Teacher Mindy Hager returns from Ireland

CVHS is welcoming math teacher Mindy Hager back from her yearlong trip in Ireland. The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program exchanges teachers from all over the world to learn about a different culture and their education system, as well as teaching others about their own culture. Irishman Stuart Graham taught at CVHS in Hager’s place last year.

“As a secondary math teacher, the UK was one of my only options. I chose the UK and then they matched me with Mr. Graham in Northern Ireland,” said Hager.

According to Hager, Ireland has an entirely different educational system. They have 35 minutes classes and nine periods a day to prepare for the national exams (GCSE) without dividing into different grades.

When students are 16, they take GCSE test to see if they are going to continue two more years of high school with nearly university-level work, go to a vocational school or leave school entirely, depending on their scores.

“There are some good and bad things about both our system and theirs,” said Hager.

Hager went through many cultural experiences while in Ireland, such as the coldest winter they’d had for decades. “It wasn’t fun. They had snow on the ground and lots of ice for many more days than normal. It normally doesn’t snow much there or if it does, it melts quickly,” said Hager.

She also felt some adults’ thick Irish accents were nearly “impossible for me to understand.”

One terrifying thing for her was to drive on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the road. “But I quickly got used to it,” said Hager.

She also mentioned Graham’s house for those who had him last year. “His house was very nice. It looked like a castle, much bigger than where I live in America,” said Hager. “It was a very old hotel that had been converted to flats or apartments. The only problem is because the building was so old. It was very drafty.”

Hager missed her friends and family in America while she was gone. “Overall, it was a great experience, but it was much harder than I anticipated,” said Hager. “I was also able to travel a bit throughout Europe during the school breaks. I went to Krakow, Poland; Budapest, Hungary; and Croatia. My favorite was Croatia because it was absolutely beautiful.”