Tuesday, April 24, 2012

On Stage!

Day Ten:  Here are a few English language teachers from throughout Crimea who came to Gymnasium #9 for a professional development workshop on language teaching methods. Guess who presented? Yes, me - along with Dana, my colleague from Chicago. It was a bit intimidating but luckily I came prepared. The "class" was about 2 hours long - so, as you can see, my Ukrainian visit isn't just about touring beautiful palaces and attending the ballet. Some teachers seemed timid about asking questions in a whole group setting, but several spoke with me after, requesting a copy of the presentation.

Next on stage was an amazing production of Romeo and Juliet, acted by students from the 7th-9th form classes. They had been practicing their performance for months for a Crimean-wide competition, in which they took third place. I have a video of the performance, which I'll share when I return to school. However, here is a group photo of the main actors. They did a super job! I'm now hoping our students will get motivated to learn scenes from plays by heart!

      Romeo and Juliet actors with their director/producer/teacher Inessa Ivanovna Chukaveva

After the school day ended, Marina treated us to lunch, delicious Russian blinis, which are a kind of stuffed, rolled pancake. Then we walked to the office of "Windows on America", a US State Department sponsored organization that is a meeting place for local citizens interested in American culture. The amazing Peace Corps volunteer at Gymnasium #9, Cynthia, also gives conversational classes there and even leads a (book club) reading group! 

                          Cynthia and Marina at the "Windows on America" office in Simferopol

Question to ponder:  Would you be up to the challenge of memorizing monologues for a competition between our school and Gymnasium #9?
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4 comments:

  1. Gerri LalloApril 26, 2012 at 9:41 AM

    Block 3 is up to the challenge! Some students ( John) doesn't think we'd do well, because of how dedicated the Ukraine students are, since they study from 7 pm to 11 pm. What play would you pick for us to do? We are looking forward to seeing the play that the students performed for you.

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    1. Polly BarnesApril 26, 2012 at 11:59 AM

      Well, I'm glad you're thinking about it. This is something we're thinking about doing next year, so there is plenty of time to prepare and choose a text (parts of a play or maybe even a poem). I'm glad you're looking forward to the play - hopefully we can see it the week I return (next week!). See you then.

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  2. Gerri LalloApril 26, 2012 at 10:17 AM

    Block 4 is having a difficult time deciding whether or not they'd want to do the monologues. The Ukraine students have had plenty of practice, but this is not something we do that often.

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    1. Polly BarnesApril 26, 2012 at 12:01 PM

      You're in luck because this is something we would do next school year. Most of you will be graduating - but Elizabeth and Mariella - you're not "off the hook." I agree that it's not something we do often, but I think we should change that. Wouldn't you enjoy reading and learning parts of a play? Yes, I knew you would. See you next week!

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