Since he was a youngster, Michael Raymer wondered what it would be like growing up in a Communist country.

He finally got an opportunity to find out from people who had experienced that lifestyle first hand when he visited Russia as a participant in the National Council on Economics Education (NCEE) Study Tour on Economic Education in Russia.

Just back from his 10-day tour of the country, Raymer is anxious to share what he learned with his students and colleagues about Russia’s transitioning economy. He describes the trip as “the best 10 days of my life” with the highlight being his visit to two schools while in Nizhniy Novgorod. He sat in on three economic lessons delivered by teachers who had gone through training sponsored by the National Council. He says the Russian students reminded him of his own classes.

“The whole time I was watching the lessons I could not stop thinking how similar the students were to my students. They may have spoken a different language but they really got into the lessons, same as my students,” Raymer says. “It was also good to see the Russian teachers delivering such fantastic lessons on free market economies. Just a few years ago the thought of this would have been absurd.”

Raymer used every moment of his trip to absorb as much as possible about what he saw and experienced so that he could enlighten others back home about the Russian culture and economy. Although Russia and the United States differ on many levels, Raymer learned that Russians and Americans share some commonalities.

“The Russian people are the most giving and generous people I have ever met. The teachers work very hard to help their students understand the importance of free market systems and the Russian students have the same goals and dreams as American students” he explains.

Raymer also came back with a greater appreciation of the U.S. economy, which many Americans take for granted. Raymer says one huge difference between the Russian and U.S. economy is the approach to customer service. Here the customer is always right and service is generally geared toward pleasing the customer.

“Russian customer service, on the other hand, often times felt very inefficient and slow. Small purchases often times took a very long time to make,” he describes.

Raymer’s experiences have prompted him to develop a number of new lessons on both transitioning economies and the failures of command economies. He says he is incorporating real world examples of the reasons for the failure of communist systems into his revamped lessons.

“My students will benefit greatly from my trip because they will get to hear from someone who has seen with his own eyes the advantages and disadvantages of a transitioning economy,” says Raymer.

The Study Tour on Economic Education in Russia was conducted by the NCEE and funded through the Cooperative Education Exchange Program in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of State. Raymer says these programs are important in helping to educate people about the benefits of living in a market economy versus a command economy.

“As citizens of these countries become more productive they in turn will be able to demand more goods and services produced here in the United States, thus increasing our trade abilities. The world will be a safer place as more countries embrace freedom and turn away from authoritarian rule. It’s a win-win situation for everyone,” says Raymer.

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