Behavioral differences between Soviet and American foreign language teachers are examined as a basis for improving intercultural understanding and promoting more productive work in the bicultural classroom. The observations are made by American language teachers who have known teachers from both countries as both students and peers. Specific differences are found in the areas of course organization, perceived role as teachers, classroom conduct, and professional relations. Soviet teachers are more likely to organize lessons around a portion of material while American teachers tend to design lessons around a specific guiding objective. The Soviet teacher views his role as imparting knowledge to students, while an American often sees his role as teaching students how to use skills. A Soviet teacher may interpret his own or a student's lack of knowledge on a specific topic as a weakness or lack of control, while an American teacher does not necessarily interpret lack of knowledge negatively. Soviet teachers expect rote memorization, assign large amounts of homework, translate directly, and correct freely. American teachers, on the other hand, rely much less on memorization and homework, emphasize translation of key words rather than difficult or unusual words, and focus on effort rather than accuracy. Soviet-American teaching differences find their way into textbooks and classrooms in other forms. (MSE)