Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ

Teaching Abroad

Erin O’Farrell ‘17 spreads light in Prague

Erin O'Farrell, Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ class of 2017, is currently teaching English in Prague, Czech Republic. She credits Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ University for the opportunity and courage to dedicate at least one year to teaching in Prague. She possibly intends to extend her commitment to a new location when the year is up.

The faculty at Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ constantly checked in on O'Farrell as she made the decision to move to Prague and followed the progress of her application. An early childhood education major from Indianapolis, Ind., O'Farrell notes that the time she spent student teaching in classrooms allowed her a vision of what it is like to be a teacher and how to be organized.

Though O'Farrell is loving her new experience and #LifeAfterWitt, she says that seeing on social media that all of her friends were back at Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ for Homecoming in September was especially difficult.

"There are not a lot of things I dislike about being over here but missing Homecoming was so hard. While I love the beautiful campus, the people will always be the thing I miss the most [about Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ]," said O'Farrell, who started her position in Czech Republic through the Language House. The program not only provided her time and the resources to help assimilate her into Prague, but also included a course to earn a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate. With this certificate, she can teach English anywhere in the world after completing her first year in Prague.

While she misses Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ, O’Farrell has met many new people and seen many new places during her teaching adventure.

"Moving to a different country has been a crazy experience especially after spending the last four years at a small, tight-knit university," said O’Farrell, who was a member of the Delta Gamma sorority, class cabinet and spent time MC-ing Wittmen Crew concerts during her time at Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ.

She claims that being surrounded by people in a foreign city with everyone speaking a different language is an experience that only Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ and her involvement could have prepared her for.

"Traveling is crazy easy over here. You can buy a train ticket the day of and then all of a sudden be in Germany four hours later," she says. She enjoys the ease of travel and sightseeing and meeting "people with such crazy background stories, life experiences and overall life goals."

O'Farrell finds the experience of listening and hearing everyone's stories in different languages fascinating.

"Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ will always hold an extremely special place in my heart," says O’Farrell, who teaches English in the mornings to students ranging from third to ninth grade. In the afternoons, she conducts private lessons with children ranging in age from six to 15 years old.

No matter where we go, no matter what we do, a common theme of #LifeAfterWitt is that a little part of us never leaves campus.

-By Devon Atchison ‘18, Office of University Communications

Recitation Hall
University Communications Staff
Staff Report

About Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ

Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

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