Paul Looyen: The Netherlands and Australia
"Essentially, my first year as a VIF participant couldn't have been better. My family and I have become friends with some of the most loving and kind people we've ever met at school, at church, and at VIF and we've experienced substantial mental, spiritual, and emotional growth."
Paul teaches physics at Park View High School in Leesburg, Virginia. He was VIF's 2001 Virginia Cultural Educator of the Year.
Once you become a VIF teacher, you can expect to be supported and encouraged throughout the entire exchange process. The VIF staff not only works diligently to place you in a school which matches your personality, teaching style, and capabilities, but they also check on you periodically to make sure you're happy and comfortable where you are placed. I found all my dealings with various departments very excellent and everyone working within the program seems intent on maintaining a professional and respectful relationship with the teachers.
Since my family and I have been in the United States, we've received nothing but encouragement. Alongside VIF, the people in our community (especially from our church), and my co-workers have been real spirit boosters throughout the course of the whole program. Whenever we've needed anything, the people around us have been right there. Soon after getting in contact with a church near my new school by email, I was simply amazed when a family from the church offered to loan us a car during our stay in America. Upon our arrival in Virginia, my amazement continued as several members from the church agreed to help us move into our American home. Though it's hard to believe, the generosity did not stop there. During the school year, a teacher from my school loaned me a few dollars and said she trusted that I would return the money as soon as I had a chance. Even further, several staff members at my school threw my wife, Erica, a surprise baby shower. It was really nice. On a daily basis, I hear encouraging words and phrases like "you're doing well" or "good job." Receiving all of these acts of kindness helps me feel as if I truly fit in and that I am appreciated.
Teaching in the United States has been an eye-opening experience. Virginia state law requires high school students to pass three sciences including physics before they can graduate. In Australia, physics is an elective class, so I was only used to teaching higher level, math-minded students. As a result, figuring out how to explain physics to students who have little interest in math or science was a real challenge for me. In order to make the subject comprehensible for these students, I was forced to reevaluate my style of teaching and to identify the true essence of physics. Though frustrating at times, this task has helped me to become more confident in my teaching ability.
As compared to Australian children, I would say that some American children are generally less respectful of authority, have poor reasoning ability, and are poor listeners. This finding surprised me because American schools are more strict academically than schools in my country. For example, in the United States, 70 percent is a passing grade while 50 percent is considered a passing grade in Australia. This high standard of achievement seemingly causes American students to get more stressed out about their grades. This year I watched several students cry after I told them they were receiving failing grades in my class. I had never experienced this reaction to a grade report before. To try and help these students improve their grades, I had to develop extra assignments and projects. This part of my job was something I never expected.
Besides having the opportunity to become part of an extremely compassionate church family, which I consider the highlight of our time here, we have also been able to do some fun things with a couple of the other VIF teachers in our area. Once or twice a month, we get together, eat dinner, and celebrate birthdays. One of these teachers has a daughter who is the same age as mine and he often brings her to our home to play. Another of my extracurricular interests is an increasing fondness for bluegrass music. My goal for next year is to join an amateur bluegrass singing group.
The attributes I believe that have made me a successful exchange teacher are being open to change, being willing to face new challenges, being self-confident about my ability to deal with unexpected issues and my proactive attitude towards getting involved in my community and making as many American friends as possible.
For anyone considering applying to VIF, I would suggest having a good idea about the types of groups and clubs you would join if you were living in a new country. It would also be beneficial to think about how you are going to budget your time and money, so you never have to worry about being bored, overly tired, or broke. Grasping this concept has been one of my major triumphs, since I have had to support a wife and child with one income in a place with a higher cost of living than my home country.
Essentially, my first year as a VIF participant couldn't have been better. My family and I have become friends with some of the most loving and kind people we've ever met at school, at church, and at VIF and we've experienced substantial mental, spiritual, and emotional growth. Alongside these blessings, I was also awarded VIF's Cultural Educator of the Year award for the state of Virginia for successfully sharing my Australian culture with my students on an almost daily basis. Moreover, my wife and I are expecting a new baby boy in a few months.