Classrooms

Wednesday I observed Guth Roszika's (Last name is always listed first in Hungarian...people on the street would call me Aronow Michael) 10.C history class. In Hungary, the grades are numbered so 10 would be sophomore. Then, at Varga, the students are divided into letter groups (a-d) indicating the program they are in. C is bilingual, so I will always be dealing with C students. Today the students were giving oral presentations about a topic in Hungarian middle ages history. Some talked about reformation, others talked about the Tripartition of Hungary which occurred after the death of King Matthais in 1490. The Tripartition occurred when the Ottomans from Turkey occupied the central and southern portion of ancient Hungary (this includes much of Romania to the south and east, and Slovakia to the north; land that was lost in the treaty of Trianon following WWI).
I knew nothing of this history until arriving here, and am finding it fascinating - an absolute black hole in my history knowledge.

The students speak fairly good English, however they have heavy Hungarian accents, so I have to listen very closely to understand what they are saying. Plus, because they are talking about Hungarian history, they are using a lot of names and locations I am unfamiliar with.

In the weeks to come, the students will have to give oral presentations about aspects of culture during the middle ages. Some have selected music, other medicine, and others executions, sports, fighting, and fashion. They have been asked to use me as a resource for their English in writing these presentations.

Every time I enter a classroom, there is a buzz amongst the students. I get the sense that they are excited about having a "native speaker" present, and those who are more bold, will take a few minutes to ask me questions before and after class. One boy talked to me extensively about American football (he plays on the local Szolnok semi-pro team) and the NBA (he loves the Cavaliers because of LaBron James, his friend is a fan of Dwayne Wade and the Heat - I explained where Wade went to "University" and showed him my Marquette bracelet).


Finally, the physical conditions in the classrooms would be completely unacceptable back home. The chalkboards are old and warped; the desks and chairs are wooden, creaky and probably date back to the 1950's or 60's; and everything is very compact. Despite this, the students tend to be very well behaved, they pay attention, and they have impeccable memorization skills. As for their critical thinking skills when it comes to history, I have not been able to assess that, but I have my doubts.

(This is one of the bigger classrooms I have seen. Later I will post a picture of the smaller rooms with more cramped quarters.)