Teacher gave up six months to bring English to Slovakia

By PAT PASTERNAK- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

When Jane Marsh of Albany traveled to Slovakia last January, she knew she wouldn't see American soil for six months. She didn't go to the Eastern European country for a vacation, though; she went to teach English to high school students in Trebisov, a city near the Hungary/Ukraine border.

Located in the lowlands of southeastern Slovakia, Trebisov has a population of approximately 25,000 people. They, along with their countrymen and women, are struggling with overwhelming odds as they face staggering socioeconomic conditions in the aftermath of Russian domination. Unemployment, for example, is at 33 percent.

With the formation of a United Europe, English has been established as the official language; and Slovaks are scrambling to learn English so they can be involved in business development and growth in their country.

Going to help

Ms. Walsh, a retired registered nurse who is a literary volunteer and holds a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, became aware of the need in Slovakia for English teachers from a relative who taught there as a volunteer.

Ms. Walsh made some contacts and eventually spoke with Sister Margaret Kapusnak in Pennsylvania, whose order, the Basilian Sisters, teaches at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic High School in Trebisov.

Sponsored in part by her parish, St. Vincent de Paul's in Albany, and the Albany Diocese, Ms. Walsh accepted the high school's offer to be a six-month teacher.

"My grandparents came from Presov, a city in central Slovakia," Ms. Marsh related, "and I've always felt that I wanted to give something back to their home country in some small way. This provided the opportunity for me to do that."

Tough times

"St. John's High School is only five years old," she said. "Even so, the state of the economy there has declined so badly that there is no money. People live on bare subsistence."

She explained that when the country was under Russian rule, factories produced artillery during the Cold War's arms race. When the USSR collapsed, the Russians pulled out, vacating the factories and leaving people without jobs.

Ms. Walsh taught eight classes of English to students. She could not speak any Slovak, making it the first time the students had a teacher whom they could not communicate with. But they all passed her English course.

"I was so proud of them all," she beamed. "They did a wonderful job."

Connections

While visiting the country of her grandparents, Ms. Walsh had an opportunity to travel to their home city, Presov. She spent some time with relatives who still live there. For her, it was one of the most meaningful parts of her visit.

"My son happened to be teaching English in Poland, about 250 miles away, and we actually visited with each other on two separate occasions," she recounted. "Seeing my relatives and my son was a wonderful experience."

Ms. Walsh returned to Albany in June. When the administrators at St. John's wanted her to stay, she promised to search for volunteers to travel there as instructors.

"They are looking for someone who will be able to give them a six-month commitment, someone who would be willing and able to volunteer for that amount of time to teach English to high school students," said Ms. Walsh. "It was a remarkable, very rewarding experience for me. I didn't expect it to be such a marvelous trip. I met many wonderful people while I was there. I am sure that anyone who volunteers to teach English there for six months will be very glad they did. "

(For more information on teaching in Slovakia, contact the Walsh residence at 489-3382.) (10-12-00) [[In-content Ad]]