March 29, 2024

Ukrainian educational delegates getting to know Newton

A group of Ukrainian educators arrived in Newton Friday, and since then the group has been learning how the local, state and federal education system operates in the U.S.

“We wanted to see how education operates and how effective is the system in the United States of America,” said Mariya Siheity, one of the five delegates. “To learn about the process that we can watch and implement back into practice back in the Ukraine. We will most certainly make our choice to the projects that are less costly.”

Newton was selected to be a host city for this group of educators — they range from elementary to the college level —  after a member of the city’s Organization Promoting Everlasting Neighbors Board applied for the opportunity.

OPEN submitted its proposal to World Service of La Crosse Inc., a Wisconsin-based nonprofit international cultural exchange program, and received approval. It then worked with a teacher in Newton’s sister city Smila, Ukraine, to find qualified candidates, said Jane Ann Cotton, chairman of the OPEN Board.

“Then they send us the profiles of the persons that have been selected —  they’re heavily vetted. It’s a competitive process. They have to be outstanding in their field in their home area,” Cotton said.

All the travel arrangements for the educators were taken care of by the OPEN World Leadership Training Center, and the visitors have all been taken in by local families until they depart on Saturday. The only costs to them would be personal purchases.

The group has had a heavy itinerary since their arrival. They spent Monday learning about city government and meeting officials at the Newton Community School District. Tuesday they visited several local schools and met with the Rotary Club.

Wednesday, the delegates spent time learning about the various programs housed at the Emerson Hough building and at DMACC’s Newton Campus.

“I like the United States very much. It’s the first travel abroad for me, and the first air trip. It’s a different world, a different community and the mentality is also different … We do have very positive impressions and it’s very educational,” said Hanna Tsapenko.

Thursday the group will travel to Des Moines, tour the Statehouse and meet with a representative and even get a chance to hold a discussion with Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck. Once they leave there, they will travel to Ames and visit the Iowa State University Campus.

“We were very much impressed by the education system. It was very informative,” said Tetyana Orlovska.

Several of the the educators from the elementary level indicated they were impressed with the techniques they saw being implemented at Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson elementary schools Tuesday.

“I really liked to be at the elementary school. What I loved there the most was the group work of little kids. I will be happy to try and implement this group work back into our school,” said Liliya Yefimova.

Another educator, Mar’yana Kryvoruchko, added she loved the reading style taught here, and how teachers taught critical thinking skills. Kryvoruchko was also impressed with how aligned the district’s K-8 curriculum is.

The online testing and grading system used in Newton’s schools caught Tsapenko’s eye.

“I loved and enjoyed the testing system. They are built on the concept of interactivity. It gives them the ability to check the tests very quickly,” Tsapenko said.

Friday will be their final full day in Newton and they will visit Newton Senior High School and have a farewell dinner in the evening.

All of the delegates indicated that this was their first trip to America, and none are fluent in English — another Ukrainian woman, Iryna Smorodinova, has been acting as the group’s facilitator and at times translator.

With their impending departure on Saturday, many members of the group said they were thankful for this opportunity and indicated the wouldn’t mind a return trip to the states.

It also seems that some strong impressions were made in regard to the U.S. education system and work ethic.

“In the Ukraine, we are familiar with so called concept called ‘The American Dream,’ which we understand as a happy, successful life. I was really interested to find out how this concept was brought into life here, and I made a conclusion that Americans do work, and work a lot for the sake of their success,” Kryvoruchko said.

Contact Senior Staff Writer Ty Rushing at (641) 792-3121 Ext. 6532 or trushing@newtondailynews.com