Katie Kroehnke

Overall Experience

I had an amazing experience student teaching in Poland! It was an incredible opportunity to meet new people, learn about other cultures, and improve my teaching skills. I taught secondary English at Nicolaus Copernicus Secondary School in Krosno, Poland. I got a degree in Elementary Education, but taught secondary students because of my K-12 English as a Second Language endorsement. The teachers and students at the school were extremely welcoming. I taught a mix of English classes and "conversation" classes, where I focused on encouraging the students to practice their English skills in a more casual setting. I was always given support during my time in Poland, whether that was for planning lessons, getting around Krosno, or traveling on the weekends. I grew so much as a person and a teacher throughout this experience and couldn't recommend it enough for future student teachers.

Learning experience

The most valuable learning experience I encountered while student teaching in Poland was seeing the importance of building relationships with my students. During the first week with my new classes, my students were very timid. Speaking English was intimidating for them at first and they were reluctant to participate. Instead of jumping into lessons with heavy content, I took time to get to know my students and made sure they didn't feel pressured in my classroom. Building relationships like this at the beginning made the rest of my time teaching there very positive and productive. My students wanted to participate, we enjoyed having conversations about life outside of school, and they were more eager to learn.

Memorable experience

Outside of school, one of the most memorable experiences I have was learning to make pierogi! One of our guide teachers invited us to her home to make pierogi with her family. Pierogi is a traditional Polish food and is one of my favorite dishes that I tried while I was there. We met our teacher's family and her mother taught us how to make Pierogi dough and filling. They were so welcoming and eager to teach us. We spent time cooking, eating, and sharing stories. It was such an amazing day and one that I will always remember from my trip.

What did you not expect?

Something that surprised me about my time teaching in Poland was how curious my students were about the United States! I had many conversations with them, answered questions, and prepared lessons about the US to teach during class. They wanted to know about culture, geography, politics, lifestyle, etc. My favorite part of teaching them about my culture and language was then learning about theirs! They taught me about their favorite foods, important traditions, the history of Poland, and even some Polish words. Seeing how passionate they were about sharing their culture reminded me of the importance of providing opportunities for my students to do the same in the future.

What advice would you give?

My advice is to take the opportunity! This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I am beyond glad that I decided to go for it. I gained more from this opportunity than I ever thought I would. I feel more confident in my teaching abilities, especially my ESL skills, and built wonderful relationships with my students in Poland. I really appreciated being there, and my students and guide teachers valued having us ISU students there just as much. I am grateful for my time teaching and traveling in Poland and I recommend this experience to future ISU student teachers!

How has this experience impacted your life?

This experience impacted my life in many ways. As a future teacher, I was able to put my strategies and skills into practice in a completely new setting. Working with students who were all English-language learners challenged me to come up with new ways to teach concepts and more ways to differentiate. My students loved learning about the culture in the US, and I loved learning from them as well. Outside of the classroom, I developed a love for traveling and trying new things. Including Poland, I was able to visit 5 different countries during my time abroad. I learned so much about the world and hope to go back one day to continue exploring.

How did you learn about this experience?

I learned about this opportunity through the first student teaching meeting at Iowa State. I decided to consider the opportunity, so I then went to the student teaching abroad open house at Lagomarcino. There, I was able to ask questions and learn about the experience in more depth. I talked to staff who had previously been to the student teaching sites and gained helpful insight on what to expect.

International Connections