The Teachers Who Came From the Cold

Lyudmila Ivanyuk and Victor Bielyshev arrived Feb. 26 for four weeks of attending classes and study
By Amanda Newman, Newberg Graphic Lyudmila Ivanyuk and Victor Bielyshev traveled almost 6,000 miles to come to George Fox University, where they spent their time attending classes and studying in the library. But the two Ukrainians are not exchange students - they are visiting teachers. Ivanyuk and Bielyshev teach English as a second language at the Kiev National Linguistic University, but are careful to avoid the title "professor" - in the Ukraine, that is reserved for instructors with a doctorate. Instead, they call themselves teachers. The two arrived Feb. 26 and spent a month at George Fox studying teaching strategies in English literature and the English language. Ivanyuk attends English as a second language classes, visits with teachers and studies in the library. She plans to begin post-graduate studies next year, and said the "access to books is much easier" here than in the Ukraine. "I'm very grateful to the librarians who help me do everything," she said. "First of all, everything you do by Internet ... it's not how it is in our country." Bielyshev spends almost all of his time attending classes, with a full schedule made up mostly of history, psychology and chapel. "From the first day, I see (a) great huge difference in approach," he said of American teaching. "One example, your students are very free to choose (what they) study." For Ivanyuk, the United States presents a completely new experience. "When you learn about the U.S.A. - about this people, this culture - from books, it's one thing; but when you are here, you can realize (what it's like)," she said, clarifying that her encounters are specific to the George Fox scene. "I found that people develop these feelings of love, of trust ... at this university." Bielyshev, on the other hand, spent time in the United States 14 years ago as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar, but said Newberg differs from Grand Rapids, Mich. "The culture is high here; people are calm, not in a hurry. The families we're staying with are very intelligent, people of integrity." The teachers have stayed with the families of George Fox professor Lon Fendall and Ken VandenHoek, the son of George Fox professor Jeff VandenHoek. Both said they are having a "more than good" experience, and stressed the importance of traveling to other countries and broadening horizons. "When you know (about a culture) from your own experience, it's much easier to explain than from books," said Ivanyuk. "It's a good opportunity for us to open our eyes to many, many things," Bielyshev said. "When you go abroad, you completely find yourself in another person's shoes ... and as a teacher, you never stop studying, because then you stop being a teacher. "The only shortcoming that I see (is) the program is very short ... you need some time to really understand things, and when you start to understand, it's time to go home." Bielyshev and Ivanyuk are working through an Oregon-based international program, the Marshall Christensen Foundation, that helps communities throughout the world share knowledge and culture. "We live in a world that is becoming extremely global before our eyes, and we have much to learn from each other," said Jeff VandenHoek, who instigated participation with the program. "(Sharing our campus) is also part of our mission to serve."