Bringing culture to the classroom
By Deb GauArticle Photos
LYND - When he learned that coming to Lynd Public School meant he'd be teaching a diverse group of students, Martin Boucek was glad. In some ways, he said, he can understand challenges like language barriers that face many kids. He went through it himself.
"I hope they get a chance like I did, because I didn't come from a wealthy family. I didn't speak English at home," said Boucek.
Boucek, 26, was born in the city of Pilsen, in the Czech Republic. While attending college at Bethany Lutheran in Mankato, he decided he wanted to become a teacher and to stick with the Minnesota education system. Last fall he joined the faculty at Lynd, where he teaches science and social studies. The school has students of different cultural and social backgrounds, Boucek said.
When Boucek was a young child, the Czech Republic was part of Czechoslovakia, and under Communist rule. When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, it opened up life-changing opportunities for many people - although, Boucek said, as a kid he was more impressed by the little things.
"I remember our family went to Germany after the wall came down. I was 8 years old.
The coolest thing ever was a little bubble gum machine where the gum would spin around. We didn't have anything like that," Boucek said, laughing.
The fall of communism gave Boucek a chance to attend an English-speaking middle school founded by Lutheran missionaries from the U.S.
"They were setting up a refugee camp in Vienna," intended for people escaping Communist countries, Boucek said. "But once they had it all set up, the Wall fell." The mission was retooled into a school, and Boucek's parents enrolled him.
"We had school in English," he said. In the long run, being immersed in English was a good way to learn the language, but adjusting took some time.
"The first week was pretty much hell for me," Boucek said. "Things like the wording of a math problem about the price of goods in America could be confusing. "He (the teacher) kept saying 'in the U.S.,' and I didn't know what he meant. I had heard of the U.S.A., but I didn't know what U.S. was ... I didn't know you could do that. There were things like that that you don't pick up on as a kid."
Boucek went on to attend a Czech public high school and received a scholarship to attend Bethany Lutheran. He wasn't sure what direction he wanted to take his studies at first.
"I was interested in the pre-theology they offered, and I even took some Hebrew," Boucek said. "But then they opened up their education program, and it just kind of made me decide this is what I want to do."
After graduating from Bethany in 2007, Boucek said going back to the Czech Republic "was not an option," because the requirements for teachers are different there. Compared to some of his own school experiences, Boucek said he also liked certain aspects of the American education system.
At his Czech high school, Boucek said, "The way they treat students is very impersonal. It's very tough." American schools and teachers, he said, are better at recognizing the differences among individual students.
Boucek wasn't sure what to expect when he applied for work in Lynd, but he liked what he saw.
"I walked into the building, and I was kind of reminded of the elementary school I went to," he said. "I felt a great attachment with these kids right away."
Boucek says he tries to incorporate different teaching methods in class to meet different students' skills and learning styles, especially "hands-on" experiences. In social studies, he was even able to introduce his class to his family for a video interview.
"We had them talk on the SMART board," he said. "My mom speaks English pretty well and my dad understands a little, so they had a 15-minute talk with the students."
Boucek said he hopes to continue teaching in the region. He's applied for U.S. residency, and has settled in Marshall with his wife Amanda (Lamprecht) Boucek. The couple married this summer.
"I'd like to see my students go on," Boucek said. "I think everyone has great potential. There's not a kid that shouldn't have it."
