“…And the frosts of Chrishenya won’t be forgotten”

My translation of the news article. Note: I'm not a professional translator, and some Russian phrases just sound silly in English. Enjoy.

“I’ll take bright impressions of Kazakhstan, its hospitable people and unforgettable national food back to Kentucky. And, of course, I’ll take with me a part of your culture which I’ve taken in during my time here,” said Peace Corps Volunteer Phil Montgomery in the conversation with our correspondent. The American guest spent two years in Petropavlovsk. During that time he taught English to the older classes at School Number 8 as well as introduced our foreign language teachers to new teaching methods.

The organization in which Phil works is represented in points all over the world. The goal of Peace Corps Volunteers is to develop the governments’ potential. The volunteers in Kazakhstan work in two programs: Education and Community Assistance.

“The task of our Volunteering is to solve language problems and strengthen international ties. At School Number 8 I mainly teach English, but I also work with the teachers. One of the new teaching methods includes teaching in a pair with Saule Zikirina. This method, having a mass of advantages compared to traditional teaching, is called team teaching. The teachers interact with each other and the interest of the students in these lessons has noticeably increased.”

Saule Zikirina, Phil’s colleague, says that the students’ interest in the language of Shakespeare grew noticeably with Phil’s arrival. The students better internalize the subject through interactive lessons through the process of teamwork, debates and active practice with Phil.

“Education through movement, without argument, is more effective in comparison with usual class lessons where the studying of theory is applied to practice on the blackboard,” says Saule Sairanovna.

Other than the basic lessons, interested students look forward to English Club sessions where they take part in optional subjects. For example, they study English literature more deeply. The kids perfect their knowledge with the help of books, but not only that. Not infrequently they use poems and songs, of course all in English. This also became possible thanks to Phil, who is a poet himself and plays the guitar.

Our teachers are also among the attendees of the American volunteer’s activities. Corresponding seminars are often held for teachers at the Institute for Teacher Advancement (Pedagogical Development Institute).

Phil Montgomery’s contract is ending in November, and the young teacher is planning to return to his homeland. Our conversation partner hasn’t excluded the possibility of returning to the country which he discovered over a period of two years. And, sitting in McDonald’s with his colleagues, Phil will likely and repeatedly remember his days spent in Petropavlovsk, and he’ll surely share with his friends his impressions of all he’s seen, heard and felt, including his dunking in the Ishim River at Chrishenya.