Four Minnesota teachers, in­cluding Paul Tuszynski of RTR, recently returned fromTurkeyafter spending two weeks study­ing the country through the Turkish Cultural Foundation’s (TCF) Teacher Study Tour pro­gram, sponsored and organized by TCF in collaboration with the World Affairs Council of America and its nationwide chapters.

The teachers, fromChaskaHigh School, Jefferson Elemen­tary in New Ulm, Washburn High School in Minneapolis and Tuszynski, will now start to work with the Minnesota Inter­national Center to develop les­son plans about Turkey for their classrooms, as well as a Fall 2012 Portraits of Turkey event series for the public. The teachers were part of a group of 26 teachers to take part in the third of three Study Tour trips this summer.

“Turkey has bewitched me — mind, body and soul,” said Me­gan O’Reilly of Washburn High School in Minneapolis. “I have learned so much about the coun­try and culture that my class­room will never be the same and the experiences I’ve had will live with me forever.”

During their time in Turkey, the teachers met with fellow teach­ers and students, learning about the Turkish edcational system at various schools including Dar­ussafaka, a school for orphaned children, the Terakki Foundation School in Istanbul and the Atakoy Elementary School in the village of Karacasu. The latter school has been adopted and is being supported by visiting American teachers from this and previous TCF Study Tours.

The teachers visited numer­ous cities and villages across the country, beginning in Istanbul, where they toured famous his­torical sites such as the Hagia So­phia, the Blue Mosque, the Spice Bazaar and theTopkapiPalace.

Other highlights of the trip in­cluded a visit to Bursa, the first capital of the former Ottoman Empire, where the teach­ers learned shadow pup­pet techniques to share with their students, and a trip toEphesus, where they toured the site of the Celsus Library, one of the richest libraries in the an­cient world when built in 117 A.D. The teachers also visited the archeological excavation of Catalhoyuk, a 7,000-year-old Neolithic settlement, and toured the Cappadociaregion, known for its famed land­scapes and ancient cave churches. Catalhoyuk just has been listed as a UNES­CO World Heritage site.

With the return of the three tours this summer, TCF will have introduced 422 American educators to the history, culture and landmarks of Turkey since 2007. As part of the same collaborative program, nearly 3,000 teachers across the United Stateshave attended education­al workshops on Turkey held by local World Affairs Councils.