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The Essential Question For My Research
As an American student growing up in the 1980’s, my greatest fear was of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Images like those in the movie “Red Dawn” flooded my mind. The Soviet Union was always an interesting subject of research for me. I read everything that I could get my hands on about the regions that made up the Soviet Union; however, as I learned more and more, I was amazed. I was captivated by the large number of cultures that made up the Soviet Union. I quickly realized that the image of the “Russian”, as we called everyone from the Soviet Union, was a false image.
Each region has its own unique culture, language, and history. The Ukrainians were of particular interest to me because I identified with them as the underdogs. They have a history of strong women who have worked hard to help their people get through the roughest of challenges, and maintained a quiet dignity regardless of the number times they were oppressed. I was extremely excited to be assigned to Ukraine for my in country portion of the program. I knew that I would finally get the truth about this region that I have studied for so long.
As a Teacher for Global Classrooms fellow we were challenged to develop an essential question for our in country experience and reflect upon what we learned throughout the process of the program. This question provided me an opportunity to gain insight into the perspective of our Ukrainian colleagues and gain a deeper understanding of their society. In turn, I have grown as an educator and global citizen.
I chose to examine the impact of the fall of the Soviet Union on the Ukrainian people. Below you will find my essential question and the guiding questions that I explored while in Ukraine.
Essential Question:
Has Ukraine made a successful transition from their former communist government as a Soviet Republic to an
independent democratic republic?
Guiding Questions:
What are the negative aspects of this transition?
What are the positive aspects of this transition?
Are there any aspects of life under the former Soviet regime that were better?
How is life better now?
We began our in country experience in the capital, Kiev. As we drove to the hotel from the airport, I was struck by the drab gray appearance of many of the buildings. We passed a fenced in park area that was overgrown. On the sign by the padlocked gate, I saw a word I recognized. I realized that this had previously been a zoo. We saw row after row of enormous apartment buildings, some modern, some older and deteriorating. We passed a large silver sculpture of a muscular woman holding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. I, in my egocentric mind, thought, “Yes, this is exactly what I expected.” I assumed that this is what life under the Soviet regime was like. I assumed that life hadn’t really changed in the past twenty-two years. I was so wrong.
As we neared the downtown area, I began to see a beautiful modern city emerge. We passed large shops with western name brands that I recognized. Our hotel, a Holiday Inn, was very modern and beautiful. The afternoon that we arrived, my partner and I set out on foot to explore the area around the hotel. We felt very safe and comfortable. We discovered the new soccer stadium and energetic crowds there to see a game later that night. However, we also noticed the large police presence with riot gear. This was slightly alarming. I, again, realized that things might not be as they appear to an outsider’s eye. I had a great deal to learn.
I quickly discovered that my perspective of Ukraine had been that of looking through an “American lens”. I always considered myself more cosmopolitan because I wanted to know about other people, regions, countries, and cultures. I had never realized that I had always been comparing them to my own biased vision of what I thought they were. This is the most significant impact this trip made on me. I know longer assume that I know what other people think or how they feel. I have to wait to find that out from THEM! I am so thankful for the opportunity that this program gave me. It let me experience and learn first hand.
I learned many things while working very closely with my Ukrainian colleagues. First, I was not seeing what I thought I was seeing. Let me explain. I assumed that the dilapidated buildings, roads in disrepair, and lack of international business was a holdover from the Soviet regime. I was corrected. Many teachers told me that this was not the case under the Soviet system. They mentioned one tenant of communism was employment. Everyone had a job, and everyone worked. One of the negative consequences of their struggle to become an independent democratic society was that the growth of government corruption. They blamed this for the high unemployment rate, hovering around 20%. They also noted that this corruption was responsible for the lack of international business. Large multi-national businesses do not want to take the chance to do business in such an unstable governmental environment. Unemployment, low wages, and lack of employment options have led to corruption that now reaches from the government to the farm. The corruption is evident through each aspect of the Ukrainians’ daily lives.
From my observations I learned many things about the Ukrainian people. First, they approach life with a hardworking humility that is rarely seen here in the U. S. I was very impressed with the care and concern that the people showed for each other and us. I felt very welcomed and valued. The teachers I worked with were kind and appreciative that we were there. I felt that they were approaching this experience with the same hopes that I was.
I wanted to know if there were positive aspects of the transition. The response of was overwhelmingly, yes. The freedom to travel; to have command of their own lives, educations, and careers; and speak their minds publicly (although still with some mild reservation) were among the most popular responses. Several told me that they felt a true freedom to think freely without fear of repercussions if those thoughts slipped out verbally.
Over all, the majority of people expressed the idea that simply knowing they were part of a young democratic society, even with all its problems, was a wonderful thing. The Ukrainians are incredibly proud of their independence. They are proud of their ability to make it through the hard times that they have suffered. They are hopeful for the country that they are building. In spite of the problems they face, the willingness to work hard and overcome was most impressive. Life is better now. They are sure of it.
This program has provided me with a wealth of life changing experiences. I am most thankful for the relationships that I have made with my Ukrainian colleagues. We have kept in touch and are planning an academic camp in which we will group American and Ukrainian students to work out a variety of academic “problems”. My school will host first. We have teachers willing to develop the program and our students’ parents are willing to host the kids so that their only expense will be travel costs. We are still in the preliminary stages, but are working hard to make it a reality.
Each region has its own unique culture, language, and history. The Ukrainians were of particular interest to me because I identified with them as the underdogs. They have a history of strong women who have worked hard to help their people get through the roughest of challenges, and maintained a quiet dignity regardless of the number times they were oppressed. I was extremely excited to be assigned to Ukraine for my in country portion of the program. I knew that I would finally get the truth about this region that I have studied for so long.
As a Teacher for Global Classrooms fellow we were challenged to develop an essential question for our in country experience and reflect upon what we learned throughout the process of the program. This question provided me an opportunity to gain insight into the perspective of our Ukrainian colleagues and gain a deeper understanding of their society. In turn, I have grown as an educator and global citizen.
I chose to examine the impact of the fall of the Soviet Union on the Ukrainian people. Below you will find my essential question and the guiding questions that I explored while in Ukraine.
Essential Question:
Has Ukraine made a successful transition from their former communist government as a Soviet Republic to an
independent democratic republic?
Guiding Questions:
What are the negative aspects of this transition?
What are the positive aspects of this transition?
Are there any aspects of life under the former Soviet regime that were better?
How is life better now?
We began our in country experience in the capital, Kiev. As we drove to the hotel from the airport, I was struck by the drab gray appearance of many of the buildings. We passed a fenced in park area that was overgrown. On the sign by the padlocked gate, I saw a word I recognized. I realized that this had previously been a zoo. We saw row after row of enormous apartment buildings, some modern, some older and deteriorating. We passed a large silver sculpture of a muscular woman holding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. I, in my egocentric mind, thought, “Yes, this is exactly what I expected.” I assumed that this is what life under the Soviet regime was like. I assumed that life hadn’t really changed in the past twenty-two years. I was so wrong.
As we neared the downtown area, I began to see a beautiful modern city emerge. We passed large shops with western name brands that I recognized. Our hotel, a Holiday Inn, was very modern and beautiful. The afternoon that we arrived, my partner and I set out on foot to explore the area around the hotel. We felt very safe and comfortable. We discovered the new soccer stadium and energetic crowds there to see a game later that night. However, we also noticed the large police presence with riot gear. This was slightly alarming. I, again, realized that things might not be as they appear to an outsider’s eye. I had a great deal to learn.
I quickly discovered that my perspective of Ukraine had been that of looking through an “American lens”. I always considered myself more cosmopolitan because I wanted to know about other people, regions, countries, and cultures. I had never realized that I had always been comparing them to my own biased vision of what I thought they were. This is the most significant impact this trip made on me. I know longer assume that I know what other people think or how they feel. I have to wait to find that out from THEM! I am so thankful for the opportunity that this program gave me. It let me experience and learn first hand.
I learned many things while working very closely with my Ukrainian colleagues. First, I was not seeing what I thought I was seeing. Let me explain. I assumed that the dilapidated buildings, roads in disrepair, and lack of international business was a holdover from the Soviet regime. I was corrected. Many teachers told me that this was not the case under the Soviet system. They mentioned one tenant of communism was employment. Everyone had a job, and everyone worked. One of the negative consequences of their struggle to become an independent democratic society was that the growth of government corruption. They blamed this for the high unemployment rate, hovering around 20%. They also noted that this corruption was responsible for the lack of international business. Large multi-national businesses do not want to take the chance to do business in such an unstable governmental environment. Unemployment, low wages, and lack of employment options have led to corruption that now reaches from the government to the farm. The corruption is evident through each aspect of the Ukrainians’ daily lives.
From my observations I learned many things about the Ukrainian people. First, they approach life with a hardworking humility that is rarely seen here in the U. S. I was very impressed with the care and concern that the people showed for each other and us. I felt very welcomed and valued. The teachers I worked with were kind and appreciative that we were there. I felt that they were approaching this experience with the same hopes that I was.
I wanted to know if there were positive aspects of the transition. The response of was overwhelmingly, yes. The freedom to travel; to have command of their own lives, educations, and careers; and speak their minds publicly (although still with some mild reservation) were among the most popular responses. Several told me that they felt a true freedom to think freely without fear of repercussions if those thoughts slipped out verbally.
Over all, the majority of people expressed the idea that simply knowing they were part of a young democratic society, even with all its problems, was a wonderful thing. The Ukrainians are incredibly proud of their independence. They are proud of their ability to make it through the hard times that they have suffered. They are hopeful for the country that they are building. In spite of the problems they face, the willingness to work hard and overcome was most impressive. Life is better now. They are sure of it.
This program has provided me with a wealth of life changing experiences. I am most thankful for the relationships that I have made with my Ukrainian colleagues. We have kept in touch and are planning an academic camp in which we will group American and Ukrainian students to work out a variety of academic “problems”. My school will host first. We have teachers willing to develop the program and our students’ parents are willing to host the kids so that their only expense will be travel costs. We are still in the preliminary stages, but are working hard to make it a reality.
*This website is not an official U.S. Department of State website. The views and information presented are the grantee's own and do not represent the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, IREX, or the U.S. Department of State.