“Let’s Celebrate Together!” Celebration and Education Hand in Hand

Type of Abstract (select): Individual Presentation

Abstract (max. 250 words):
The annual 2026 AMIT conference, “Let’s Celebrate Together!”, takes celebration as a pedagogical lens inspired by two major anniversaries: the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution and the 250th anniversary of American–Hungarian relations. In line
with AMIT’s motto, “We put the pieces together,” the presentation examines how celebration in general can strengthen identity and community among students across all educational levels in the diaspora. Celebration is conceptualized as a dynamic learning environment that fosters cultural continuity, intergenerational connection, and meaningful participation. The presentation highlights differentiated instructional strategies tailored to students’ diverse linguistic, cultural, and motivational backgrounds. Examples include craft- based learning, folk dance, recitation, drama pedagogy, theatre, and music-based approaches. Emphasizing the importance of parental and community involvement, the presentation argues that celebratory pedagogy can serve as a unifying framework that integrates cultural heritage with contemporary educational practice, includes neurodiverse
students, and engages participants with low language proficiency, ultimately aiming to create a practical and adaptable model for strengthening community, identity, and engagement within the American–Hungarian diaspora.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Katalin Petreczky was born and raised in Hungary and studied at the University of
Debrecen and Bielefeld University in German language teaching, Germanistics, and
pedagogy. She currently lives on Long Island, New York. She served as teacher and
principal for many years at the Arany János Hungarian School in Manhattan. Katalin
teaches German as a foreign language at the Deutsche Sprachschule Long Island, where she also served on the board of directors, and teaches German and Hungarian
as foreign languages at the JPLI Language Institute. She is the founding co-president
of AMIT (American Hungarian Schools Association), where she edits the newsletter, reports at diaspora forums, and organizes workshops, webinars and conferences.