This week we meet Miss Sam who is one of our international teachers at Brit Magyar school. Miss Sam has a degree in Elementary Education, specialising in Special Education and Middle School Science, and has recently completed a Masters in School Leadership.
Good morning Miss Sam. Thank you for being our first teacher in this new series “Meet the Teacher”. To start off with, what is your role as a teacher at Brit Magyar School?
My main role is as the English teacher for Grade 3 and Grade 4, teaching at native level, but I also support some other lessons in Grade 1 and 2. I am also the support home room teacher in Grade 3 and 4. I have worked at Brit Magyar since September 2021.
Which country do you consider home and which other countries have you lived in?
The United States and specifically Delaware, which is the second smallest state in the USA, but it was also the first, and it is below Philadelphia and in between New York City and Washington D.C. It has lots of beaches and farmland, so I am not really used to living in the city. I also lived in Laos in South-East Asia for one year and in Prague in the Czech Republic, for two years.
Which countries have you taught in?
I did student teaching in the United States and then taught in Laos, the Czech Republic and now Hungary.
What brought you to Hungary?
Miss Sam: One year when I was at university, I worked in a summer camp in the United States, in Maryland, where I taught water-skiing, and I met a Hungarian called Péter who was also working there. Several years later, when I moved to Prague in the Czech Republic, we started to see each other once more, because we were so close to each other, and then I decided to move to Budapest so we could be in the same city. We are now engaged and in July we are getting married. So, to answer your question, love brought me to Hungary.
What do you like best about Brit Magyar school?
I really like the students and staff. The students are really unique and special and come from many different backgrounds and because the school is small, we can get to know each of them on a very personal level. I also love the teachers who work at the school. I can see that they really care about their students, and because we work so closely together, we have become close friends. I love the way that at Brit Magyar, we as an English department can differentiate students to such a great level, so that we can support them all. I have never worked in a school where I have seen English supported at so many levels.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
If it is a long weekend or a holiday, then I am always travelling and exploring somewhere. I love to discover places which are ‘off the beaten track’, the less touristy sites, meeting people and trying the local foods, especially when none of the menus are in English and you just have to point and find out if it is something you like. In Budapest I love going for walks to explore the area, I love to be outside in nature. I also love playing board games with Peter and his family, and my family when I visit.
What do you like best about living and working in Budapest?
I love being in such an exciting, big city with so much history and so much to do and see, which is also close to forests, parks, green spaces, countryside and villages, and I am lucky because Peter’s family come from a small town in the countryside along the Danube, which I have lots of opportunities to visit. I also enjoy Hungarian food, and my favourite is rántott; rántott sajt, rántott gomba, in fact, anything rántott!
Nice to meet you Miss Sam!
