Illinois School Board Journal
November/December 2007

Cynthia Woods is IASB director of advocacy and works from the Association's Lombard office.

In mid-April, I traveled to Estonia and Lithuania for an adventure in civic education as part of a five-member Illinois team with Civitas International. Civitas is a non-governmental civic organization that promotes citizenship education, especially in emerging democracies.

Estonia is the tiny, most northern country in the Baltic States, bounded by Russia, Latvia, the Baltic Sea and the Sea of Finland; Lithuania lies just south of Latvia.

Estonians refer to their lives in two distinct times: "during the Soviet time" and "since liberation." Estonians won their freedom from Russia in 1992, after being under their domination since after World War II. In 2005, Estonia joined the European Union, which has helped fund many state projects, including refurbishing schools.

This young, tentative democracy was part of a Civitas exchange program promoting civic education and democracy. Illinois hosted a four-member Estonian team in March, with two members of the team teaching in Chicago-area schools while they were here: an eighth-grade class in Morton Grove and a seventh-grade class in Highland Park. The five-member Illinois team that went to Estonia in April included the teachers from those classrooms, who taught corresponding classes in Estonia.

Others in the Illinois delegation included Peter Newell from the lieutenant governor's office and Pat Feichter, executive director for the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Illinois, who assembled and led the team.

Dave Brubeck's CD, "Impressions of Eurasia," is a musical interpretation of his trip to that part of the world and, much like his music, my impressions of this area are varied as well.

We arrived midday in Tallinn, capital of Estonia, to a cloudless, warm day. After checking into our hotel, we divided into interest groups, and Peter Newell and I drove with Suluv, the leader of the Estonian team, up the beautiful coastline to see the cross-section of housing available. These ranged from shabby, Soviet-style high-rises to small Estonian cottages to new-wealth "McMansions."

The highlight was stopping for coffee and looking back at the skyline of Tallinn, distinctly defined by an old and new city. People were out biking, roller-blading and walking along the shore, reminiscent of Chicago's lakefront! We headed back to Tallinn and toured the lower Old Town on foot. Old Town, which dates back to 1230, is beautifully preserved with the old wall, three original gates, many turrets and winding cobblestone streets.

The entire team spent the day experiencing the differences of Estonian and American government. Estonia is Wi-Fi connected, and the Estonian Parliament is paperless. We learned how that works in a classroom with computers set up like the floor of Parliament. People can register, view legislation, ask to speak on an issue, vote and do other "state business" … all electronically.

In the afternoon we visited the American Embassy, a drab, dreary place. The entire block is cordoned off to vehicles with security guards in a glass booth on the street. No photography is allowed.

We spoke with the interim ambassador and learned education is a major issue for the current embassy staff. They work with many Estonian schools directly, helping them with programs and promoting public education.

The third day was devoted to visiting schools in the seaside resort town of Parnu, which is small and rural, yet the school is quite modern.

During occupation, Parnu was a vacation spot for Soviet plutocrats; many had summer homes nearby. The K-12 campus setting was so clean and the kids made us think we were in any school in Illinois — they dress and act like kids everywhere.

Everyone learns English in Estonian schools, so most children, especially the older ones, have daily language lessons. Many older Estonians do not speak or understand English because they were required to learn Russian, not English, under the Soviet regime.

The school held an assembly for us with singing, traditional dances, modern dances and the "Star Spangled Banner," played on a clarinet. Lunch was served in a separate building with one hot meal menu for all … including us.

We made an unscheduled stop at another school on the way out of town. This was the "town" school and had not been refurbished. It was dark and dreary. One hallway had no lights. Children were running and yelling in the halls, a distinct difference from our planned school visit.

Then it was off to Rapla, a larger community and county seat, to visit another school and watch an American teacher's lesson: "A Day in the Life of an American Student."

We toured the school, learning what improvements had been made. We also met with a variety of dignitaries, including the county governor, the head of the natural resources department and various school officials. Even though some spoke little or no English, they all wanted to be a part of the dialogue on Estonia.

Suluv, the Estonian team leader, drove the three non-teaching team members to the Russian border community of Narva to see where "East meets West" for a feel of the Russian influence. The entire trip was a history lesson about the settling and rule of Estonia, the battles fought during WWII, and the ongoing concern for Russian authority and presence.

We drove through a former Soviet "secret city" where the Soviets made uranium during the Cold War. The city had housed at least 70,000 people and was totally "secret"!

Narva is an ancient city on the Narva River, which separates Estonia and Russia. Most of the city was destroyed during WWII, except for the castle, the city hall and one home. Ninety-eight percent of the population speaks Russian, even though Estonian is the official language. Many schools begin teaching in Russian and ease children into Estonian because no one at home speaks Estonian.

The ancient castle was built to European specifications in the late 1300 to early 1400s and is now a museum. Directly across the river is a Russian castle, and the differences are apparent. A "European" castle is more square-cut, with one very tall turret; the "Russian" castle is rounder and flatter, with many small, round turrets.

At Narva University, we met some English-speaking professors. They explained their teacher-training program and education in Narva, taught in Russian and English. They gently chastised us for the flaws they see in our educational system: we do not encourage individual rigor as much as group work and "socializing." They feel it is more important to learn the facts and then learn to socialize. They cited the fact Americans don't learn another language or have any emphasis on geography. Estonians see education as a much more traditional undertaking.

It was here that we also learned a little-known fact about Russian influence: During the Soviet time, the only restaurants in Estonia were Russian. The recipe for bread, how to make tea, and all menus for any restaurants came from Moscow. There was no deviation.

On our last day in Tallinn, we walked outside the ancient walls of Old Town and marveled at their size and condition. In the afternoon, we flew to Vilnius, Lithuania, which appeared more hectic, certainly more crowded, and people were less inclined to try to speak English.

After dinner with the other two U.S. teams, we toured Vilnius' Old Town, much smaller and not nearly as well preserved as Tallinn. Vilnius seems to have a church on almost every corner; all quite different, but lovely. We walked to the two most famous ones: the Cathedral and St. Anne's Church. Rumor has it that Napoleon, upon seeing the latter, which is small and quite distinctive, wanted to take it home in his hands.

The teams from each Baltic state gathered for an international sharing summit with their American counterparts.

The room was decorated with folders gathered during their visits and included responses about their experiences and the people they encountered. Our groups shared around the following questions:

What was your experience?

What similarities/differences did you see?

How are they connected and how do they connect to you? And finally,

What personal/professional impact has this had for you?

The last question let me express what I felt I had gained: shared experiences; shared communication; and continued personal and professional growth.

The day provided a rich, engaging educational exchange that was real and very honest. A level of trust was evident among a group of mostly strangers. People listened, were respectful, and genuinely cared about each other and the state of promoting public education in a democratic environment.

Probably the greatest lesson from this experience is the realization that I am a citizen of the world, and as such need to think and act accordingly. It is up to me to be more aware and knowledgeable about what "citizenship" really means.

I realize how lucky I am to be an American — to have all the privileges and rights I take for granted daily. This trip made me happy to come home.

Democracy is messy business. Much like jazz, it is not an exact science, but all that adds to its success. Both are constant works in progress.

And like Dave Brubeck's jazz interpretation, it becomes a version of your experience. Fast, slow, major or minor, the notes of democracy are there for all of us to play.

Children in Estonia drink and drive … even with a zero tolerance policy. They look/dress like American children and love American music. There are bullies, but they take their shoes off when they enter their school and have socks or slippers to wear.

School lunches are provided but with no choices. Some sports competitions are held during the day.

Kindergarten is similar to our daycare but state-run; 2-year-olds and older pay to attend.

Estonia has a declining population due to a decrease in the birth rate since freed of Soviet rule, so classes are small and some are combined. Children are required to begin school at age 7 and the curriculum is state-run.

Major funding for schools comes from property tax, thus more prosperous towns spend more on education … very much like here.

The tragic shootings at Virginia Tech occurred while we were in Estonia. It was interesting to watch the news from a European perspective and to talk to people about America and guns.

We shared a moment of silence in one school; in the other, people offered us condolences. But the ongoing conversations were the most thought provoking, and the discussion of gun access was brought up often.

Guns are a part of American life and a part of our constitutional right. But when seen on television in other parts of the world, America is portrayed as a wild, gun-toting, murdering country. As citizens, for most of us that's not the daily reality.

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