At the end of World War II, Slovenia was taken over by communist forces. Fleeing from the communist take-over, many Slovenians became refugees and left Slovenia to find better shelter. According to dictionary.com, refugees are “people who flee for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country as in time of political upheaval or war.” Among the Slovenian refugees were math teacher Janez Arko and his family.
“My family left the country of Slovenia at the end of World War II because they were fleeing from the communists who were taking over,” Arko said. “They had to walk about 150-200 miles all the way up to Austria to the refugee camp.”
Arko was born after his family arrived in the refugee camp. The camp that they stayed in was called the “United Nation’s refugee camp.”
“The camps were like little towns basically,” Arko said. “People would set up schools and people would run businesses and all kinds of things like that. They were okay, but they were not [under] the greatest conditions. At least initially, they would live in tents and things, and then I guess as time went on, things got a little bit better.”
Although Arko cannot remember much about the camp itself because he was too young, he thinks that it still has an impact on his life and his family’s life as a whole.
“I wouldn’t be here if we were not in the refugee camp,” Arko said. “Also, that’s how [my family] survived the communist take-over.”
According to Arko, the camp was a temporary shelter. So, after staying there for about two-and-a-half years, Arko’s family decided to leave on a boat with other refugees.
“We were supposed to go to Argentina and, for some reason, the boat ended up in New Orleans,” Arko said. “Then, from New Orleans, they accepted us and we went to Colorado for about a year and a half, and then came to Joliet for a year and a half, and then to Chicago. We came here by mistake so to speak.”
Adapting into a new environment was not easy for Arko’s family.
“It was obviously very difficult because my parents didn’t speak any English,” Arko said. “Life was not easy for them. But eventually, like all immigrants, they learned enough of a language so that they were able to survive.”
Arko himself did not have trouble learning English because he was still young when he came to the States. About 20 years later, Arko discovered an interest for teaching.
“I was in college and I remember I started to do some tutoring,” Arko said. “Then there was a call from a high school in Chicago that needed a teacher quickly, anybody or anything, just to fill in the gap. So I went there, filled in the gap and I said, ‘Well, I’ll just become a teacher.’ So then I went and got my credentials and things, and that was it.”
Currently at GBS, Arko teaches AP Statistics, Pre-Calculus with Discrete Mathematics and Calculus. He is also the Freshmen B soccer coach and one of the coaches with the Math Team. For Arko, being with the kids is the best part about being a teacher.
“Because they are young, there’s so much energy in the classroom always, and that’s enjoyable,” Arko said. “I try to be understanding. I try to keep a lighter atmosphere in the classroom for the most part. I try to make sure that if kids need help, they do get help. The plan for 2012 is to get through the curriculum, make sure that the kids all learn, and are successful.”
