Petroteach

[amelia glaser]

I would be happy to share my experience with Petroteach. It is a very
small organization, often with just a handful of teachers, but it has
a permanent support staff in St. Petersburg, as well as a small office
space, and good connections with schools in Russia. It has placed
American teachers in Russian public schools for the past decade.

I spent a year as a "Petroteacher" between undergraduate and graduate
school, and had a really wonderful experience. I taught English and
American history to kids grades 6-11, and had some opportunities to do
some teaching of adults on the side. A few of us found time to audit
classes at the University, though this was something we set up on our
own. My fellow American teachers were really neat people -- we were
all placed in differents schools, of course, and developed different
relationships with our Russian colleagues. I am still close to some of
my Russian colleagues and to my Russian "host stister." The program
included some training and support in pedagogy, as well as a few trips
around Russia and in Petersburg itself.

This is an excellent opportunity for very recent college graduates who
are independent, want teaching experience, and a present, but
laid-back support network. It is a good way to improve one's Russian,
but certainly the better the American's Russian is going in, the
easier his or her adjustment will be. While people who want a very
structured program of activities with lots of language classes, a
Eurostandard office and other Americans around throughout the day
might want to look elsewhere, anyone who wants to grow as a teacher
and have a lot of freedom to get to know St. Petersburg with a
friendly grass-roots staff to help ease the process should consider it
strongly. As a side note, a number of Petroteachers remained in the
city long after their term ended (some for years), something that I
think attests to both the close-knit nature of the program and the
type of person who chooses to participate.

You are welcome to refer your student to me if she has specific questions.

Best,
Amelia Glaser



On Wed, 29 Sep 2004 09:18:01 -0400, Michael Denner <mdenner at stetson.edu> wrote:
> Dear Colleagues!
>
> Anyone with any experience dealing with Petroteach, an outfit that bills
> itself as "a not-for-profit program that has been placing
> native-speakers of English in St. Petersburg classrooms since 1993"?
> (www.petroteach.com)
>
> I don't recall this program being discussed in the past. One of my
> students is interested. Any other options for teaching English in Russia
> that you can offer? I know it's a relatively easy thing to arrange
> independently in situ, but I recommended that, since she's US based, she
> work with an organization.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> mad
>
> ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
> Dr. Michael A. Denner
> Russian Studies Program
> Director, Honors Program
> Stetson University
> Campus Box 8361
> DeLand, FL 32724
> 386.822.7381 (department)
> 386.822.7265 (direct line)
> 386.822.7380 (fax)
> http://www.stetson.edu/~mdenner
>
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