Illinois Teacher Gets a First-Hand Look at Romania

Tammi Conn, Business Education teacher at Kaneland High School, has had a first-hand look at the economy, culture, history, and educational systems of Romania. Tammi was one of twelve U.S. teachers selected to participate in the National Council on Economic Education Study Tour to Romania in December 2005. The twelve teachers spent seven days in Romania, learning about its transition from a command to a market economy and observing how economic education is delivered there.

The group visited five schools (three in Bucharest, two in Brasov), where they observed and participated in a classroom economics lesson, watched student presentations about their schools (and even a musical performance), and had opportunities to talk with students, teachers and administrators about the culture, the economy, and education in Romania. The group also visited the Romanian Central Bank (equivalent of our Fed, the primary financial newspaper/magazine in Romania (Capital), the Romanian Ministry of Education, the Academy of Economics (primary institution for preparing economics teachers), attended an opera, and visited with representatives of the teachers’ union in Romania (which had just led a successful nationwide strike to increase government funding for education and salaries). The group observed an economic education teacher workshop offered by the Romanian Center for Economic Education, NCEE’s partner in Romania. The U.S. teachers found familiar NCEE curriculum materials being used in the classrooms and the teacher workshop.

Tammi and her U.S. colleagues are now using what they learned on the study tour to enhance their teaching. They have much first-hand knowledge to share with their students about an economy in transition and the challenges faced in such a change.

NCEE offers study tours to Eastern European countries two times each year, one in late fall and one in the Spring. A Spring 2006 tour will visit Russia in April (application deadline was Feb 3). Watch your e-mail for future opportunities to apply for NCEE study tour programs.

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