Teacher Without Borders

A New Jersey retiree aids in the recovery of a war-torn nation, one student at a time.

The thought of teaching in a country ravaged by war would turn most stomachs, but it’s where retired history teacher Charles “Chuck” Reinhardt (New Jersey Retirees’ Education Association) feels in his element. Since 2001, the former Highland Lakes educator has been teaching sociology, American pop culture, ethics, and conflict resolution in Bosnia.

“It was just horrible, the ethnic cleansing that went on there,” Reinhardt says. “I wanted to help these people and prevent it from ever happening again.” His classes at Zavadovi´ci School blend Serbian, Croatian, and Muslim students in the hopes of stifling the hate and prejudice that claimed lives in the Bosnian War of the mid-1990s.

After teaching for 30 years in U.S. public schools, Reinhardt noticed major differences between American students and his Bosnian pupils. “After school there you sit down in the café, they sit down [and] converse, ask you questions,” he says. “There, socializing with your elders is acceptable, encouraged. You really get a good insight into the kids.”                           

 —NATALIE MCGILL