A group of Greater Latrobe educators took the field trip of a lifetime to complete a teacher exchange between the United States and Austria over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Laurie Havrisko, Greater Latrobe's Superintendent and Assistant for Student Services, who accompanied the educational pilgrimage, said the exchange was designed to promote cross-cultural exchanges with AFS, one of the world's oldest foreign exchange companies. It is said that it was part of a grant program through the.
Back in October, eight Austrian educators visited Greater Latrobe to learn not only about education in the United States, but also about the lifestyles of students, teachers, and their families. Then, in November, it was Greater Latrobe's turn. A group of seven teachers and Havliskos sacrificed vacations with their families to participate in the exchange, sending teachers to one of four Austrian schools and host families, where they also completed lifestyle studies.
After returning home, several members of the cohort met to share their reasons for participating as well as their experiences in Austria.
Jason Brandt, an astrology teacher and the only male in the group, says traveling is nothing new to him and he's excited to have the opportunity to venture to a part of the world he's never been to before. He said he was there. He loves traveling because he feels that exploring different cultures shapes him and allows him to see the world differently.
“When this was presented to me, I thought…this is a great opportunity to really immerse[yourself]in another culture, but it's a great opportunity to not only see the school system, but also to live with someone and see how the school works. “You get the balance of understanding what's going on, but not just from that perspective because you're looking at family life and culture,” Brandt said.
Wendy Lindt, a computer science teacher who has traveled extensively, agreed with Brandt. But she wanted to know how Austrian schools teach computer science and technology, the differences and similarities. Her conclusion was that there are more similarities between cultures, and she was excited to see how it was applied in schools.
“It was nice to see how the school works and get some ideas to bring back here.”
Additionally, in Austria, teachers move from classroom to classroom in place of students, giving them more time to collaborate with each other and interact with students outside of class.
Furthermore, interestingly, Austrian students spend less time on their mobile phones at school and more time on one-on-one communication.
Jamie Campbell, who teaches physics and aerospace engineering, said her favorite part of traveling is immersing herself in the culture of a destination.
“It’s fun especially to take this opportunity to really live the life that someone in Austria would live with the same career as us. How our content is treated abroad It's an opportunity to really learn about it,” Campbell said.
It's easy to read about the differences in structure, but the idea of actually looking behind the scenes and hearing why, talking to students, and learning how they feel about it really grabbed Campbell's attention.
She added that the idea of comparing and contrasting the way teachers work in both places is interesting and that it's very important to come back and share that information not only with students but also with other educators. I did.
“By being able to apply[what we have learned]in the classroom, our students grow from knowledge of other cultures and other experiences and develop an understanding of people outside of their own boundaries and bubbles. ”Campbell added.
In Campbell's case, that included a trip to a school in Austria. She was used to commuting to Greater Latrobe by car, but her host cycled to work every day, so Campbell cycled with her. She added that she rode her bike 20 minutes down the Danjo River in the rain. However, her host teacher taught her subsequent classes, and she began to explore her countryside by riding her bicycle on her way home every day.
Other teachers took the tram, drove to the station, took the train, or walked to work. One teacher commuted 90 minutes to school every day.
School attendance is just one of the differences between Austrian and American teachers.
“If we had free time during class, we could leave the building and go to the Christmas market,” Brandt said. “They could go shopping and come back and teach.”
Rather than going to work for a certain amount of time and coming home, it's a blend of life and work. The teachers were also very happy to have that experience.
For Raven Dupilka, this trip to Austria was a second chance.
Dupilka only taught for a few years, but was attending college during the pandemic. She had planned a similar educational pilgrimage to Ireland or New Zealand, but her trip was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“So this opportunity was like a second chance for me,” she said. “And I've always been passionate about culture and the effects of globalization, how much we've become closer together thanks to social media and technology. And the key pieces that I want to bring into the classroom are other It’s about bringing people from the country and getting them to understand that there are so many similarities between the people and places in Austria, and also getting them to understand a little bit about the geography.”
Ms. Dupilka was asked several questions about the kangaroo and had to reiterate that the kangaroo was Austrian, not Australian.
“I have to learn, and my students have to learn. And I had to come back and share it with them. If they want to travel in the future or explore the world. It was really interesting to see them wanting to go into a career that they could do.”
Speech therapy teacher Brianna Narevanko was particularly interested in the school system's support for students with language and communication challenges, especially older students. She emphasizes social skills and teaches students to communicate with others to be as functional and independent as possible. She was very interested in seeing what communication and language standards were in other countries.
Havlisco said the lessons she and her fellow educators learned will have an impact for years to come.
“I think this whole experience speaks to us as lifelong learners. This is something we always try to promote to our students, and it’s important that we ourselves truly embody this. It was extraordinary,” Havlisco said. “I am so grateful to our group of teachers who were brave and adventurous enough to take on this journey, forgo their Thanksgiving vacation with their families, and hop on two different planes. I'm grateful. I think this was a really valuable experience, and I'm grateful to AFS and the school board.”
Teachers praised the district for embracing the opportunity as other districts passed on it. Additionally, they said it's great for the district because participating in groups builds relationships and allows the whole group to experience something together or independently.
The teachers had good timing, and we had the opportunity to participate in an authentic Austrian Christmas market that was very popular during our stay overseas. And, according to teachers, it wasn't just a weekend thing. The market was a central part of Austria's work-life balance. After work, they gather together at the market.
Moreover, the market is sustainable. Participants will use ceramic cups and plates, so you won't find any trash cans. These require a deposit and will be refunded upon return.
In addition, the teachers visited the cities of Salzburg and Vienna together. Some explored the steel mills of Linz, a steel town comparable to Pittsburgh.
Some teachers have traveled with their hosts to places such as the Czech Republic and the Alps.
It was all thanks to AFS. The foreign exchange company was founded just after World War II. Greater Latrobe was offered this opportunity because, although it previously hosted international students, it has not been very active recently.
Havlisko said Greater Latrobe was chosen because of its focus on academics, arts and athletics, but that wasn't the only reason.
“We're willing to take risks, we're willing to be leaders across the country and across the state,” Havlisco said. “I am very grateful for this opportunity.”
Havlisco said the district is always looking for host families to welcome international students. If you are interested, please contact Havrisko at the district administration office.
In the meantime, Greater Latrobe's connections with Austria will continue through communication between pen pals and host teachers, as well as further opportunities such as the Fulbright Scholarship Program and other AFS grants. They are in touch with additional grant-funded opportunities for educator and other classroom interactions.
“We told the AFS to keep the passports fresh,” Havrisko joked.
