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In this paper, according to my research, Teaching English in Russia, I will portray someone who has already been offered a job in one of the big cities of Russia. Before arriving in Russia, my fellow EFL teacher will be familiar with the Russian language and culture already, because he/she took a careful look at the websites listed on the Annotated Bibliography of my research and has gathered a lot of required information from it. To know about Russia my fellow English teacher has visited Factsmonk.com , which gives a quick historical overview of Russia; it gives him/her the 10 Facts about Russia . For a teacher, it is very important to know about these facts, because he/she can’t teach English in Russia without basic information about the country; his/her Russian students would be very disappointed if they found out that their English teacher is not familiar with their country at all.
My fellow teacher, let us hope that you will be welcomed to the school in a very nice Russian ceremony of "Bread a nd Salt." The "Bread and Salt" was an old traditional Russian ceremony of welcoming foreign kings and queens. The tradition is carried on to today for people of importance, who come to Russia for benevolent reasons. They would present you with a loaf of bread placed on a round dish covered with an embroidered towel. A cellar of salt will be placed on top of the bread or set in a hole cut into the top of the bread. As a sign of respect, you have to taste it by cutting a piece of the bread and dunking it in the salt.
My first two websites ( English Russia and Limoon.ru ) are about transportation within the cities. The first website tells that about the subway system: this public transportation is very cheap and practical: "If you ever think about traveling to Russia and visiting Moscow (or any other big city), you might like to use the subway." Moscow’s subway is also a beautiful place to be in terms of architecture. The best thing about the subways is that it takes you to practically every part of a big city. Most importantly, of course, it can take you from your home to the school you are working in. The only thing missing in these websites about subways was that it did not mention that in Russia, they call it a "metro" not "subway" and a big capital "M" is the sign to look for on the streets of Russian cities, if you want to enter the subway. The second website is about private transportation services available in big cities in case you are looking for privacy or luxury.
If my fellow EFL teacher is already in the city, it is time for him/her to use the information, which he/she had received from Way to Russia . It affords a good Russian learning experience for him/her. It is called "Connection between Russian Language and English." It has seven different useful parts, or we can call them lessons.
He even printed it out, made a brochure and carried it on his packet for everyday use.
If my fellow teacher was scheduled at January 13th and left The United States after Christmas and New Year’s Holidays, he would be surprised if he/she could still see Christmas trees and New Year’s decoration everywhere in the city: in the streets, in the schools, in the apartments. But because he visited the website Way to Russia Blogs and already knew about it, he/she is ready to celebrate Winter Holidays one more time with his students and colleagues, because Russians celebrate Christmas on January 7, the Old New Year on Jan. 13th.
The next traditional holiday in the Russian calendar is March 8, the International Day of Women’s Right. My fellow teacher, if you are a woman, you might get some presents on that day from your students: mostly flowers, because flowers are the most popular presents in Russia. Some people celebrate March 8 as Mother’s Day, others as Valentine’s Day ; men express their love and their sympathy for women. (This word has a different meaning in the Russian language: it means admiration).
If you work in one of these big cities, Moscow or St. Petersburg, my advice to you is to enjoy the most romantic days of the year in St. Petersburg: The White Nights. The "White Nights" normally last from June 11th to July 2nd. The White Nights (Beliye Nochi) are a curious phenomenon caused by St. Petersburg’s very northerly geographical location. St. Petersburg is the world's most northern city, with a population of over 3 million, and it stands at such a high altitude that the sun does not go down below the horizon enough for the sky to grow dark. "In fact the night becomes curiously indistinguishable from day, so much so that the authorities never need to turn the city’s streetlights on!" If you are in Moscow on those days, and not in St. Petersburg, don’t worry, you can get to St. Petersburg by train within one night. You can have a very romantic weekend there. People compare St. Petersburg with Venice: this Northern city was built on 102 small islands, and has many canals and bridges like Venice.
Religion also is an important aspect of Russian culture. As a teacher, you need to know a little bit about the history of Christianity in Russia , because Russians are Orthodox Christians . By the way, many Russians see the churches as a historical artifact and they are proud to tell you about their architectural details.
There are many museums in the big and small cities of Russia, but the big cities are museums in the open air themselves. My fellow teacher, you can spend your leisure time in the most famous gallery of Russia, the Hermitage. Have you ever dreamed of seeing the paintings of famous artists of Renaissance? There is a life time opportunity for you to see The Litta Madonna, by Leonardo Da-Vinci. And it is one of the many treasures of the Hermitage.
In the Russian Fairytales website, you can learn about Russian traditional art works: nesting dolls, lacquer boxes, icons, toys, samovars and more. Traditional tea ceremony is very popular in Russian, and it is very much illustrated in Russian folk.
To become a part of Russian culture you should learn how to dance Russian national dances, because there is no celebration in Russia without polka, or troika. You should know that almost everybody in Russia has been trained in some kind of performing art. There are very many art, music and dance schools in Russia available to the public for free; you should take advantage of them.
My fellow teacher, I hope that you will find yourself comfortable in Russia, because you have used all these websites that I made ready for you. I can’t give you the exact number of people who speak English in Russia, but I can insure you that English is taught from very early grades in Russian schools and it has a tendency to become a second language for the new generation of Russia.
English truly became a lingua franca of the world, and teaching English is like dissolving "the curse of the Babel."
Thank You, and Good Luck!
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English Russia
If you ever think about traveling to Russia and visiting Moscow, you might like to visit Moscow subway. It’s
definitely worth looking at. First of all, the architecture of the Moscow subway is astonishing, each station
is like museum, with huge patchworks occupying some walls, high ceilings and antique type chandeliers.
Limoon
You can choose a section from the list: Limos, Executive, Off-road or Minibuses. They have it all, to make
travel comfortable and happy for you.
Way to Russia – Talk Lounge
If you are going to travel to Russia, it will be much easier to make your way around if you can read
the Russian alphabet and know a few basic words. Besides, you can make friends much easier. This guide will
help you learn the Russian letters, basic grammar, and most key phrases in Russian you will need. To enhance
your learning experience, everything is recorded in sounds, so you can hear how it should be pronounced.
Way to Russia – What is Russia
This is a good chance for you to learn not only the Russian language but also the about Russian Language. It
would make your teaching career appropriate. You will know that Russian words are pronounced the same way they
are written. You can learn the Russian alphabet easily because it gives the analogues of the sounds in English.
It has a part for Grammar, how to speak Russian and more.
VisaRUs
Any English speaker can get a job. Is this a good, or a bad thing? This article explains further problems arise
from employment issues for teachers. You need to know about it.
Index of English Lessons for Russian Speakers
This website will give you a list of English lessons, choosing each one of it you will have an idea about
teaching methods that are popular in Russia today. English Learning Course for Russian speakers: Intermediate,
English Learning Course for Russian speakers – Advanced, Compl. English Learning Course for Russian speakers 6 CDs,
English - Russian for Windows translation software
Way to Russia
"Russia is one of the most exciting, diverse, and interesting travel destinations. I hope
Way to Russia.Net will help you make your way here, whatever direction you want to take..."
Way to Russia - Blogs
Russians don't really celebrate Christmas, except for those who keep the Orthodox faith closely. Here it is
acknowledged on 7th January. About Old New Year hangover (from the Julian calendar: 13 days behind the Gregorian),
but for most people really important festival is New Year's Day.
The Religion of Russia
This website gives the history of Christianity in Russia. Russian historians ordinarily divide the history of
their national church into five periods. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIII. Published 1912.
New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D., Censor. Imprimatur.
+John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York The Church of Russia is the support and strength of Orthodoxy,
which, counting Russians, Greeks, and Rumanians, has more than 110 millions of adherents.
Russian Orthodox Church: Early History and Art
The Kremlin, the Assumption (Uspensky) Cathedral and the Cathedral of
St. Michael the Archangel, were designed by Italian architects. That is why they incorporated the basic features
of Byzantine architecture.
Wikipedia – Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church buildings are very unique. Holy icons are historical monuments. Some of these images
represent the Theotokos (who is particularly revered in the Russian Orthodox Church), saints,
and scenes from their lives.
The Silver Age of Russian Culture (Paperback) by Carl Proffer (Editor) Publisher: Ardis (1975)
From Russia's Silver Age of literature and the arts, translations of twenty writers: Osip Mandelstam, Anna
Akhmatova, Nikolai Gumilev, Vyacheslav Ivanov, Valery Bryusov, V. V. Rozanov, Konstantin Innokenty Annensky,
Dimitry Mereshkovsky, Vladimir Solovyov, Nikolai Evreinov, Lydia Zinovieva-Annibal, Boris Sandovskoy, Alexander
Blok, Fyodor Sologub
Wikipedia – Public Holidays in Russia
Before going to Russia, you can learn about Russian official public holidays, recognized by the
Russian government. On these days, government offices,
embassies and some shops are closed. If the date of observance falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following
Monday will be a day off in lieu of the holiday.
Wikipedia – International Women’s Day
Gives you information abut International Women's Day (IWD) which is marked on 8 March every
year. Started as a political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries (primarily
Russia and the countries of former Soviet republics).
Skazka Russian Food
This website is all about Russian food; it offers you the freshest and finest in imported and domestic meat
products for any taste. It is easy to order on line. Also, one of the most popular foods in Russia, the caviar.
Teach Me Russian: (Paperback and Audio CD) A Musical Journey Through the Day by Mahoney, Judy (Audio CD)
Book Description: "Travel through the year visit a beach & farm, enjoy a picnic & birthday party,
explore museums & celebrate holidays. Songs include: Day-O, Going to the Zoo, Silent Night, Tingalayo and more!
45-minute audio and 20-page book."
BKC-International House English Language School
Russia is a cold county, but its people are not cold. They are known "for not smiling in the streets"
as much as Americans do, but they are very friendly and like foreigners, especially Americans a lot. Today English
has a tendency to become a second language for them. Children are exposed to English from on early age.
British Council – Russia – English Teaching
It is a great source of good teaching materials. They can also connect you with other teaching professionals
across the globe.
Volunteer English
NEWS!!! : Learn to speak Russian in Russia: SUMMER STUDENT PROGRAM. Talis Education Center's Russian language
& Cultural immersion program combines language and Russian life into an excellent summer experience.
This is like a vacation with a bounce.
Russia.com – Information and Destination Guide
Russia has a rich cultural heritage that comes to life in all the cities, the countryside and the small little towns.
Russian Traditional Music
In this website you can find information about very popular folk instruments and also lets you listen
to them. You can also see many antique instruments and learn about them.
Russian Folk Dance
You can learn how to dance: this website gives you instructions for many popular dances. Lesson Overview: Students
learn Russian folk dance "Troika." Students work in groups of three (the traditional grouping used in the "Troika").
Russian Fairy Tales
In this website you have a great deal of information about Russian fairy tales, about Nesting Dolls, Icons, Toys,
Samovars…
Russian Ballet School
Russian ballet is Russian tradition of dance education. Russian ballet has combined the best, distinctive
elements of French, Italian and Russian styles. Additional websites abut Russian culture and art:
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage once was the Winter Palace of Russian Katherine the Great, which was built and designed
by Francesco Bartholomew Rastrelli in 1754-62.
Saint Petersburg - Seeing the Sights and
Saint Petersburg - Welcome
These two websites will tell you about the most European city of Russia, about St. Petersburg. This phenomenon that
happens in St. Petersburg is known as "The White Nights."
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Information shown on this website is the result of a collaborative effort by Dr. Rod E. Case and the EDS491/691 Special Topics in Teaching English
as a Second Language Class, Wintermester, 2007. |
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