International Education Week

Education was the main topic at the Sunday, Nov. 27, session of the library’s Talk Lab English Club. But first, club members offered a moment of silence in memory of those who perished in the famines of 1922, 1933 and 1947, also known as the Holodomor.
Talk Lab participants also briefly discussed their perspectives on the Holodomor, which means “death by hunger,” and killed millions.
For example, Ivan, a pensioner who attends almost every meeting, recalled his experiences with the famine of 1947. He said he was 7 or 8 years old at the time and that his family had to catch and eat squirrels and other small animals as well as eat grass and leaves.
Galina, who is much younger than Ivan, said she noticed the memorial gathering at Kherson’s monument to the victims of the totalitarian regime on Nov. 26. She said she was glad that people of all ages – young, middle and old – attended the ceremony.
The rest of the Talk Lab session was devoted to discussing education, in honor of International Education Week, which was observed earlier in November.
The 29 participants in the Nov. 27 session shared their ideas about several aspects of education as well as shared their experiences. For example, Nina recalled the pink schoolhouse she attended in Kherson when she was a child and said the building still exists.
American Peace Corps volunteers who lead the weekly English club prompted a spirited discussion with topics such as:
~ True or False: Success breeds more confidence than praise.
~ True or False: Parents should praise students even when their performance is average.
~ A teacher I really liked at school was . . . because . . .
~ My favorite subject in school was . . . because . . .
~ If I could improve one thing about my school experience it would be . . .
~ True or False: If a student does poorly in a subject it is the fault of the parents.
~ True or False: It is better for a student to feel good about himself than to be the best at something.
~ True or False: If I didn’t like the teacher I didn’t learn as much as I could.
~ True or False: If a student receives a poor grade the parents should call up the teacher and ask why.
~ True or False: Repetition is the best way to learn.
Talk Lab participants also learned about some features of the American educational system and compared or contrasted how issues are handled in Ukraine. More photos.