Teaching in Lipnica

	During my time in Poland, my primary responsibility was simple: teach English. At least that was what was in my job description. The reality was much different. I tried to teach students to feel confident about their abilities and the "validity" of their thoughts, and to think critically--something most Polish teachers don't seem interested in. (Indeed, the Polish education system tends to be quite simplistic: teach them a bunch of facts, then make sure they can recite them for tests. Amazingly similar to what often passes for education in America . . . )
	In the spring of 1998 I took three students to Gorzow in the northwest of Poland for a Model United Nations Conference. Agnieszka, Tom, and Wiola represented Sweeden in meetings concerning chemical/biological weapons proliferation, the use of economic sanctions, and the economic crisis of southeast Asia--all in English. Students from Poland, Germany, Italy, Slovakia and Bulgaria attended the conference.