Lessons from Czechs
When Your English Lesson Turns into a History Lesson
People often ask what I like about teaching English as a foreign language, particularly my students, and I explain that it’s not so much about me teaching as me learning. It’s a give-and-take, and both sides are often quite content with the result. Let me explain.
Last Wednesday, May 1 (or 1 May if you’re feeling and are more European) was International Worker’s Day. It’s also the Valentine’s Day (or May Day) of the Czech Republic when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and couples crowd the parks, especially, and including Petrin Hill in Mala Strana (Lesser Town). After all, who doesn’t want to be in the shadow of Prague’s mini Eiffel Tower near the Mirror Maze at the top of a hill overlooking the city and the river that runs through it?
This particular May Day was also the 20th anniversary of the Czech Republic joining the European Union. Trams with EU and Czech flags traversed and are still traversing the city. One new tram stop was created in honor of the event and another was transformed with pink and red balloons to commemorate this day as Czech Valentine’s Day. In the shadow of Narodni Divadlo (National Theatre), a quick exhibit was erected to showcase all the countries in the EU and where Czech fits within it.
The lesson I mentioned yesterday, I was reminded that most of us in the West think the Czech Republic is a new country. It’s not. The people and this place goes back to the 9th century. They were part of the Moravian Empire, the Premsylid Dynasty, and yes, the Hapsburg (Austro-Hungarian) Empire just to name a few.
The earliest ruins I’ve seen are dated in the 11th century, but then again, Vysherad Fortress which looks across the river to Prague Castle, is the oldest still standing, operating structure I’m aware of. Admittedly, Prague is a bit like an onion. There is always a layer to peel away and discover something new.
Often, when we think of Czechia, the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslavakia. Please don’t call it that now. That country dissolved 31 years ago in 1993. :)), we imagine it appeared in the early 20th century. Which brings me to the following Wednesday, 8 May. This is the day WWII ended for the Czechs and when the agreement was signed in Berlin. The 9th is the day American and Russian forces freed the Czechs from German control.
When there’s a holiday in the middle of back to back weeks, sometimes the lesson plans get tossed out the window. I was trained to focus on student talking time (STT). So, if you can find a topic that interests your student and you, the lessons write themselves. Don’t worry, we’ll have the planned lesson at our next meeting. I didn’t plan it for nothing.
But, what I’ve been able to experience and learn in the last couple of weeks, by Czechs opening up to me and taking advantage of events to showcase the unfolding of living history, this is why I live abroad. Why I travel. Why I teach.
