First Week Experiences

This week I officially started my position as a teaching assistant at the Deutsch-Polnishces Gymnasium in Löcknitz.  According to the information we received at orientation, we should spend the first couple weeks in our schools observing classes and preparing to start teaching.  However, my teachers got me up in front of the class right away, not teaching full lessons, but definitely active.  For the most part, I felt pretty confident, since I have teaching experience.  The only time I felt pangs of nervousness was when I taught a random history lesson in a 9th grade class (my grasp of American history is not that great).  At least my lesson was in English!

In most classes, I simply introduced myself and answered questions the student had about the United States.  I did this in two of Herr Hettig's 11th grade English classes.  One class was very curious, asking all sorts of questions from "You can't drink until you're 21...  So do teenagers not drink at all?" to "Wait, the highest speed limit you've ever seen is 75 mph/120 kmp?!"  That class period was a lot of fun, and tiring!  

The other 11th grade class was more reserved, at least when talking to me (they were pretty talkative amongst themselves) and the hour felt longer than an hour.  I tried keeping the conversation going by pointing out the differences between restaurants in Germany and the U.S., as well as mentioning the driving age and drinking age, but most of the students seemed to be checked out.

The most fun was when I introduced myself to Frau Krumrück's 8th grade English class.  We talked a lot about food and music.  Also, just like in the first 11th grade class I visited, all of the Polish students wanted to know what I knew about Poland and if I had ever been there.  I reassured them that I would visit at some point or another, and impressed them with probably the only Polish phrase I know, "dzień dobry."

I also introduced myself to Frau Krumrück's 11th grade class, although this did not last the entire period, as my other introductions did.  Instead, we spent the rest of the class talking about a story the students had read called "Walk Proud, Be Proud" about a young African American girl experiencing a woman feeling sorry for her for racial/class reasons.  I listened to the students read their summaries, and Frau Krumrück had me make comments on the content and the grammar.  I then talked a bit about my views on the story.

During this lesson where I was asked to talk about the state of the relationship between races in the United States, as well as when I introduced myself and answered students' questions, I was struck by how I was expected to represent and answer for the United States as a whole.  I had heard that I would be expected to do this, but even so, it surprised me.  I made sure to let each class know that I was only speaking from my own experience in the Midwest, and that the United States is so varied that I couldn't possibly answer for every single American.

In addition to these classes, I also listened to a couple students from Frau Krumrück's 11th grade English class give presentations about their exchange experiences in the U.K. and Thailand, and I went into Frau Zornodt's 7th grade class to help with a Station Activity the students were doing.  I sat in the back and students came to me to correct worksheets as they finished each one.  (The 7th graders were also so much fun!  Their eyes shined when I told them they did a good job.)

Overall, I had a lot of fun this week, and I am really looking forward to this year of teaching.  Frau Krumrück, Herr Hettig, Frau Gaertner, and I sat down on Thursday to start discussing where I would be when, and we decided that I would spend much of my time with the 11th graders, as well as the 8th graders, since this is the year they learn about the United States specifically.  After I helped out in Frau Wollenberg's class, she also mentioned that she would like me in her class every once in a while, so I am sure I will have plenty to do between those four teachers!

- Amy