Fulbright Reality Czech

Kateřina Děcká is a teacher. In September and October 2022, she spent seven weeks in the U.S. as one of three Czech high school teachers selected for the Fulbright Teaching Achievement and Excellence Program. Kateřina teaches at a college-preparatory school Gymnázium Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, located in the south-eastern part of the historical region of Moravia. The major goal of the training was to equip participants with new skills and tools to encourage their students’ critical thinking and to develop their media literacy. The major part of the training took place in Madison, Wisconsin, and, at the very end, all participants traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet American policy makers, to discuss national educational strategies and to understand how education policy is created in the U.S. How transformative can a seven-week stay abroad be? Can one experience all phases of the cultural adaptation curve within that relatively short period of time? What lessons can a teacher expect...

Muriel Unseth is an English Teaching Assistant, a literature and poetry enthusiast and a marathon runner. Since September 2021, she has been teaching English at Gymnázium Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, in a town of 16 000, located in the Beskydy Mountains. From the main square in Rožnov, one can take a well-marked 6-mile trail or run to the top of the mountain Radhošť, 1129 meters or 3704 feet above sea level. Even though Muriel was attracted to the Czech Republic mostly because of the country’s excellence in literature and poetry, throughout her grant period, she has discovered another less-known passion shared by many members of her community and that is running, especially trail-running in the countryside. Muriel did not have to wait for this revelation too long, as her mentor Kateřina invited her to see the movie “Zátopek” during Muriel’s first week in the Czech Republic. The story sparked an interest in discovering more about the life and heritage of this exceptional Czechoslovak athlete w...