel and took us to a high school where we spent the whole day observing classes, talking to teachers and, in the end, we gave our own lessons introducing our country – its culture, some interesting facts and the school system. Part of our experience was also co-teaching with an American partner. My partner teacher Maria at Streetsboro High School was a very nice and friendly person, always helpful and willing to arrange classes with other colleagues, so that I could see the way various subjects are taught at their high school. I enjoyed every minute at the school, and I really appreciated this unique opportunity. Finally, I was able to understand how the system of American high school works and experience the atmosphere. Each school has its sports teams (not only American football), and the athletic department is a powerful tool for creating the famous American school spirit. Streetsboro’s logo is the ‘Rockets’ – the symbol is proudly displayed at the school’s main entrance, at the door of every classroom, students wear it on their sweatshirts and t-shirts, the name appears in various context. The team of ‘The Rocket Report’ streams sports events and shoots interviews with students around the school building. The peak school spirit event is so called ‘Homecoming’ – an event that I had never heard about before.
Photo 4: Homecoming at Kent State University, October 2021. (Iva, Šárka and Karel pose for a group picture together with two Kent State University representatives, who hold a Kent State University sign. Karel, dressed in a folk costume from South Moravia, waves a Czech flag and holds an Easter braided willow stick.)
In pre-departure instructions, we were encouraged to bring a traditional costume for Homecoming, if possible. With my Czech friends we expected something like a fair with stalls representing each country. Šárka had a brilliant idea to purchase t-shirts from the Olympic collection. Each of us packed some typical sweets, little souvenirs, pictures. To our surprise, Homecoming turned out to be something slightly different. It is a huge annual event organized by schools for students, alumni and friends. There is a parade, a football game and dance. Thanks to Šárka and her host family, I was able to attend the Homecoming for Stow-Munroe Falls High School. To be honest, this was one of the highlights of my stay. When we arrived, both sides of the road were already occupied by spectators (mostly dressed in purple - the color of the school), lots of them sitting on folding chairs. Excited children were clutching plastic bags, which I first did not understand. The parade was led by a shiny police car, followed by fire rescue cars, cars with Grand Marshall and Mayor, several convertibles with former Homecoming Queen and King and candidates for the new year. Most of them had huge bags with candy which they threw around and the children ran around to get as much as possible. And then there was the school’s marching band! Over 250 young musicians playing brass and percussion instruments, marching at a decent pace. It was breathtaking and overwhelming. I got a shiver when I heard and watched them. They were followed by representatives of various school clubs and teams (soccer, tennis, field hockey). Afterwards, we moved to the football stadium to watch a game. The band played a significant role, both at the opening and during the game. To my surprise, the rival team arrived with a band of similar size! They supported their teams and gave performances in breaks together with cheerleaders. It was incredibly impressive.
Photo 5: Kent State University Homecoming, October 2022. (Karel checks out a large American-style cake that says: "Homecoming International Celebration 2021.")
Two weeks later I had an opportunity to experience the Homecoming parade from the other side. This time it was a Kent State University event, time for us to put on Czech Olympic t-shirts and carry our flag through the city in Ohio. Karel wore a folk costume from South Moravia and waved at numerous spectators with a braided willow stick, a symbol of our Easter tradition. It was a unique feeling, and we were proud to be able to represent our country far away across the Atlantic. Then, we changed t-shirts to KSU colors and rushed to the Dix Stadium to watch a football game which again was a spectacular show. When I spoke about it to Maria, my teacher partner from Streetsboro, she told me that she didn’t attend Homecoming any more. You might grow tired of it after some time, but seeing and experiencing it for the first time was unforgettable.
Here is a video testimony of Fulbright TEA participant Šárka Opatová from Gymnázium Děčín, focusing on her experience at Stow-Munroe Falls High School, her relationship with U.S. partner teacher Trina Poole, co-teaching a lesson on propaganda, and participating in in U.S. high school life.
Here is a video testimony of Karel Buchta from Gymnázium Šlapanice about his experience at Aurora High School. Karel shares his impressions of co-teaching in Psychology and Government lessons that are out of his usual teaching repertoire. Karel introduces an option for U.S. students to to conduct an independent during their time at high school.
If you are inspired by the 2021 TEA grantees' experience in the U.S. and you also teach at a Czech high school, consider applying for the Fulbright TEA Program. Fulbright Commission welcomes applications of Czech high school teachers who would like to participate in the TEA training in 2023 until March 31, 2022. More details available HERE.