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An Overview of the Affiliate Partnership By Sandra Hagman
The general goals of the affiliate partnership have been: Prior to TESOL '98 in Seattle, Jana Dvorakova came to Michigan to renew friendships and to meet new colleagues among MITESOL members at the University of Michigan. Jana also traveled north to Central Michigan University and Saginaw Valley State University. Later in Seattle, MITESOL formally welcomed Jana and honored her as our special guest at the MITESOL reception held on the 55th floor of the Union Square Building looking out on Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. In addition to attending affiliate meetings representing ATECR, Jana met with members of the MITESOL Board to discuss ongoing ATECR-MITEOL connections. In particular, initial plans began to evolve for several MITESOLers to provide teacher training in the Czech Republic in the summer of 1999 as part of ATECR professional development workshops. During the summer of 1998, former ATECR representative (TESOL '97 Orlando) Jarmila Fictumova and her three children visited from the Czech Republic, making a trip all the way from Montana to Washington, D.C. mostly by bus. MITESOL friends in Michigan welcomed them for a two-week stay in the middle of their journey. In September of 1998, MITESOL President Sandy Hagman and member Alan Headbloom went to the Czech Republic to attend the national ATECR Conference held at Charles University in Prague. They did a joint presentation about ATECR/MITESOL activities together with all past ATECR representatives who had come to Michigan. Anticipating the teacher training workshops scheduled for the next summer in the Czech Republic, Sandy and Jana Dvorkova met with representatives of the American Embassy to discuss possible financial and materials support for the workshops. As the workshop plans began to solidify, on a visit to Washington, D.C. in 1999, Sandy met with USIS officers to solicit their backing in cooperation with USIA in Prague. Although no representative from ATECR attended TESOL '99 in New York, TESOL central office asked Sandy Hagman to make a presentation at the pre-convention affiliate leadership meetings describing the MITESOL/ATECR affiliate partnership. This was the third time that TESOL used our partnership as an exemplary model for other TESOL affiliates who were considering the establishment of their own affiliate partnerships. Meanwhile, our colleagues in the Czech Republic were actively planning the upcoming summer workshops. Three workshop sites were selected and the Czech directors of training were identified. The participant audience and training goals for each workshop site were determined. The goals of these three unique summer courses included: strengthen the English language skills of the Czech participants; model teaching and learning activities that Czech teachers can use in their classrooms; and provide resources and engage Czech participants in English language activities and discussions about American and British culture. Having received from ATECR more specific information about the goals of the summer courses and expected teacher qualifications, MITESOL publicized the opportunity for volunteer participation from among the membership. As a MITESOL supported this project by providing some of the materials used for teaching American cultural topics. The MITESOL teachers paid their own international travel expenses and donated their professional expertise during the week-long residential courses. ATECR received some funding from the British Council and USIS in Prague, and this supported the accommodations and travel of the American teachers while they were in the Czech Republic. The USIS also provided textbooks for all of the Czech workshop participants. Among the various ATECR summer courses held in the Czech Republic in 1999, the three that included MITESOL teachers and American cultural studies "sold out" first, thanks to the great efforts of Jirina, Mirka, and Jarmila, our Czech colleagues who were directors of studies for the three sites. The very positive evaluation of all three courses by the participants made this an extremely rewarding experience for everyone concerned. Tragically in October 1999, only two months after leading a summer course, one of ATECR's most active members and an early friend of MITESOLers, Mirka Sudakova, was killed in an automobile accident. Mirka had been director of study at the Humplec summer workshop, working directly with MITESOL teachers Jeannine Lorenger and Sandy Hagman. Mirka was the ATECR representative sent to Michigan in 1996. Some months later, Mirka's family and friends established an educational foundation in her memory to support creative English teacher training activities. A number of MITESOL members have donated money to this foundation as well as English reading books to Mirka's school, Gymnasium Pacov. From September 1999 to June 2000, MITESOL past-president Sara Tipton was in Presov, Slovakia as a Fulbright Teaching Scholar. Sara had pursued this position as a direct result of years of interest in EFL issues in central Europe that came through her involvement in the ATECR partnership. This period of time allowed Sara and others to continue a dialogue on the ATECR-MITESOL partnership, specifically debriefing the summer workshops and discussing future possibilities. TESOL 2000 was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The ATECR representative attending that convention was Jirina Babakova, the director of study at one of the 1999 summer workshops. Jirina came to Michigan for ten days prior to TESOL and made home and school visits with MITESOL members in Ann Arbor, metro Detroit, and Midland. Although no official exchanges between MITESOL and ATECR occurred in conjunction with TESOL 2001 in St. Louis, ATECR President Marta Chroma was able to come to Michigan in the summer of 2001 as a recipient of a Morley Scholarship to do research at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Two months living in Michigan gave Marta many informal opportunities to strengthen professional connections and personal friendships with university colleagues and MITESOL members. During her stay in Michigan, Marta lived at the home of Sandy Hagman, commuting to Ann Arbor by car. In addition to enhancing her driving skills, Marta helped take care of Sandy's cats and vegetable garden. Just before returning to Prague, Marta was able to join the MITESOL Executive Committee for one of its regular meetings. In April 2002, ATECR President Marcela Mala went to Salt Lake City for TESOL 2002. She enjoyed meeting many current and former MITESOL members attending the conference and the traditional MITESOL evening reception. Attending the pre-convention affiliate meetings, she also met many representatives from TESOL affiliate organizations world-wide. Marcela came to Michigan for a week following TESOL. She visited high schools and university ELI and ESL teacher-training programs. She enjoyed meals and visits with a number of MITESOL members in southeast Michigan. ATECR member Michaela Cankova came to the USA for three weeks in the summer of 2002, spending two weeks in Michigan visiting friends from MITESOL. She observed classes at WSU, EMU and the U of M. and was an insightful observer of American culture on a daily basis. Misa is a teacher trainer and translator as well as co-author of a recently published book Intercultural Activities. Misa's connection to Michigan began in the mid-1990's through MITESOL's partnership with ATECR and it continues today, both personally and professionally. Through all these continuing and expanding activities, MITESOL and ATECR have clearly established a unique affiliate partnership that keeps on growing and working. The success of this partnership - one of the most well-established and active in TESOL - has depended on the dedication of members from both ATECR and MITESOL who have seen the unparalleled opportunity for mutual professional exchange and personal growth that such a relationship offers.
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