After leaving Tarnow, most of the volunteers traveled back to Krakow for our "closing session." We talked about what strategies worked and didn't work in the classroom, how prepared we were for our experience, and changes that we would make to the program next year. One thing that I suggested was to pair up the volunteers as co-teachers; David and me teaching together was simply the result of coincidence - we were teaching at the same time in the same school, and we thought it would be more fun to combine classes. It worked out great! However, we were the only volunteers that were able to do this, and I think others would have had an even better experience by teaching in pairs.
Another concern was the lack of information about host families and students. Although I had some contact with my host family before I met them, many volunteers did not and had no idea what to expect when they got off the train in Tarnow. Understandably, the first few days were quite unsettling for them. In addition, some volunteers got incorrect information about the age and skill of their students, so they could not adequately brainstorm any lesson plans before they left the States.
One final observation: our trip was technically one of the more well established wings of Learning Enterprises; after all, volunteers have been teaching in Poland for about 10 years. In contrast, there were a few "pilot" LE programs in countries where students have never taught before (like Turkey and Cambodia). However, at times our trip to Poland felt more like a pilot program than anything else; although Jackie (our trip leader) did a fantastic job organizing, it felt like a lot of trip was spontaneous. I guess this feeling is a result of the great independence we had both as teachers and travelers; we could teach our students almost anything in any way we wanted. We had a lot of freedom during our breaks in Krakow and Zakopane as well.
In the end, I think this spontaneity was for the best! I even enjoyed not having a cell phone for the first time in my life! I've been on trips before when there was a specific iternary and detailed plans for every day. However, I believe overplanning can prevent you from getting fully immersed in the culture, and that it ultimately ties you down.
Consider our first day in Prague; after touring the Prague Castle and parts of Lesser Town, we walked over to the monastery where monks brew their own beer. Since we had nothing planned for the rest of the day, we ordered a few beers and just talked for a few hours on the warm patio. We even met some friendly British college students sitting at the table next to us. It was probably one of the most enjoyable dinners I had while in Europe. Indeed, our "pilot" program worked out well!
