Hey, Everybody! If you’re looking at this page, you are probably trying to figure out just what exactly it is that I do while I’m here in the Czech Republic. Well, that is a fantastic question, and quite frankly, one that I haven’t done the best job of updating everyone on since I have found out more details. Here it goes…I work for a language school in Ostrava called Fishnet s.r.o. Fishnet is a Christian language school that works somewhat like an agency. They hire English teachers (some native speakers, some Czech/English speakers) to work for them. Fishnet also creates classes for the public. These are not classes in a regular school setting where students come all day and have class. The students are spread out all over the city and these classes are supplementary to any other schooling they may have. However, Fishnet also provides classes for many different businesses. For example, a company may require several of their employees to take an English class that is provided by Fishnet. These classes are taught at the business, weekly, usually before the business day begins. In all, Fishnet provides services to an elementary school, a kindergarten, public classes for teenagers and adults, individuals, and companies. The teachers that work for Fishnet, a.k.a. yours truly, my teammates, and several others, travel to the different places that the classes are held to teach classes. We will usually only see each class once a week. It is set up a little bit more like a college schedule than a high school schedule.
The Christian aspect of working at Fishnet comes through the natural dialogue that evolves from teaching English. Through the many different topics and conversations that are covered in an English as a Foreign Language class, relationships can naturally develop both in and out of the classroom. Fishnet promotes creating opportunities for hanging out in group situations, such as film discussions, English clubs, hiking trips, or many other events that may promote building a relationship that may lead to ministry opportunities. Some of these activities include the local youth groups or other local Christians. Our hope is that through these types of activities some of our students will be exposed to the Gospel. In the next level, we also would invite students to activities at the church like Bible studies, Sunday worship, etc. Through this construct, Fishnet is set up as a Tent Making ministry. You can check out the school's website by going to Fishnet's website. (Hint: it will be helpful to have Google Chrome as your browser or have Google translator at the ready since the website is in Czech. haha.)
I hope that this answers some of the questions that I have been getting about exactly what I will be doing while I am here. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me!
