For the Mumbai positions, they were interviewed by the school’s superintendent, Dr. Paul Fochtman, who is from Apple Valley and vacations in the Brainerd lakes area. “It felt right,” TyAnne explained. “We liked the people we interviewed with and the reputation of the school.” The couple requested and secured a two-year leave of absence from Brainerd public schools. They spent the next several months packing up their home, finding a temporary home for their dog and getting ready for their journey. After two days traveling in late July 2009, the family arrived at their new, fully-furnished apartment well past midnight. Dr. Fochtman personally met them at the airport in Mumbai to drive them home. Craig, a 1985 Brainerd High School graduate who has mostly lived in Brainerd his whole life, said he spent that first night wondering what they had just done. They had left their comfortable north Brainerd home in a city with a population of about 13,000, to live in Mumbai, with its staggering population of about 20 million, many who are impoverished well beyond the imagination of many Americans. “Mumbai is an assault on your senses,” TyAnne said. The sights, smells, sounds, and staggering condensation of humans is a complete contrast from Minnesota lake country. But the family felt immediately at home within their new school community. It was the first time that all
four of them spent each day working and studying under the same roof. They often would eat lunch together in the open air cafeteria. Fifty-two nationalities were represented at the school. “It was like the Festival of Nations every day,” said TyAnne. “The parents and students spend a lot of time on campus. It felt like a family. You have a common experience and the school becomes a gathering place.” The Rezacs often traveled on weekends or school breaks. They spent three-and-a-half weeks during their Christmas break in Bali their second year in India. They hiked in the Himalayas, floated down the backwaters of the Kerala River in southern India, saw the Taj Mahal, visited a Darjeeling tea plantation, traveled to the scenic beaches of Goa, spent time in the monasteries of Kathmandu and attended a traditional Indian wedding. The newlyweds were cousins of Jatin and Sujata Patel of Brainerd, who also were there. “Anytime we had a break, we jumped on a plane,” TyAnne said. TyAnne worked with preschool to fifth-grade students. For many, English was not their native language.“Teaching struggling readers is my passion,” TyAnne said. “It was fascinating to work with children who are multilingual.” TyAnne said she is now working at Baxter School with a couple of students who are multilingual and feels her experiences in India helped provide her with “more
tools in my toolbox” for working with multilingual students. Craig taught life science to sixthand seventh-graders, averaging about 15 students per class. He learned more about the educational benefits of integrating technology into the classroom. Craig also coached Carey’s track team. Carey competed in track meets in New Delhi and Bangladesh, and soccer in Sri Lanka. The Rezacs enjoyed India but made a decision as a family to return to Brainerd after their two-year teaching contract was over. “Carey really missed hunting and fishing and he was ready to come home,” TyAnne explained. Craig added, “And we wanted to give him a Brainerd High School experience.” It was a more difficult transition for Barrett. He was young, and all he knew about school was in India. The Rezacs have been back for one year. Will they travel abroad again to teach? “Our minds are open,” TyAnne said. “We feel very fortunate and grateful to ISD 181 to have had the opportunity to take a leave of absence and give our kids an international experience which would be impossible to replicate in any other way.”
Jodie Tweed is a freelance writer living in Pequot Lakes with her husband, Nels, and three daughters.
We Are 181 • Fall 2012
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