Teaching English in Poland Program

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The summer of 2010 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the Kosciuszko Foundation's Teaching English in Poland Program (TEIP). For the first eighteen years of its existence (1991-2008), the program was conducted by the Foundation in cooperation with the Polish National Commission for UNESCO and the Polish Ministry of National Education at a total of one hundred English Language Immersion Summer Camps throughout Poland.

Early in 2009 the Polish Ministry of National Education withdrew its support from all foreign language summer camps. Consequently, local school and organizational administrations in Zalecze Wielkie and Tczew stepped forward to continue the TEIP Program in their localities but independently of the Ministry. The Education Division of the Polish National Commission for UNESCO assisted in recruiting Polish students.

This summer, the TEIP Program will take place again at Zalecze Wielkie and Tczew. The Polish Scouting Organization, ZHP, will host the Arts Enriched English Language Camp at its educational/recreational center, "Nadwarcianski Grod", in Zalecze Wielkie for junior and senior high school students. A camp focusing on English Language Immersion and American Life and Culture for senior high school students will be held at the campus of the ks.St Janusz Pasierba School for Economics in Tczew. 

Over the past nineteen summers, approximately 1,700 Americans have rendered volunteer service to the Kosciuszko Foundation's Teaching English in Poland Program at 103 English Language Immersion Camps throughout Poland. More than 10,000 Polish students have benefited from this program to date.

The TEIP Program provides hundreds of Polish students (upper elementary through senior high school) with instruction and practice in conversational English within an American cultural context. The program also offers a rare opportunity for Polish students to experience an Arts Enriched English Camp for the Performing and Fine Arts conducted in the English language. It enables American teachers and students, who volunteer their services, to become acquainted with the people, history, language, and culture of Poland.

Program Goals:

• To refine and expand the listening and conversational English language skills of Polish students through English language experiences and activities within an American cultural context.

• To familiarize Polish students with various aspects of American life and culture.

• To enable Polish students to experience various aspects of the Performing and Fine Arts while perfecting their conversational English.

• To introduce American teachers and teaching assistants to the culture, history, traditions, and people of Poland so that their knowledge and impressions will be shared with their colleagues, students, families, friends, and communities.

Program Elements:

The three-week English language immersion segment of the program for high school students will take place at a boarding school in Tczew near the Baltic Sea. The Arts Enriched Camp for junior and senior high school students will be held at an educational and recreational center, "Nadwarcianski Grod", in Zalecze Wielkie. Any additional sites have not yet been confirmed. In past years, we were assigned to boarding schools in Warsaw, Tczew, Gorzow Wielkopolski, Lomza, Myslenice, Olsztyn, Gdansk, Ilawa, Myslenice, Goldap, Pulawy, Ustka, Limanowa, Krakow, Zielona Gora and "Nadwarcianski Grod" at Zalecze Wielkie.

The American staff at each language immersion campus includes one American Staff Leader, up to nine teachers, and several teaching assistants (American students). The American Director of the Teaching English in Poland Program and her Assistant oversee the project for the Kosciuszko Foundation. A representative of the Kosciuszko Foundation in Warsaw is available for assistance. A Polish staff consisting of a Camp Director, Assistant Director, teachers, a doctor and/or nurse, and camp counselors is provided by the local school administration. Representatives of the local educational and civic administrations, the Polish National Commission for UNESCO and the Polish Ministry of National Education also monitor the program.

During the three-week language immersion instructional term, American teachers in the English Language American Culture Camp are responsible for conducting a homeroom period and three fifty-minute classes each weekday morning for small groups of Polish students who are generally at the intermediate level of proficiency. A curriculum guide is provided by the Kosciuszko Foundation. Utilizing topics or themes based on life in the United States and on American cultural experiences, the teachers prepare the students and engage them in English language immersion activities that stimulate vocabulary expansion and correct usage, encourage the acquisition and use of American expressions, and promote the improvement of conversational skills and pronunciation.

Suggested topics for lessons that are appropriate for the age and level of the students include: daily living experiences and challenges; hometowns of teachers and students; aspects of the democratic process; tourism in the USA and Poland; health and safety; the environment; entrepreneurship for young adults; preparing for college and/or employment; communications (advertising and marketing techniques, recognizing hidden messages in TV and news programs, etc.); business etiquette; Native American cultures; dealing with counter-cultures; multi-ethnicity in the USA; the preservation of American and Polish ideals, values, culture, and traditions; current events; and American literature, music, art, sports, dance, holidays, foods, money, banking, etc.

The schedule and content for the Arts Enriched Camp are developed by the American Team Leader and specialized staff members. Four fifty-minute class periods will be held daily (M-F).  Lessons will focus on introducing the students to various aspects of the Performing and Fine Arts and require careful planning regarding use of musical instruments, art materials and the amphitheatre and such logistics as timing of practices, rehearsals and setting up of exhibits and performances. In addition interest-centered activities, sports and discussion groups will be organized.

Teachers and teaching assistants in both camps organize and lead popular American extracurricular activities or "clubs" such as: drama, musicals, talent shows, sports (especially softball, volley ball, basketball, and soccer), board games, scavenger hunts, crafts, line dancing, literary magazine, campus newspaper, debates, local field trips, etc. during afternoon and evening recreational periods. They are also required to accompany the students on field trips scheduled during weekdays and on weekends and to maintain the use of English in all contacts with students. Time off is scheduled during the week and on a weekend.

American student participants serve as teaching assistants and tutors. They work with the teachers in preparing classroom materials and assist during classes and extracurricular activities. They also organize and lead some extracurricular activities. TAs work together to plan and organize special events such as American Field Day, Fourth of July, Halloween and other holiday celebrations. They are essential in reinforcing the immersion process by interacting with the Polish young people during classes, meals, activities, free time, and trips.

During the fourth week of the program, the Polish hosts provide the American teachers and American students with a tour of important cultural and historical sites in Poland.

Eligibility Requirements:

Experienced teachers/administrators certified in the United States, educators with private/parochial school or other verifiable teaching experience, college/university faculty, and those engaged in student services (school nurse, social worker, guidance counselor, school psychologist, etc.) are eligible for participation. Although educators who are actively involved in teaching are given priority, beginning teachers, retirees, and those on leave are also considered for participation.

College/university students and high school students, who are at least eighteen years of age, can apply for teaching assistant positions.

All applicants to the TEIP Program must be responsible, energetic, flexible, and in excellent physical, mental, and emotional health. A great deal of stamina is required to keep up with the rigorous pace of the program and the high energy level of the students. They must also be creative and dynamic and must possess superb communication and interpersonal skills. They must be native speakers of American English and have an excellent command of the language. The ability to work cooperatively with team members is required. All teachers and assistants must have a strong commitment to attain the goals of the program and must be willing and able to accept the responsibility of working within the program's daily schedule and of living harmoniously in a dormitory setting.

To ensure the quality of the program, American personnel must adhere to the educational, ethical, and behavioral guidelines and standards set forth by the Kosciuszko Foundation in The Kosciuszko Foundation's Teaching English in Poland Program and Curriculum Guidelines and the regulations of the Polish Ministry of National Education and local school and civic administrations.

Applicants must be able to work effectively with teenagers and upper elementary/middle school students. They must be willing to adapt readily to cultural and professional variations and to individual differences in interpersonal relationships. As guests, our staff members must respect and observe the regulations stipulated by the joint sponsors of the program and their representatives who reserve the right to dismiss any participant for breach of professional, ethical, or moral conduct.

Letters of reference must give evidence of the applicant's professional ability, positive interaction with colleagues and students, communication skills, creativity, flexibility, excellent mental and physical health, stamina, maturity, emotional stability, exemplary character, and adaptability.

Polish ancestry and knowledge of the Polish language are not prerequisites for acceptance to the program.

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