My Final Week

My last week as a teaching assistant at the Deutsch-Polnisches Gymnasium in Löcknitz, Germany went by very quickly.  I went to several classes to say "good-bye" and answer any questions they might have for me about my time at their school.  I visited Frau Krumrück's 10th grade class on Monday, June 23, 8th grade class on Tuesday, 7th and 11th grade classes on Wednesday, and 9th grade class on Friday.  I also went to Frau Zarnodt's 8th grade class on Tuesday to say "farewell," and on the same day I said good-bye to my group of 7th graders.

I participated in a couple lessons during my last week, as well.  On Tuesday I visited one of Herr Hettig's 11th grade classes and participated in a discussion on gun rights, for Wednesday I prepared a final presentation for my American Culture group on the 4th of July, and on Thursday I went to Frau Zarnodt's 7th grade class to help them work on their teen magazine articles.

On Friday morning in the first break, I went to the teacher's room to say "good-bye" to all of my colleagues.  Herr Hettig said a few words and presented me with a book about Pomerania, the region I was teaching in, as well as some chocolates, and I also said a few words about how welcoming and helpful everyone was and how glad I am I had this opportunity.  Even though I am glad to be back home, I will miss my students and my day-to-day life at the school.

- Amy

Weeks 40 and 41

Most of last week I was on vacation for Pentecost, so I was off spending time with my mom, sister, sister's boyfriend, brother, and brother's girlfriend in London, as well as several cities in Germany.  We did manage to stop in at my school last Friday, however, for a tour and a presentation for my American Culture group.  My family and I put together a PowerPoint about activities we like to do in the summer, including many photos from summers past, and I think my students liked the chance to listen to my family speak.

Then this week I got back from my trip to find that my co-teacher was out for several days, so I had a light week, work-wise.  On Tuesday I met with my 7th graders, and I got to show them a teen magazine my sister had brought from the U.S.  We also played some hangman.  Then on Wednesday I met with my American Culture group.  I had these students complete a Web Quest I had created about American and Polish culture in the United States (traditions, festivals, etc.), which went pretty well.  I think the students found it really interesting, and they were engaged the activity the whole hour.  I'll have to remember that activity format for the future!

- Amy

Weeks 37-39

The past few weeks of my teaching assistantship have been much of the same routine I have gotten used to.  I have been working with my group of 7th graders and my American Culture group and visiting Frau Krumrück and Herr Hettig's classes.  I have also been meeting with the girl I tutor from the Regionalschule on a regular basis, since she was working up to a big test in her English class.

With my 7th graders, we have mostly been playing English games.  We played "Who am I?" where students tape an unknown name to their foreheads and they have to ask their classmates questions to figure out who they are, for instance.  This past Tuesday, however, I talked to their regular English teacher and found out they are starting a new theme, so we spent our time together creating a mind map about Canada.

With my American Culture group we have been watching the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, which has led us to talk about character archetypes, high school culture, and Shakespeare.  This week we also played some typical American children's games, such as...

In Herr Hettig's classroom I have been talking to one of his 11th grade classes about what it means to be British when Britain is so multicultural.  Then this week I visited his other 11th grade class, which was switching focus to the United States.  Students created mind maps around the theme of the U.S. and then presented them in front of the class.  I also got to visit his 10th grade class where I talked to a group about their favorite books.  It was great hearing about what they read, and I have added a couple new books to my to-read list!

In Frau Krumrück's classroom I watched the film version of The Great Gatsby with the 11th graders as they wrapped up their unit on the novel.  This class then started a unit on the visual arts by discussing their opinions on paintings, how many of them frequent art galleries, and which famous artists they know.  They then listened to a text about the Mona Lisa and used it as a jumping off point for a grammar exercise.

I also visited Frau Krumrück's 8th grade class to talk about school dances before they listened to a short story by Chris Crutcher about an overweight boy who is elected prom king.

One of my biggest challenges over the past couple weeks was preparing the girl that I tutor for her big English test.  It is difficult to know where to start and what would help her the most.  We ended up working on some practice tests and testing strategies, as well as doing some exercises on tenses and word order.  I feel like we're building a good relationship, and we're able to just hang out and joke now, which is great.  Here's hoping she does well on her test!

Starting Friday we have break from school for Pfingsten or Pentecost, and I'll be in London with my family!  I am so excited.

Until next time,
Amy

Weeks 35 and 36

The past two weeks I have gotten back into the swing of my teaching assistantship.  I have met with the two boys for reading tutoring, as well as my group of 7th graders.  With the 7th graders I played Hangman last week and Taboo this week, and all of the students have started participating, even one of the newer girls who is pretty shy.  I also met with my American Culture group both weeks.  Last week I introduced my group to some of my favorite children's books, including Green Eggs and Ham, Goodnight Moon, and Are You My Mother?  Then this week we started watching the movie 10 Things I Hate About You.  We got through about 30 minutes of the movie and worked through the basic plot set-up, since it is a bit complicated at the beginning.

Last week I went to Herr Hettig's two 11th grade classes a few times.  On the first day I led a discussion with one group about what it means to be British when Britain is so diverse.  Then with the second group we split the class into two groups, asking one group to brainstorm ways in which Americans are or are not humble and the other group to do the same except with Germans.  The next day I visited that same class and I led a discussion with the half of the class that talked about Americans the day before about the humbleness of Germans and Polish.  I also had each student talk about whether or not they or their family are humble, so that everyone participated.

This week I talked to the final 8th grade class about the American school system and answered all the questions they had.  I also sat in on Frau Krumrück's 11th grade class as they watched a cartoon version of A Midsummer Night's Dream and filled out a worksheet as they listened to a selection of dialogue taken from the play.

- Amy

Weeks 33 and 34

I had a slow restart coming back from Easter break, especially since we came back at the end of the week on Thursday and Friday before heading into another weekend.

The Thursday after Easter break, the 24th, was the last day for the 12th graders.  I got to school bright an early in time to see them decorating the school yard in their costumes.  They scattered paper and bottle caps (which they cleaned up later on that day) and hung up caricatures of their class teachers, including Frau Krumrück.  They also played some pranks, such as blocking off the front door with a dumpster and attacking teachers as they walked up to the school with squirt guns.

 Later on that day, the 11th graders put on a game show-type program for everyone to watch and the 12th graders were the contestants.  The theme was the "Game of Life" or "Spiel des Lebens" and the contestants were asked to drive home from the Abiball (or prom) in tiny cars, build a chair for their first apartment, and race around to take care of a crying baby.

The 12th graders then planted a tree on school grounds as their class teachers looked on.  In the end, I am so glad I got to see this part of German school life.

That Friday I filled in for Frau Krumrück's 10th grade class as they finished up reading the novel Holes.

The next week I started doing reading tutoring again after a couple weeks off, and I can definitely notice improvements in the reading fluency of these two students since we started meeting at the beginning of the school year.  I am so glad.  We met on Monday and Tuesday that week.

I also met with my group of 7th graders on Tuesday, and we played 20 Questions.  On Tuesday I also went to an 8th grade class that Frau Krumrück was filling in for, and I talked to the students about the American school system.  I talked about schedules, required classes, and extra-curricular activities, and there was some time left over for students to ask me questions.

Then on Wednesday I had my American Culture group, and we did a sort of catch-up week, talking about Earth Day and Arbor Day, as well as recycling.  I asked students to tell me a little bit about how they recycle before talking about recycling in the United States, and I think they are starting to open up and talk a bit more.  I also introduced some fun sayings and idioms I hope to continue to use with these students, and I gave them a survey I created in hopes that I could learn more about their interest in English and see if my club makes any impact on that interest.  I'll give them the same survey at our last meeting in two months.  We'll see!

- Amy

Berlin Seminar and Weeks 30-31

The last few weeks have been a bit irregular, but here is what I have been up to.

From March 24 to 27, I went to Berlin with my husband for the Fulbright Seminar.  This conference was a chance for Fulbrighters living in Germany, as well as those living in other countries and German Fulbrighters who will be traveling to the United States in the fall, to network and share their experiences.

On Sunday we got in and took a Cold War bus tour of Berlin before joining the 500 other Fulbrighters for dinner.  Monday provided panel discussions on various topics (Jesse and I attended the session on immigration issues) and an opening ceremony and reception at the University of the Arts.  On Tuesday we got to listen to Fulbrighters from other countries talk about their experiences, which was one of my favorite sessions, since it was so interesting to hear about their day-to-day lives.

Finally, on Wednesday I attended a workshop for teaching assistants.  This was the most helpful session, since we were able to share our experiences and brainstorm improvements for the program.  I was then able to present one of the projects I am working on in front of a room full of my peers.  I had only five minutes to describe the Deutsch-Polnisches Gymnasium and the ways the school works to create cultural connections between the German and Polish students.  After my group had presented, there was also a short question and answer session.  I was very nervous, but my presentation ended up going very well, and I am glad I had the chance to give a presentation at a conference.

On Thursday, the conference was officially over, and my dad was due to fly in for a visit.  Jesse and I ate breakfast, checked out of the hotel, and then walked around Berlin for a while, waiting until it was time to pick my dad up from the airport.

I came into school on an hour on Friday, March 28 with my dad and Jesse to lead my American Culture group.  I had advertised that my dad was coming, and twice as many students showed up than usual.  I had prepared a presentation about the regions of the United States, in hopes that I could introduce my students to lesser-known parts of the United States, and both Dad and Jesse helped out by talking about their home states.  I think they both had a nice time, and I think my students enjoyed listening to them speak.  One of the students even asked my dad if he was a teacher, too, because he had such a loud, clear speaking voice. 

On Sunday I met with the girl I have been tutoring and we worked on an assignment for her English class, in which she was asked to express her opinion on a topic.  Then on Monday I returned to the school with my dad and Jesse, and the new principal gave us a tour, which ended with a visit to the music room and my dad playing some tunes on the piano.

 On Tuesday, April 1 I visited Frau Krumrück's 11th grade class to talk about weapons in the United States.  Jesse came along for this lesson, since he knows more about the topic than I do.  I also met with my 7th grade group, and we played Two Truths and a Lie.  I then ran off to the train station, where I met my dad and Jesse and we left for a short trip to Berlin.  I should have been back to school on Friday, but because of the Lufthansa strikes, my dad ended up having to stay two extra days, and I stayed with him in Berlin until Saturday.

I was back in school the next week, but there still didn't seem to be much work for me to do.  Even so, it was a really fun week.  On Tuesday the 8th, I met with my group of 7th graders and we reviewed relative and context clauses.

Then on Thursday Jesse and I went to Frau Krumrück's 12th grade class.  This past week was the last full week of classes for the 12th graders and Thursday was their last English class.  When the seniors get back from Easter break, they will begin their final examinations, so they had some fun this week and had different dress-up themes each day.  Frau Krumrück also prepared a nice final lesson for them with several songs, including "The Final Countdown," which everyone joined in singing.  Jesse and I talked about high school in the United States, focusing on events such as prom and graduation and showing some pictures from when I was in high school, and Frau Krumrück also donned a graduation robe and cap that my dad had brought from the U.S. for her.

On that same Thursday, I went to Frau Gärtner's 11th grade class to give a talk on Nebraska.  She gave me the whole hour, and I was able to talk for a while and then answer students' questions on the state and on my background.  Then, in the evening, Jesse and I went with some of the teachers at my school to our partner school in Police, Poland to have an Easter dinner.  We were able to try some traditional Polish Easter dishes, such as white borscht and kielbasa.

On Friday, April 11, I wrapped up the week by going to Frau Krumrück's 9th grade English class to watch her introduction of a unit on India.  Her lesson was similar to ones I had seen before, in which she transported students to a new place by dressing up (this time in traditional Indian garb), playing music, and leading students into a separate room where she had set up an exhibition with pictures and artifacts from the target culture.  I then took the class for the last five or ten minutes and led them in an exercise while Frau Krumrück packed up the exhibition in the other room.

Finally, in the Lernzeit, I met with my American Culture group, although only three students came this time, presumably because it was the last day before Easter break.  It worked out though, because I just so happened to have brought along three packages of Peeps that I asked my dad to bring when he came to visit.  After talking about April Fools day and Easter and asking students to share their Easter traditions with me, I handed out the Peeps and wished them a happy Easter vacation.

If you want to read more about my dad's visit, you can visit my personal blog here: http://lifeinloecknitz.blogspot.de.

- Amy

Weeks 26-28

Here are some of the classes and groups I have been working with in the past three weeks:

Herr Hettig's 11th Grade: Over the past couple weeks there has been a practicum students from the University of Greifswald, Herr Stelzer, observing and conducing some lessons in the English and history departments.  I joined him in one of Herr Hettig's 11th grade classes to help students prepare for a mock debate about immigration.  The conversation began in the context of the Brixton Riots in London, but when students actually began preparing their arguments, this aspect of the assignment fell away.  Students in three separate groups (pro-immigrants, anti-immigrants, and moderator) eventually held a conversation about the topic of immigration.  I was in this classroom on the 11th (double lesson), 12th, 13th, and 18th (double lesson in which students conducted their debates).

Frau Krumrück's 12th Grade: On the 4th this class started a new topic about Urban, Suburban, and Rural Lifestyles, and I observed this class in which students first created a word cloud with terms they associate with town/city and village and then received a worksheet that asked them to determine how different statements (Transportation is terrible, it is easy to meet friends, etc.) could apply to life in both a city and a village.

I have been working with Frau Krumrück's 12th grade class a lot lately, since some students are preparing to write the English Abitur, while others have chosen not to write this portion of the test.  I often take these students who do not need to prepare for the test in a different room to have discussions or do other activities.  On the 18th I worked with these students in a double lesson.  In the first lesson we discussed the question "Do the people in your neighborhood prefer privacy or close social contacts?" and in the second lesson the students did some exercises out of a workbook.  Then on the 20th these same students had another double lesson in which they were given a list of items (health, clothing, etc.) and asked to look at each from the city, as well as the village, point-of-view.  They then got to ask me questions about where I grew up, where I prefer to live, and what I see as the advantages and disadvantages of each type of place.

Reading Tutoring: I am still working with two Polish boys on their reading fluency during the Lernzeit, although they have not been coming as frequently as in the past.  Over the past few weeks we only met on the 5th, 7th, and 13th.

American Culture Club: I started my American Culture Club last week Wednesday in the Lernzeit.  10 students came to the first meeting and 8 students came to the second meeting.  At the first meeting on the 12th I just tried to get to know the students and get a sense of what topics would interest them.  I then presented a PowerPoint I had created about high schools in the United States.  Then at the second meeting on the 19th we talked about St. Patrick's Day, since it was only a couple days past, and baseball, since Opening Day is coming up.

7th Graders (Lernzeit Group): On the 4th we worked on sentences in the Conditional I and Conditional II forms.  Then on the 11th they requested that we work on describing rooms, so I had them describe their bedrooms.  On the 18th they said that they heard there was going to be a pop quiz, so we reviewed Conditional I and II, as well as Relative Clauses.

Extra Tutoring: I have met a couple more times with the girl from the Regionalschule who wants to work on her English.  On the 6th we worked on a homework assignment she had where she was asked to design a menu for a school cafeteria and explain her choices.  For our meeting on the 7th, I prepared, at her request, a worksheet on sentence structure and the order of different sentence elements (time, place, etc.).  It was interesting learning about this in the context of English instead of German!  Then this week, on the 20th, we worked on Conditional Sentences.

Other random lessons I was able to participate in:
- Frau Krumrück's 11th grade: stereotypes and national identities (March 4th, 3rd and 4th hour)
- Frau Krumrück's 8th grade: environmentalism in California, in which I did a short presentation on environmentalism and what I learned when I was in school (March 6th, 1st and 2nd hour)
- I went to the same 8th grade class on the 20th (1st and 2nd hours) when students read a text about a boy in an immigrant family in California to give a presentation about immigration in the U.S.
- Frau Zarnodt's 7th grade: I introduced a lesson about Canada by giving a short introduction with some facts about the country

- Amy

Week 25

Last Monday I went with the 10th graders to a town called Schwedt to see a production of The Wave in English, which was done by a travelling theater company called the American Drama Group.  It was a great opportunity for the students to hear some English and watch a great production.

On Tuesday I supervised Frau Krumrück's 12th grade class while she proctored a test for the 11th graders.  She just had me do some grammar exercises with them out of a workbook, but I always enjoy spending some time with that class.  In the Lernzeit I met with my group of 7th graders and we read a text about Robin Hood.  I asked one of the girls to help me act out a couple scenes, so it was a lot of fun.

Skipping ahead to Thursday, I took a group from Frau Krumrück's 12th grade class and facilitated discussions again.  I spent the entire double lesson with the group who isn't writing the English portion of the Abitur.  The 12th graders are still working on the theme "World of Work," so in the first lesson we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of owning your own business versus working for a company.  Then in the second hour we talked about the challenged faced by women in managerial and executive positions in companies.

On Wednesday we didn't have school, because on Tuesday night our Schulleiter, or school principal, passed away.  Apparently he had cancer, but he wanted to keep it quiet, so many people did not know.  I was saddened by this news.  I had spent some time talking to the principal on several occasions, and he was always so friendly and nice to me.  He was really excited that I was at the school and interested to learn more about me and my family.  It was a shock to hear the news, and he has been in my thoughts the past few days.  A memorial has been set up by the secretary's office, and the candles are kept burning throughout the school day.

- Amy

Week 24

This week we came back from winter break, which was two weeks long.  During the winter break I met with the student from the Regionalschule for two more tutoring sessions.  I then met with her again the Monday we went back to school and on that Tuesday.  It seems like what she wants from these sessions is help with homework and occasional test preparation, so I have been helping her answer questions, write texts, and practice different grammar forms.

On the first Tuesday back, February 18, I went to Frau Krumrück's 11th grade class and watched the students give presentations about the varieties of English.  On this day students presented information about British English, Irish English, and Australian English.  I also gave a short presentation about American English, although I felt that there was so much information and so much I wanted to say, it was hard to pare everything down to a 10 minute presentation.  I really enjoyed talking about American English though.

On that same Tuesday in the 5th and 6th lessons I was in class with the 12th graders.  In the first hour the students worked on a grammar activity, but in the second hour I lead a discussion with two separate groups.  It was a bit tough because the students who aren't taking the English portion of the Abitur stayed for both groups, but I still gave the second group a couple minutes to write down key words and thoughts about the subject before we discussed.  The topic Frau Krumrück gave me was "How can the problem of high unemployment be solved?"

Finally on Tuesday I did some reading tutoring and met with my group of 7th graders in the Lernzeit.  With the 7th graders I lead a discussion about what they did during the two-week break, first having them make some notes about the topic, just as I had done with Frau Krumrück's 12th graders.

Wednesday was a little more relaxed.  I went to Herr Hettig's 11th grade English classes to talk about what makes a nation.  In both classes Herr Hettig first presented a standard definition of "nation."  Then I talked about what I think makes the United States a unified country and how it differs from the standard definition, focusing on the issue of diversity.  Students then created lists of the elements of a country (culture, traditions, sense of belonging, etc.), and I walked around the room to help.

On Thursday I led another discussion with a group of Frau Krumrück's 12th graders.  This time the theme was "Who has the greatest influence on the economy?"  I am glad the students had some great ideas about this topic, since I am no economist!  In the 5th and 6th hour Herr Hettig then requested that I take groups of students into an empty classroom and just have conversations with them in English.  We ended up talking about hobbies, hopes for the future, and a little bit about American culture when the students asked questions.

- Amy

2nd Semester

Monday the 20th of January was the start of the second semester at the Deutsch-Polnisches Gymnasium, so many of the classes I observe and help started new units.  The 11th graders are now talking about the varieties of English, for example, which a double lesson I observed on Tuesday, January 21.  I am still tutoring my group of 7th graders during the Lernzeit, and we've been talking about their favorite sports and the Olympics the past two weeks.  In Herr Hettig's 11th grade English class I helped students prepare presentations about English-speaking countries on Wednesday, January 22, and then I sat in on some of these presentations on Wednesday the following week.  Frau Krumrück's 12th graders are currently talking about the "World of Work."  I sat in on one of these lessons on Thursday the 23rd and then led a discussion the following week on Thursday about how difficult it is for young people to find jobs in our areas of Germany, Poland, and the United States.  Finally, the 8th graders are now in a unit about California, which they started in a double lesson on Thursday the 30th.

On Thursday the 23rd I got to have a conversation with a few students from one of Herr Hettig's class.  He pulled me out of the hall and asked me to come talk to them about what they would do if they saw a fight start at school or what they would do to de-escalate a situation.  We talked a little bit about the actions they should take, such as going to get a teacher for help, but apparently these girls never see fights happen at school.  I asked them why they think that is and I told them about the situation at my high school (I heard about fights, but I never saw them).  We then talked a bit about the differences between schools in Germany and the United States, as well as between Germany and Poland.  The girls told me that Poland teachers are very strict in comparison to German teachers, and that they go to the teachers from Germany at the Gymnasium when they have an issue or just need someone to talk to.  My favorite part of being a teaching assistant at this school is just being able to sit down and talk to the students.

On the last day of school before our two-week winter break, a couple of the 7th graders invited me to their Zeugnisaufgabe, or handing out of report cards.  Each student was called to the front of the room, and their class teacher gave them their report card, gave a few comments about it, and then wished them luck in their studies.  If the student had a bad grade or a grade that could simply be improved, he asked them to point to the grade on the card, so that he knew they were aware of their weaknesses, but so he didn't draw too much attention to the negatives while these students were in front of the entire class.  We then said good-bye to one of the 7th graders whose grades weren't quite good enough for him to stay at the Gymnasium.  Frau Zarnodt told me he will be going to the Regionalschule from now on.  The class speakers gave him a stuffed giraffe and some chocolates, wished him luck, and said the class would miss him.  We then spent the rest of the hour hanging out and eating sweets the students had brought.

A side note: I tutored a 9th grader from the Regionalschule in English on Monday the 27th, helping her write a text for school, but so far I haven't heard back from her about wanting to meet again, so we'll see what happens.

- Amy

Week 19

Week 19...  I can hardly believe it!

This week I went to Herr Hettig's English class to talk a bit about eating habits in the United States, which is a topic I have a lot to say about, since I love food and eating.  I also spent some time with Frau Krumrück's 11th graders as they watched "Oliver's Story," the sequel to "Love Story."  Furthermore, I played Scategories with my group of 7th graders to help them practice their vocabulary and unwind a little bit.  They might be buttering me up, but they told me that I am so cool.

I also observed a couple fun lessons in Frau Krumrück's room.  With her 7th grade class, she introduced the theme of sports by dressing up like a track star, playing "We are the Champions" and having students hold up and wave soccer scarves made out of paper.  

Soon after this lesson the 12th graders came in and Frau Krumrück introduced the topic "World of Work" in this class.  Students first discussed the question "Do you work to live or do you live to work?"  They then talked about who they would talk to to begin looking for a job and what they would need to do to prepare.  They read a text with "tips for young job seekers" and then completed a worksheet where they responded to statements about job expectations (In my job I will earn a lot of money, have a lot of vacation time, etc.).

My favorite class period of the week, however, was a 10th grade double lesson I observed.  In this class students split up into two groups depending on their home country.  I joined the "foreigner" group along with the students from Poland and one girl from Indonesia.  We went outside in front of the school, and the German students came and picked us up, introduced themselves, and then proceeded to give us a tour of the school, as if we were considering attending the school next year.  The tour had to be in English, of course, since we all spoke different languages.  While on the tour, the "foreign" students were required to also ask questions, so that they could practice their English, as well.  After the tour, we all went back to the classroom, which was set up like a long table with drinks and cookies.  One of the Polish students gave a short talk about their school and another student taught us some words in German.  We then had a discussion at the table with questions about the school and cultural differences.  Throughout this entire section, the speaker would use English, but Frau Krumrück would pretend she didn't understand English, so another student would then translate into German.  It was a lot of fun, and the students were really engaged.  In the group I was in, the students spoke only English on the tour, except when they were trying to figure out a translation, and then in the full group activity, students would switch off translating whenever someone new volunteered to try.  This is an activity I would love to do in my own classroom someday.

- Amy

Pre- and Post-Winter Break

Here are the highlights of my work (and fun) at my school during the week before winter break:

On December 16th I went to Frau Wollenberg's 8th grade class to talk a bit about Christmas in the United States.  I first presented some vocabulary and "The Christmas Song."  I then gave them a short, fun quiz about Santa, and we discussed Christmas traditions in the U.S.  Finally, I gave them some questions to use while interviewing a partner about their Christmas traditions.

I then went and helped set up in the gym for the Christmas program.

On December 17th, my husband Jesse and I took a trip to Berlin with the 11th graders.  We took a bus tour with a guide that taught us a bit about the architecture in Berlin, spent some time at Alexanderplatz, and then saw a comedian at a cabaret.

December 19th brought a repeat of my Christmas lessons for the 8th grader in Frau Krumrück's room.  This lesson, however, included some supplemental texts provided by Frau Krumrück, as well as a Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer video, and spanned two periods.

On this day the entire school also went over to the gym in the afternoon to see the Christmas program.  My school has so many talented singers, musicians, and dancers.

Finally, on December 20th, I went to the 12th grader's Christmas celebration.  We had snacks, cake, and I tried a traditional Polish Christmas dish called Krokiety, which was so delicious.  One student performed some Christmas songs on her violin and another played the accordion and then juggled.

Now we are back in school after a great two-week break.  Last week I spent some time in Frau Krumrück's 11th grade watching the movie Love Story (1970) and then giving a presentation on the most up beat topic I have covered in that class so far: traditions centered around death in the United States.  I also helped proctor the Vor-Abitur and I filled in for Frau Gärtner in her 10th grade class while she was also proctoring the exam, helping those students translate a text from German to English.  Then with my group of 7th graders, I lead a discussion about their goals for the new year, which was a lot of fun.  They are so energetic and enthusiastic!

- Amy

Week 13

This week I had the chance to Frau Krumrück's 11th grade English class and talk about various topics in relation to the United States.  Some of the topics were pretty serious, so I was a little nervous going into those class periods, but overall everything went well.

On Tuesday I went in and talked about abortion in the United States.  With all of these lessons the students first explained what they knew about the topic in Germany or Poland, so I was able to learn a bit myself, and then I jumped in and gave my input about the United States.  After reading a short text about abortion in the UK, that's how this class went.  I gave some information and statistics I had looked up the night before and I talked about about seeing displays and protests on campus.  Students then filled out a chart that asked them to imagine the consequences for various people involved (would-be father, grandparents, etc.) if a woman had an abortion or not.  Students then split up according to their beliefs and had a debate.  This was the one part of the class that was a bit uncomfortable, since there were only two students on the anti-abortion side.  However, I feel that these two students argued more convincingly than the others.  If I were doing a debate in my classroom though, I would have assigned students sides.

I visited the same class on Wednesday and talked about AIDS in the United States, sharing some statistics I looked up.  Since World AIDS Day was on December 1, I was also able to explain Obama's pledge to commit up to 5 billion dollars to the Global Fund if all other countries pledge 10 billion and the allocation of an additional 100 million dollars in the federal budget to AIDS research.  In this class period, students also listened to an interview with a teenage girl with AIDS and answered questions about the text.

Finally on Thursday I went to the lesson on gays and lesbians in society.  In this lesson, students first wrote down what they know about various subtopics (acceptance, gay marriage, adoption, etc.) and their country.  Students then shared what they wrote down.  I then explained what I knew about the situation in the United States.  Most of the information I had looked up was about same-sex marriage, but I was also able to speak a bit from personal experience.  There was some tension during this class; one student was speaking out as being non-accepting of homosexuals, and his peers who sat around him, the ones who were the most outspoken overall, were arguing with him.  It made for an interesting discussion, and it never got too out of hand, but I was worried it would.  We tackled some tough subjects this week.

Backtracking a bit, on Tuesday I also went to Frau Krumrück's 12th grade class and talked a bit about the role of the media in the United States.  I shared some statistics I found about TV, radio, newspaper, and internet use, as well as my personal experience with each type of media.  Students seemed to respond well to this conversation, and once again I got to learn a bit about Germany and Poland and how my students spend their time.  Our experiences were pretty similar, and Frau Krumrück was even surprised by how much her own students watch TV.

- Amy

Weeks 11 and 12

Here are some highlights from the last two weeks at my school:

Tuesday, December 19: I went to Frau Krumrück's 7th grade class, the class that is working on the Scotland unit, and we did some arts and crafts, putting together some paper models of Scottish buildings.  I had already put together one of each model the night before, so I was able to help the students when they ran into difficulties.

Thursday, December 21: I visited all three 8th grade classes to give them a Thanksgiving mind map assignment.  I asked them to go to the website popplet.com and create a mind map about what they already know about Thanksgiving and some words that they associate with the holiday.  I designed the activity for the online class I am taking, Planning for Instruction, and I was excited to try it out.

Tuesday, December 26: I went to one of Frau Wollenberg's 8th grade classes and facilitated some activities about Thanksgiving.  I first asked students how they liked creating the online mind map, and we put together a mind map together on the board.  Then the students used the words they had learned to do a fill-in-the-blank worksheet that would also teach them a bit about the history and celebration of the holiday.  We ended with something fun but something that still reinforced the new vocab, a word search.  The lesson went pretty well; overall, students were really engaged.

I also used this fill-in-the-blank activity with my 7th grade group, and they had some fun with it, although it was a bit more difficult for them.

Thursday, December 28: I did my Thanksgiving lesson two more times, once in Frau Krumrück's 8th grade class and once in Frau Wollenberg's other 8th grade class.  Both classes were double lessons.  In Frau Krumrück's class my lesson was interspersed with other materials she had prepared, so it was a nice co-teaching experience.  In Frau Wollenberg's class I added a conversation, asking students how they would celebrate Thanksgiving if they were in the United States, with the extra time.

I also used the fill-in-the-blank activity with one of the Polish students I tutor.  It was nice doing something other than just reading passages together.

Friday, December 29: I visited the 7th grade German grammar class I have been going to, and I turned out they were taking a test, so I wrote the test, as well.  It was unexpected, so I didn't study at all.  We'll see how I did...!

This Friday I also had a quick chat with Frau Krumrück, because I really don't know what the teachers at the school expected as far as my roll here, and I wanted to make sure I was living up to the expectations.  She didn't directly answer my question, but it sounds as if things are going alright.  She pointed out a couple classes I helped with over the past few days and indicated that I have been helpful.  She also outlined some ways I could help in the future, so I think my relationship with the school is doing alright.

- Amy

Week 10

This week I did some more reading tutoring and I worked again with my group of 7th graders.  They had a test coming up, and they weren't sure exactly what would be on the test, but they said they had been learning about London sites, so we read a text about the two Queen Elizabeths, and I made sure to point out every London site that was mentioned in the text!

On Wednesday I went to two of Herr Hettig's 11th grade English classes and talked about about different types of graphs.  I had to do a bit of research for this one, but it turned out well.  Herr Hettig then had the students to brainstorm topics that they could survey their fellow students about and make their own graph.

I also went to Herr Hettig's 9th grade history class, and Jesse met me there!  We team-taught about the pioneers.  It was so nice having someone fill in when I had a gap in thought and nothing to say in that moment, especially since history is not my strong point.

On Thursday I went and observed Frau Zarnodt, who is doing her Referendariat at the school, give a grammar lesson to a 7th grade class.  She was also being observed by a couple people from her university and her mentor at the Gymnasium.  The lesson was about the second conditional, and she presented the form in conjunction with information about the Lock Ness Monster, so students could say things like, "If I saw Nessie, I would take a picture."  It was a fun lesson, and it was interesting sitting in on the discussion afterwards with the observers.

Then on Friday, after sitting in on another 7th grade German grammar lesson, I went and observed Frau Krumrück teach her introduction lesson on Scotland.  She used a couple great activities that I'm going to steal in the future.  One of them is the memory game she posted up on the board with magnets.  Each card/picture also had a number written underneath, so students had to practice numbers as they took turns playing.  This is such a great idea that could be used for so many different topics.  The other activity is the trip to Scotland she had the students take.  She had all the students go to another room and there, laid out on the tables, were postcards, pictures, newspaper articles, and souvenirs from her trip (or trips) to Scotland.  It was a lot of fun.

- Amy

Week 9

Week 9...  Can you believe it?  The time has gone so fast, and I am starting to feel like I am in a groove at my school, which is both a positive and a negative.  It's good, because I am feeling very comfortable in my position.  It's not so good, because I don't want to get into a rut.  My goals for the next few weeks are to offer to teach a Thanksgiving lesson in the English classes and to observe more teachers.

This week I did some more reading tutoring.  I have noticed that these two Polish students are getting better at English pronunciation and that their reading fluency is improving.  I would like to do some research on techniques to improve reading fluency and help these students even more.

I also met for the second time with my group of 7th grade students during Lernzeit on Tuesday.  This week we worked on the present perfect (I have gone, I have seen, etc.), since that is what they told me they were working on in their English class.  I would like to prepare some fun lessons for these students, as well.

On Tuesday I also taught a 7th grade lesson for Frau Krumrück while she was administering a test.  I was given materials by Frau Krumrück and just asked to present them, so I am not writing my own lessons yet, but it was nice being able to teach.  We started with a word search, did some grammar, and then did a listening activity before I gave students some work time.  The class period was up and down, sometimes students payed attention and were engaged, but sometimes it got a little too much to handle.  I am still working on my classroom management, as I feel this is my weakest point as a teacher.  I think I have some good role models here at the school, though, so hopefully I will learn a lot this year.

I attended another history class this week and talked about the Constitution and patriotism again.  I also visited a 12th grade class to help administer a test.  At the end of this class period there was some time left, so I introduced myself and answered a couple questions.

On Friday I observed a 7th grade German grammar class.  This is something I want to make a habit of, because I know I will learn a lot from these classes.  On this day they were reviewing the parts of the sentence and the different cases in German.  I took a lot of notes.  Although I understood what they were talking about, a lot of the information is presented differently in the United States.  For example, when I learned German I was presented the cases in this order: nominative, accusative, dative, genetive.  In the classes I've observed so far, however, students learn the cases in this order: nominative, genetive, dative, accusative.  It's interesting to me as a grammar nerd!

- Amy

Grundschule am See

Last week started out just like any other week for me at the Deustch-Polnisches Gymnasium.  On Monday I introduced myself and answered questions in a 7th grade class and two 9th grade classes.  On Tuesday I did the same in an 8th grade class, observed a 9th grade class, and then worked on reading with the Polish students.  On Wednesday I went to one of Herr Hettig's English classes to talk about my beliefs about the purpose of school and the differences between schools in Germany and the United States as far as preparing students for the future.  I then did some reading tutoring before going back to Herr Hettig's room for the 9th grade history class I have talked to a couple times before.  That day they were discussing the Constitution.

This history lesson did not go very well for me.  I do not have a vast knowledge of history, American or otherwise, but even so I was asked to talk about the Constitution without having anything prepared.  I did my best, but I still ended up feeling a bit embarrassed.  One thought led to another, and by the end of the day I was feeling like I was not fulfilling my purpose here at the school.

However, all that changed on Thursday when I had the chance to visit the grade school.  I visited two 4th grade classes, and I left feeling refreshed and re-energized, knowing that I was helping out here after all.

In the first 4th grade class I visited, I stood up in front of the class and students took turns asking me questions in English, the questions they have learned by this point, since they have only had English one year so far.  Their teacher then allowed them to ask me questions in German.  In the second class, we all sat in a circle, and I first had a chat with the teacher in German about my time here so far, and then each student asked me a question in English.  They were allowed to repeat a question a previous student had said, just as long as they asked one question in English, so I ended up answering the question "What is your name?" several times.

I then went back to that first 4th grade class and observed their English lesson.  They were drawing a witch's house based on a book they had read previously.  This drawing didn't seem to have much of a purpose in the hour I was there, since students were simply drawing a house based on the teacher's instructions, but perhaps the picture will be used at a later time for another purpose.

Finally, I stayed and watched this class have their art lesson, as well.  They were painting a fall scene with colorful trees.  Both during the English lesson and this lesson, I noted how precisely students needed to follow the teachers' instructions in order for their work to be considered successful.

The next day, Friday, I went back to the grade school for a few hours.  I went into the last 4th grade class and observed a grammar lesson.  I answered questions from a 3rd grade class about Halloween in the United States.  Then, in the third hour, the principal of the school then took me into another 3rd grade class and I answered students' questions in English and German the entire hour.  The principal, Frau Erdmann, was so sweet and patient to the students, which was really nice to see after observing a couple really strict teachers.

At the Gymnasium on Friday, I helped out with a Halloween lesson in Frau Zornodt's class.  I introduced the lesson, giving a brief history of Halloween, as well as telling the students about Halloween in the United States.  Frau Zornodt then introduced a stations activity, in which students were asked to translate a Halloween recipe, write a scary story, and write an acrostic poem, among other activities.  This lesson also helped me feel like I was helping out at the school.

It got even better this week.  I went back to the grade school and helped out with a 2-hour Halloween lesson in one of the 4th grade classes, a lesson that included decorating cookies to look like monsters.  I also observed a lesson in a 2nd grade class in which students first practiced writing and then built reading huts in which to read the books they brought with them that day.

Die Lesehuette

At the Gymnasium I not only helped tutor the Polish students in reading (and continued to see progress!), but also during this Lernzeit, I met for the first time with a group of 7th graders I will be meeting with once per week from now on.  During this review time, we practiced the present progressive.  We first conjugated "to be," and then I had students answer questions, such as "What are you doing after school?" and "What am I doing right now?" accompanied, of course, but amusing charades by yours truly.  A couple students told me afterward that it was a fun lesson.

Well, that ended up being a really long post, but I hope you can see how much fun I had at the grade school, and how things are seeming to get better for me as a teaching assistant.  I hope I get a call to go back to the grade school next week.  I have also been asked by Frau Krumrück to teach a lesson in one of her classes next week, so I am looking forward to that!

- Amy

Klassenfahrt nach Kamminke

This past week my husband, Jesse, and I went on the 8th grade class trip to a youth hostel in Kamminke near the Baltic Sea.  I was a little bit nervous about the idea of going on this trip and being partially responsible for sixty 8th graders, but we ended up having a really nice, and really tiring, time.  Many of these students already knew each other from 7th grade, but a few were new to the school, and this trip was a chance for everyone to get to know their classmates, and it was a great opportunity for me to get to know some of my new students.

On Monday we arrived at the school around 8:30 and got onto the bus.  Two and a half hours later we arrived in Kamminke, got our rooms, and had a teachers meeting to review the schedule for the week.  Then it was time for lunch.  After lunch the students played games to get to know each other and break the ice a bit.  We then took a walk down to the Kamminker Hafen (harbor) before dinner.  After dinner Jesse and I went back to our room and I watched some German TV and got to bed early.

Tuesday began with breakfast and a walk to the Golm War Cemetary.  The students were charged with filling out a worksheet as they walked around the cemetery.  They were then given some information about a particular person buried there, and they were asked to summarize the information and present it to their classmates.  This was a tough excursion, as I was starting to notice the students who had a tendency to act out to impress their friends.  It was difficult getting everyone to listen up to the presentations, and at this point I was also unsure how much of a supervisory role I had on this trip, so I didn't want to overstep my bounds.

After lunch we took a bus to Ahlbeck on the Baltic Sea and walked through the town and along the beach to Heringsdorf.  Jesse and I were often surprised on this trip how much autonomy the 8th graders were given, and this excursion was no exception.  Students were given free reign around the town until the designated meeting time, and they were also asked to find their way back to the train station themselves.  Of course, some of them were late, but overall it went surprisingly well.

On Tuesday evening after dinner Jesse and I went over to the recreational room to see what the students were up to in their free time.  We ended up playing one game of Foosball and hours worth of table tennis.  I had never played table tennis before, but by the end I was feeling pretty comfortable with the game.  It was also fantastic getting to know some of the students a little better, and I think they liked seeing me have fun and make a fool of myself!

It ended up being really good that Jesse and I were there to keep an eye on the students, because elsewhere the teachers were doing room checks.  They did find some contraband, and some students had to call their parents and explain the situation.  After 10:00, which is the time that all students needed to be in their rooms, Jesse and I walked around, broke up parties, and herded students into their rooms.  It was tough, because there was so much gossiping and drama going around, but eventually things started quieting down and we headed off to bed ourselves.

Wednesday was a day spent at the youth hostel.  In the morning, students listened to a presentation about youth during Nationalsozialismus.  Again, it was tough to keep the students attentive; many of them were passing notes or just falling asleep.  Then in the afternoon students participated in a ropes course.  It was fun watching them go from trying to complete the course individually to working together as a team.  Once they had completed the course (whenever someone touched the ground, everyone in the entire group had to go back), they identified teamwork as being an important quality that helped them be successful.  Dinner was a grill-out, and then Jesse and I went and played Tischtennis again for a couple hours.  Jesse also wowed some of the students with his card tricks and explanations of his life in Nebraska.

We ended the night with another patrol to make sure students were where they needed to be, but it went quickly this time around.  I was also pleasantly surprised that the students seemed to be listening to me when I asked them to get to their rooms.  I had found my place as a supervisor on the trip, and I felt like I was doing a good job.  The teachers also mentioned later how much of a help Jesse and I were in this area.

Thursday was my favorite day, because I got to ride a bike for the first time in 12 years!  I was a little nervous, but riding a bike really does seem to be something you don't forget how to do.  We all rode together to Swinemünde in Poland, and then the students were given time to go on a Fotosafari and take pictures of certain locations in the Altstadt.  We had pizza for lunch and then had a little more free time in the town.  The plan was to ride down to the beach, but unfortunately the rain was only getting worse, so we just rode back to the youth hostel.

After dinner, the students had a Discoabend.  It was funny seeing this middle school dance in action, because so many of the students didn't want to dance or only danced for a couple songs.  The dance ended up petering out a little early, so Jesse and I put on some of our own music and hung out with a couple students who wandered in after that.

The next day we cleaned up our rooms and headed back to Löckntiz.  Jesse and I were really excited to get some sleep when we got back to our apartment, but other than being worn out, we were glad we were able to go on this trip.  I felt like I got to know these students a bit better and I was able to establish my role in the group fairly well.  I also have so many wonderful memories of the trip, since it was also nice for me from a travel perspective.  I got to go to Poland and a couple towns on the Baltic Sea.  I have already been asked if Jesse and I want to go with the 11th graders to Berlin in November or December, so I have another trip to look forward to!

- Amy

Weeks 3 and 4

The past two weeks I have been doing more observing, more introductions, and answering more questions in various classes around the school.  Frau Krumrück wanted me to get to know each class before I began focusing my time on the 11th and 8th graders.

23. September: I observed Frau Krumrück's 7th grade class.  I also sat in on Frau Wollenberg's 8th grade class, introduced myself, and answered questions for a bit.  On a more interesting note, I started working with two Polish students (one who comes to the Lernzeit regularly, and another who comes less regularly) on reading.  Frau Krumrück asked me to simply have them read texts to me, correct their pronunciation, and then have them read the text again, but I am wondering if I could look into better methods to help them.  Perhaps this could be a research project in the future!

24. September: I worked with the two Polish students again today.

25. September: I saw the Polish student who comes regularly (Marvin) during Lernzeit again today.  Some of the words we have been working on are starting to stick, which makes me happy.   I also introduced myself and answered questions in Frau Krumrück's 9th grade class.

26. September: I went to Frau Wollenberg's same 8th grade class today to observe.  The class was working on the present perfect progressive, so I learned a little bit about English grammar, too!

27. September: I sat in on Frau Krumrück's 7th grade class as they corrected their homework and did a listening comprehension test.

Some general notes from this week: Many, if not all, of the teachers I have observed seem to teach grammar without much of a context.  I have seen a lot of grammar worksheets.  The teachers here also tend to be blunter than American teachers to the point where I begin to wonder if they are being too mean or not.

30. September: This was an interesting day in Frau Krumrück's classroom.  She began the 2-hour lesson with an activity in which we wrote down 4 items that we would take with us if we were to move to another country.  We then got into groups and then had to decide on one 4-item list between the 4 of us.  My group was pretty quiet, and it was tough to get them to speak English to me.  Frau Krumrück then gave a lesson on the Statue of Liberty, beginning with a song called "Back in the New York Groove".  She even dressed the part in a green blanket and a Statue of Liberty foam hat.  It was a fun lesson, but the different parts didn't quiet go together.  There were too many elements, from a discussion of the homework about American vs. British English to a text about immigrants.

I then met with the Polish student, Marvin.  Finally, I went up to Herr Hettig's room by request, and he asked that I take three 11th grade students outside and have a discussion about the theme that they are working on: adolescence and independence.  We ended up just chatting about the differences between the American and German school systems, as well as differences between Germany and Poland.  Herr Hettig told me later that these students are the best in this particular English class, so he feels like they are bored and not reaching their full potential sitting in class.

1. October: I was picking Jesse up from the airport, so I wasn't in class.

2. October: After working with Marvin for a bit on reading, I went to Herr Hettig's history class again.  This time his class was discussing the Constitution, so I was asked to talk about patriotism in the United States.  It was a fairly interesting discussion, and I learned that Polish people tend to be more patriotic than Germans.  I then stayed for another hour in Herr Hettig's classroom, an 11th grade class, and he asked me to start a discussion about this theme of adolescence.  I had no idea where to begin, it was pretty spontaneous, but I think I did a pretty good job of keeping the conversation going by asking questions about the differences between the United States and Germany.  We ended up talking a lot about prom, homecoming, and school spirit.

This was a short week, so I had Thursday (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) and Friday off to spend with Jesse.

I hope I will begin teaching lessons soon.  I plan on talking to Frau Krumrück after fall break if nothing changes by then.

- Amy

Week 2 - Wir sind bunt!

This week was a special week at my school.  On Monday I simply went into a 10th grade class, listened to the grammar instruction, introduced myself and answered questions again.  However, Tuesday through Thursday the school celebrated the theme "Wir sind bunt!" (formerly "Bunt statt braun") with three days of projects and presentations.  Some students did art, others music, still others theater.  I sat in on a Handarbeit class (basically, arts and crafts).  We made coloful pompoms and cords out of string that we turned into decorations for the hall and the sign out in front of the school.  The first day I spent with a group of 10-12 graders and the second day I hung out with 7-9 graders.  I also had a chance to look around at the other projects, such as the artwork.  Then, on Thursday, a stage was setup in the courtyard, and the students presented their dances, skits, and songs.  There was also a food table called the "Internationale Meile" set up.  It was so much fun, and I was glad to have the chance to get to know some of the students a bit better.

On Thursday I also had a nice chat with a 12th grader at the school, a Polish student.  I asked her if students personally chose to come to this Polish-German school or if their parents encouraged them to do so.  She said that most of the time it is the students' own decision, that they want to go to the school.  She also explained to me that at the end of their time at the Gymnasium, the Polish students recieve diplomas not only from Germany, but also from Poland, but that this school is not any more work than going to school in Poland.  It was such a nice conversation, and I was able to learn a lot about the situation at the school.

- Amy