Joseph Vondra

Overall Experience

I was able to spend two months teaching high schoolers in Krosno, Poland. While at the high school, I taught both English and Math. We were shown around the city of Krosno by the students and shown traditional Polish culture, especially around the Easter holiday. We also learned how to make a traditional Polish dish called Pierogies with a few of the 10th graders. Our group of ISU students made many connections with the teachers and students, and had a fantastic experience during our two months there.

Learning experience

The most valuable experience I had while in Poland was when we went on a class trip to Kraków, a large, famous city in Poland. We got to visit the castle and the old town. It was a very cool and fun experience. While on the trip, each teacher and ISU student was put in charge of a group of students. I had an amazing experience with my group of students, and on the bus ride, they asked me to sit with them to play music on the speaker one of them brought with them. I learned that I can learn so much from students and how important it is to make connections with them. It will definitely be a trip that I will remember forever.

Memorable experience

During one of the weeks there, they had a battle of the grades throughout the week. During one of those days, they had a pep rally where they played games against each other, like trivia about the school and general knowledge they had learned in school. At the end of the pep rally, they had karaoke for the students to do. Some students asked us to sing a song, and the other ISU students volunteered for me to sing. I asked what song they wanted me to sing, and they chose Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) by Katy Perry. The students and even the teachers had a lot of fun seeing me sing. It was very fun, and looking back at it, I was glad I did it.

What did you not expect?

What surprised me at the high school while teaching was how many classes they have a week. The average student has about 12 to 14 different classes a week. The students, however, only have math, for example, three times a week, or geography once a week. I thought it was incredible how many classes they have a week as a high schooler. I was thinking eight different classes were plenty here in the US. This just opened my mind to how much students can accomplish academically while in school.

What advice would you give?

My advice for other students is to see and do as much as possible. Go out of your comfort zone and try new things. The more you do, the more you learn and experience new and incredible things in this world. And most importantly, remember to have FUN!

How has this experience impacted your life?

Going to Poland, I was able to experience so many new things. I got to witness and experience so many new and exciting cultural experiences that I never dreamed of doing before. I will always remember my experience in Krosno for the rest of my life. I learned so much about the culture and how vastly different our education system is compared to Poland's and other European countries. I will take what I learned from this experience to my future classroom. I also learned how much I can do after school in my regular life. I learned that I can spend my afternoons and evenings trying new things and spending time with friends and family. Long-term, this experience has opened up the possibility to someday in my future, try teaching in another country. I hope to learn more about different education systems around the world.

How did you learn about this experience?

I first learned about this experience in the 2024 summer when our MAT program started. I was instantly intrigued once we were told about the opportunity to student teach abroad. The Polish experience stood out to me the most, and it was always somewhere I wanted to visit for the country's history and culture.

International Connections