Sang all around the world, appeared in NBC’s Today Show – Gyöngyi Tóthné Bán, teacher for more than 30 years now

Before settling on the southern part of Lake Balaton, she’s been all over the places in Hungary: she grew up in Révfülöp (The northern side of the Lake) with teacher parents as great role models, thus becoming a teacher herself. She went to High School in Sopron (Western part of Hungary) to the Széchenyi István High School, then attended the art college at the Apáczai Csere János Teachers' College in Győr, and finally graduated in English at ELTE, in Budapest. She started her teaching career in Szőlősgyörök, Somogy County, where she taught drawing, and began teaching English in 1991 when she started afternoon language classes in Balatonboglár.

Before I ask you about your career as an English teacher, I'd like to know how much of your life is or has been devoted to drawing and art.

To this day, I still love this subject and I offer drawing lessons whenever I have the opportunity. Teaching drawing was an exciting time in my life, I took part in many competitions with the children and even went to Sochi, Russia. Looking back, even then I was open to the world and to broaden children's horizons.

It is incredible that I have students who are the grandchildren of these first students of mine. I call them my "grandchildren" too, it's so beautiful to me.

How and why did you switch to English and language teaching?

I went to a high school with a specialization in English, where I had great teachers, with a different approach to what I had experienced before, and they got me. A career in teaching was practically a given for me, as my parents were also teachers, my father taught geography, and my mother art. Of course, they were not happy that I wanted to be a teacher, but they accepted it. The teaching of English came with the end of Russian language teaching, at first I had the opportunity to give lessons in the afternoon, and then in time, as part of the morning curriculum, English teaching officially started in Balatonboglár.

Earlier decades probably demanded a different way of teaching languages than the one we have today. How has this changed in your lessons?

I've always tried to adapt to the children and adapt my teaching to the world around them because needs change. 15 years ago, when the digital world started to take off, I started to go along with it, which was completely new at the time. Today I can say that being part of the international scene has given me a lot, it has opened up a lot for me and for the children.

I see that it is very important to reinforce the use of live speech and to base language teaching on the idea that young people should be able and dare to speak while being aware of basic grammar rules.

Finding the balance is not easy, but the digital world is a great help.

Does the fact that some of the lessons are online make children more willing to learn the language?

It's a method that has evolved with the changing world and the needs of young people, but the point is that in an online game or video call at the beginning of a lesson, with the same age group on the other side but from a different country, everyone participates, from those who are excellent at the language to those who need more help. It gives them a boost, they can forget about themselves, and in a situation like this, anyone can stand up, speak out and have a sense of achievement - that's what it's all about.

Over the past decade and a half, she opened a window to the world for her students using the internet to travel to many parts of it. It has become a goal not only to learn English but also to learn about other countries' cultures and to learn about our country's traditions. Ms. Gyöngyi and her students have participated in the Global Connection Day program several times, singing around the world with more than 80 schools. In 2018, they joined forces with a US school and appeared online on NBC's Today Show, and in the autumn of 2021, they were awarded the School of Excellence Award in the Climate Action project organized by Koen Timmers and Dr Jane Goodall.

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Photo: Gyöngyi Tóthné Bán

How did you start building international relations and how does it work on a day-to-day basis?

At the time, when I was on maternity leave with my third son, I joined several foreign internet groups, where I noticed that I was the only Hungarian there. They were interesting and I wanted to show something of our culture to them, so whenever I went to events, I took photos of Hungarian folk dancers, for example, of thematic festivals, and sent them in. That's how I started to build relationships with other teachers, and that's how the online classes started. We spend 15-20 minutes on the web, video chatting with students from other countries, and with the little ones we play games, e.g.: ‘barcochba’ (ie. a guessing game in which a player comes up with a word, while the other player(s) must figure it out by asking only yes/no questions), which is a good thing, you can combine it with learning about the inner and outer characteristics of a person. With the older ones you can talk more, even send letters.

We are currently in contact with one school in Pennsylvania, one in Japan, one in India, one in Indonesia, and one in Vietnam.

At the end of 2021, it was not only your school that was recognized but you and your work, too: you were one of the 50 nominees for the Highlights of Hungary and the first Hungarian recipient of the Global Teacher Award, which is given to the best international educators. How do you feel about this?

It was a huge thing for me, but it's important to underline that it was also about the work of the children, and everyone who came and comes with me, and for that, I am infinitely grateful. The international award is based on a referral system. One day, out of the blue, my colleagues suggested me and said that I should apply. It was a long process of gathering references from colleagues around the world, but I received an enormous amount of help. It was all too sad that, due to the pandemic, the award ceremony was held online.

What’s your goal with the online type of schoolwork?

I wouldn’t call it a goal, I’d say it’s a tool, a process rather, in which the kids can have an experience while learning English. For them it’s a foreign language, they have to study it, and we like participating in projects that value this effort. Besides, I like keeping in touch with teachers from other countries, I like organizing joint lessons and meeting them occasionally to exchange ideas at conferences and workshops.

Besides English teaching, sport is also very much part of your life, I understand that you swim on the Balaton Cross Swimming every year and also run regularly.

Exercise is where I switch off, it gives me an amazing amount of pleasure. Swimming across Lake Balaton is now a family event for us and an interesting part of my life.

Since the event takes place between my hometown and the place I was born I often say that I swim home from home.

I swam every year except maybe the first two or three occasions and when I was pregnant, and I have participated more than 30 times. I started running when I was approaching forty, doing small distances at first and then, as usual, longer and longer distances. At the age of 40, I decided to run the marathon and started training, but in the meantime, I got pregnant and completed the distance later. I did it several times over the next few years, but since I've been through Covid, it's been harder. That being said, I go to as many races as I can because I get tremendous power from running and when life gets harder, it gives me a goal to focus on.

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Photo: Gyöngyi Tóthné Bán

What was your most special marathon location?

I've run in many special places, for example, a friend of mine once came to me saying she wanted to run the marathon, but in Venice. So we travelled there and ran it together. I also did it in Rome once and I did it several times in Vienna because my middle son lives there. I hope I will have the opportunity to do something like this again in the future. Then there is cycling as another hobby.

Like around the Lake Balaton?

I cycle with my class around the lake every year. This place is the closest to my heart.

Last year, my class graduated, and afterwards, they asked me, "Ms. Gyöngyi, are we going?" And you can't say no to that. I take so many stories with me from these programs, it's impossible to list how much we experience together. I also enjoy cycling in my free time, often cycling to the north coast with my youngest son, who now sets the pace. I also have a great passion for sailing, a hobby my husband and I share. When we were young we loved to surf, and when the kids came along we changed the boards for sails. I have my license even for a cruiser, but I couldn't safely take the boat out of the harbour, so I prefer to stay in the background and enjoy the ride from there.

You live a life rich in experiences, thus setting an example. Are you doing this on purpose?

I want stories, that's what's important in life! Basically, I focus on the present and try to live my life in such a way that every day is interwoven with experiences so that my imaginary book would be full of colourful pages so that one day I’ll be able to look at them. I also try to pass on to my students that they colour their own books, and that the pages will be colourful when they find and cultivate what is important and joyful to them, and from which beautiful memories are born. I hope to add many new shared adventures to all this in the future.