Whew, it's been a busy week! Yesterday was our last day of student teaching in Hamburg, and today Gabrielle, Kelly, and I flew to Rome, Italy! I was really sad to leave my host family and Hamburg, which now feels like a second home, but I am thrilled to be traveling with two of my best friends through Italy! We will visit Rome, Cinque Terre, Milan, and Venice. I will most likely not be blogging a whole lot (if any) while in Italy because we have a full schedule planned and limited WiFi, but I look forward to sharing more about my experiences in Germany as well as Italy when I return!
On Easter morning our group met early for a day trip to Potsdam, a name that many recognize from the Potsdam Conference. It was such an enjoyable day. We spent the beginning of our trip learning the rich history behind several of Potsdam's beautiful castles and taking a walking tour with Thomas around the town. Along our tour we found a replica of Temple of Love in the Gardens of Versailles, which was the same model used for the Old Well in Chapel Hill! While wearing sandals on cobblestone streets was not the best of my decisions, I really enjoyed this tour. Even during the long walking stretches of the tour, as Potsdam as fairly spread out, the scenery was beautiful. Interesting fact: Frederick the Great was buried next to his dogs, for he was not particularly fond of his wife. Many people place potatoes on his grave because one of Frederick the Great's major accomplishments during life was the introduction of potatoes to Germany. He made a huge deal out of making potatoes a part of Germany, even traveling to other towns to pass out potatoes, and it apparently worked. Potatoes are now a staple crop in Germany. Thus, people put potatoes on his grave! After seeing many of the castles and historical sights, our group of 16 made our way on to a bus to explore the town. Markets filled the streets, and people sat outside all over the town. Cafés lined the streets. Overall, I just found the entire town to be adorable. We stopped for lunch at a little Italian restaurant, and I ordered my first pizza of the trip! More of that to come in Italy. :) After lunch several people went back to Berlin, but a group of us decided to stay and explore the town a little more. I am so glad we did! We shopped the markets for a little while and wondered around looking for "important landmarks." Eventually we decided to sit down and get a coffee or ice cream, and this turned into my FAVORITE part of the day. We literally sat there teaching Matthias American slang words/abbreviations and discussing the meaning of "Blurred Lines" (which he thought the words were "coooool cattt"). He taught us "by da" for "by the way," and asked us why Americans say things we do not mean. Exhibit 1: "Let's catch up soon!"... and never calling. Guilty. The entire conversation was hilarious and ended with us "dying" (laughing) and Matthias looking for a "rando" to take a picture. We didn't take very many pictures, but a few from the afternoon: Sunday night turned into quite an adventure. The plan was to get dinner, grab a drink, and go to bed early. What actually happened: dinner, a drink at an Italian restaurant... tequila, and six Americans, one German, and possibly a few waiters dancing to the YMCA at 1:00AM. Things I learned on Sunday night: 1. Apparently it's a thing in Germany for a waiter to bring your table a round of shots if it looks like you are having a good time and laughing a lot. I can get on board with that. 2. Americans get very excited when they hear "Sweet Home Alabama" in an Italian restaurant in Berlin, Germany. 3. A restaurant will stay open late for you and encourage more beers if they enjoy your presence. 4. Going around the table to describe one another using words and phrases can bring a lot of happiness to a group. Also, if you play with a German, your word might be "loves Justin" (as in your voice sounds like Britney Spears - me) or "slithers like a snake" (smooth - Gabrielle). 5. Hostel dance parties are underrated, and Kelly Tessitore has the best behind the bar dance moves ever. 6. Matthias will not let you use his bathroom. He will, however, laugh (DIE) while you unsuccessfully try to unlock the door. Needless to say, we slept in a little on Monday morning. Once we were up and checked out, we brought our luggage to Central Station to store it in a locker for the day. We had about 5 more hours in Berlin to explore. The first thing we did was check out the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which is a memorial composed of many differing sizes of concrete slabs. As I explored this memorial, I honestly was very confused about the meaning. After talking with my peers though, we realized that the design is meant to give an uneasy, confusing feel. I think it'd be really interesting to discuss interpretations of this memorial with people from around the world. After visiting this memorial, we took some time to re-visit a few of the standing pieces of the Berlin Wall. There is graffiti all over the wall, and I thought it was really interesting to see some of the messages that were written on the wall. Afterwards we decided to make our way to Alexanderplatz since we never made it there the day before. I loved this area - there was a huge market with different clothing, food, and antique items. In the middle of the market, there was a stage with live music! I ended up buying two beautiful scarves.
After walking around for a bit, we were starting to get hungry. Before coming to Berlin we were told that we MUST try döner. I am one of those people that has to try something once it has been put on the "must do" list, so döner for lunch it was! Döner is a famous Berlin food, which is sliced, seasoned meat served inside a sandwich with vegetables. Although it is known as being a Turkish food, we were told that it actually was invented in Berlin. When we said that we had never heard of this food before, people were absolutely shocked. It is so popular here in Germany... and I can see why! It was delicious! We spent the rest of our time in Berlin relaxing by the river, and I left feeling very satisfied with my experiences and memories from the weekend. :) We had an AMAZING time in Berlin over Easter weekend. I loved the city. It was historic, fun, relaxing, and perfect for a group of students on a "vacation from vacation." The tourist guide described the city as "atmospheric," which we laughed about a little bit, but it really did have an amazing atmosphere and gave off great vibes. We spent days exploring and wondering through the history and beauty of the city and nights with friends in the neighborhoods of the city, claiming almost every random event that happened as #classicberlin. It definitely was more touristy than Hamburg, making me glad that we are living and teaching in Hamburg, but it was a great city to visit. I can't wait to go back one day! After dropping our stuff off at our hostel, Friday started with a walking tour led by Thomas, who was extremely entertaining and informative! I was really impressed with the tour. We started outside the famous Bradenburg Gate, the former city gate and current symbol of both Germany's tumultuous history and European's unity and peace. We continued the tour, visiting the place where the Berlin Wall once stood, Reichstag building, Neue Wache, Berliner Dom, and more! Interesting fact from the tour: Hotel Adlon, the most popular hotel in Berlin, might look familiar to some of you. This is the same hotel that Michael Jackson once held a baby from the balcony. After the tour most of us stayed in the city and tried the Berliner Weisse mit Schuß (the ß makes a sharp "ss" sound), a classic Berlin beer with syrup. There are two flavors - raspberry and woodruff. I had this drink several times throughout the weekend. I am not sure if we even have a woodruff flavor in the States; it had a light and refreshing natural flavor, but I preferred the raspberry. Friday afternoon we also visited a random memorial (shout out to Todd and Leslie) and a beautiful park area before going to dinner. It was really nice to wonder around for a little bit, and I was amazed that there were such large green areas situated in the middle of the city! We had dinner at a restaurant in a cool neighborhood called Kreuzberg and had dinner the European way: sitting and enjoying each other's company for a few hours before heading out to explore the neighborhood's nightlife. On Saturday we had a free day to explore the city as we wished! Gabrielle, Kelly, and I started the morning by venturing to an antique market and spent hours looking through the different booths. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the low 70s (staying loyal to the Fahrenheit system), so after meeting up with Areale and Matthias, we decided to take a boat tour! This was a perfect way to spend the Saturday afternoon. I loved seeing all the little cafés along the water in a part of the city that I had not yet seen. There were so many people outside, at cafés, sitting in beach chairs, or even just laying on the grass along the water. Many of them had a drink in hand from one of the many beach bars along the way. Berliners know how to chill! Some snapshots from the boat tour: After our boat tour we started to make our way to Alexanderplatz, an area known for its markets and live music, but we got distracted by another market along the way. We stopped and grabbed lunch from the street food vendors in the market. I had bratwurst and pommes as well as a little bit of a Turkish wrap. Turkish food is very common in Germany! With full bellies we set out for the Berliner Cathedral, a beautiful church in Berlin. The inside of this church was easily one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. We enjoyed the views inside the church for a few minutes before setting out to climb the 270 steps to the top. When we rounded the final corner, it was breathtaking. The view of the city from the top of the Dom was unbelievable, and we spent a while at the top of the Dom taking in the views. One of the best parts about Saturday, however, had nothing to do with the things we did or the sights we saw - but the people we were with! We started to get to know Matthias really well, and it was just a lot of fun to hang out with a local German person in a new city. He took pictures of us taking selfies and told me I talked like Britney Spears - haha. All in all, it was a really cool experience to be with these four other people, some of whom I didn't know a month ago or even a week ago, at the top of the Berliner Dom just having a really good time. After a full day of exploring, we made our way back to the hostel for a quick nap. A few of the other students had the same idea, and we decided to meet back up around 8:30 for dinner. Leslie found a random group of people talking in American English at Starbucks and naturally approached them to ask where we should venture. They told us they spoke English well because of JFK, which we accepted without second-thought only to later realize they were talking about a school, not the president. Anyways, they pointed us in the right direction and recommended some traditional German places! When we got to the neighborhood we spotted Mexican though, and we couldn't pass this up! We loved the atmosphere of the restaurant and staff.
We ended the night with drinks at a local pub and called it an early night to get ready for Easter Sunday in Potsdam! Note: This blog post is part of a school assignment, in which I had to address specific topics. Like in America, teaching preparation in Germany starts with 4 years of university courses. After graduating from college with an Education degree in America, however, one is able to obtain a teaching job. This is not the case in Germany. Teachers undergo extensive training before they start their teaching career. After 4 years of university classes, teachers must complete 1.5 years of experience in the classroom with a mentor. This time is comparable to the time we spend student teaching in America. Teachers spend 4 days of the week teaching in schools and the other day of the week is spent taking university seminars. The process is not over after these five and a half years though! After completing the practical experience portion, students must write a thesis and complete an oral exam before they are certified to teach. Most teachers in Germany are at least 28 before they get their own classroom. Most of our German university buddies for our study abroad program are thus older than those of us who are 22 year old seniors in college. However, the age difference does not seem too drastic, for we are at the same stage of life. Some other interesting differences came up when I talked to my cooperating teacher and university students about teacher preparation and professional development:
1. There are two state exams that teachers must pass in order to become licensed to teach. The first state exam must be taken after completing the 4 years at university, and the second state exam is taken after the 1.5 years of teacher training. 2. Students get paid during their 1.5 years spent in the classroom - not as much as full-time teachers, but its something! 3. The university does not arrange the 1.5 years of experience in the classroom. Many people have to wait a long time before they can complete their training. The wait list is especially long in Hamburg. 4. Upon certification, teachers are certified to teach any grade, as they spend time with all ages during their 1.5 years of experience-based training. 5. Teachers study two main subjects, and study is primarily content-based. (My teacher actually studied three subjects, but it is required to study two in Hamburg.) 6. I had to specify "in Hamburg" in my last comment because training varies depending on the region of the country that you study! For example, the fourth-grade immersion teacher at my school studied in Southern Germany and received an education that emphasized bilingualism. 7. Despite these differences, studying Education in Germany will allow you to teach anywhere in Germany. If you do not study in Germany, it can be difficult to get a full-time teaching job in the country because teachers are considered to be "civil servants," and are paid by the government. 8. In Hamburg it is required to do 30 hours of professional development each year. This requirement is the same for part-time and full-time teachers. There is one day devoted to workshops in the schools each year. Happy Easter weekend! We are going to Berlin for the long 4 day weekend, so I thought I'd try to sneak in a quick post before I leave as I will not be taking my laptop on this trip. This week in school has been spent doing many Easter activities. Students completed activities focused around Easter in reading, math, and art. They painted these adorable little pots, which will hold their Easter eggs during breakfast on Easter morning. Beyond this I have taught a few lessons on fractions! Some of them went better than others, so this is learning experience for sure. :) Monday's lesson went really well. On Wednesday I wanted to continue the Easter theme and do fractions with chocolate. I had a harder time with this lesson because it was more discussion-based, yet there was a language barrier between the students and myself. I found myself trying to ask deeper questions about the more simple task at hand, but unable to communicate them effectively to the students. While I tried to ask questions to guide students to discuss the meaning of 3/4, they were thinking more procedurally than conceptually, which was not a bad thing, but just not something I anticipated for students who had never been exposed to fractions before! Anyways, for me this was a learning experience as a teacher! It is SO important to know your students and their needs. It is also important to set up your expectations at the beginning of the year! While I believe strongly in accountable talk, it was incredibly difficult to use this in a classroom that I do not know as well. Today I worked with a few students on the "submarine problem," which challenges students to compare different fractions through equal sharing problems. It was so interesting to work with the students on an mathematical exploration. Many of them solved the problem in their head, but had a really hard time showing their work. Fraction notation proved difficult. We decided to back up and actually use strips of paper to represent the subs. While we did not have enough time to finish during the 45 minute math period, the students' work showed evidence of deep mathematical reasoning. Interesting fact: Teachers get reimbursed for anything they buy here! My teacher told me to let her know how much the chocolates cost, so the school could pay me back. This evening Kelly and I made our way to Altona! We set out on a mission to go to the beach, but quickly abandoned this idea in favor of exploring the beautiful walkways along the harbor. While walking we stumbled upon the cutest little bier garten and cafe. We stopped for a drink and had a really wonderful conversation about all of the things that we are LOVING about Germany. Some of the highlights: 1. Public transportation. It is absolutely amazing to be able to hop on a train/bus and go wherever you want to go. There is a certain calm, relaxing feeling during the commute as well. 2. The slower pace of life. People enjoy each other, and it is wonderful. 3. The long conversations that happen at meals. 4. (Stealing this from Gabrielle, but so true) - Not getting phone or Internet service all the time. I truly feel like I can immerse myself in the moment without worrying about staying connected. It's refreshing. 5. "Hot meal" at lunch. I just think it is so nice that the family gets to sit down together in the middle of the day to enjoy lunch. 6. German beer. Enough said. 7. Tea! 8. Breaks at school where teachers actually take a break. Novel idea. 9. People that come up and ask you questions in German... and are still interested in talking to you when you tell them that you speak English! I am amazed at how many people know English in Germany. I also cannot believe the number of times I have been approached and asked a question. Maybe I look like I know what I am doing. Most people immediately switch to English and will continue talking to you/help you in any way they can! I have had a woman help me order food in downtown Hamburg, and today I made a friend on the subway after I was asked if the train had already passed a certain station. We talked for a really long time about the state of Arizona? Whatever works. 10. THE FACT THAT WE ARE GOING TO BERLIN IN THE MORNING! My hands-down favorite quote from the conversation, however, happened, as an un-leashed dog (which is very common) came running up to the cafe, got a drink of water from a bowl, and ran back to its owner. "Even the dogs are responsible in Germany." Seriously though, there is such a sense of responsibility and ownership of one's actions in Germany. There are not nearly as many rules or regulations, and while yes, public urination is a thing (as we witnessed at the soccer game)... people are responsible. While out, I have not seen anyone that is belligerently drunk... even though the bars were open all night. While at the zoo, nobody tried to antagonize the animals... even though there was no barrier between the people and the animals. And the trend continues anywhere you go. This is just an observation that sparked interesting conversation tonight. We finished the evening with subs from the station. I cannot get over how good the food is everywhere I go. You would think train station food would be similar to airport food. Nope. Although it may not be the best food picture I have taken, it was still delicious.
When I got home, I went to my room to (try) to pack for Berlin. Not an easy task when you didn't even pack properly for Germany to start with. I'm still trying to figure out why I didn't take anyone's advice when they told me I didn't need dress clothes and that it would be cold. Too. Stubborn. Packing didn't happen for a while, but I did enjoy some good laughs with my older host sister Jose over our ridiculousness of Facebook chatting in the same house and procrastination of packing/sleeping... and on that topic, I need to get some sleep before this early train in the morning! I will leave you guys with this ADORABLE Easter card my younger host sister brought to me before she went to bed. After school yesterday I met up with four of the other UNC students to visit the Hamburg Zoo (Tierpark Hagenbeck)! What an amazing experience! I honestly was a little hesitant about spending 20 euros to go to a zoo for a few hours because zoos exist everywhere, but I am so glad I did! We were able to get so close to the animals. I even touched an elephant! A goat also almost ate my shirt. I have found that people are trusted to act responsibly more in Germany. Maybe for good reason. In the Hamburg Zoo a rope separates people from the lion exhibit. The lions cannot get to the people in the zoo because of a ditch and pool of water that separates them from the walkway. Our group joked that in America there would be that one person that got in the lion's exhibit and ruined the experience for everyone. In general there are just less rules and regulations in Germany, and people act responsibly. In this case I was grateful, for we got to spend a great afternoon with an amazing view of so many different animals! It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day with temperatures in the high-50s. We stopped for crepes about halfway through our visit, and Alice and I split a Nutella crepe. You could also buy crepes with liquor? Again, less rules and regulations in Germany! We have noticed that food is priced pretty normally at zoos, sporting events, etc. here, which definitely contrasts the prices of event refreshments in America. I think I one time bought a $6 snow cone at the NC Zoo; however, this crepe only cost 3 euros total! During our visit we saw elephants, llamas, goats, tigers, lions, orangoutang, seals, penguins, flamingos, walruses, and more! The flamingos were beautiful next to the blooming flowers, and I could not believe that the walrus (I am not sure it was actually a walrus because it didn't have tusks?) came right up to the glass. Another favorite moment happened when we visited the lion exhibit right as one female lion walked up to the male lion and nuzzled her head against him. I have to say though: the goats stole the show! Apparently the goats were super hungry because they were munching on anything they could get to. The goats were reaching for my envelope of post cards, chewing on my purse, and one even completely grabbed my shirt and started tugging! The funniest moment, however, happened when a goat completely took and ate the map out of Alice's hand. We stayed at the zoo for about 3 hours and probably would have stayed even longer if it wouldn't have closed at 6:00PM. After our trip to the zoo, we decided to meet up with some others in our group for an appetizer and drink. Some of the girls in our group were finishing up their TPA this week, so we figured that called for a celebration! I tried the Alsterwasser, a classic Northern Germany beer, which is a mix between beer and Sprite. It was interesting - good but a bit too sweet for me. We spotted "Mexican nachos" on the menu, and this sounded like the most delicious thing in the world to our group, so we decided to split these. We were so confused when a plate of Dorito-like chips with a cup of salsa and cup of cheese showed up at our table rather than the typical American nacho appetizer we were imagining. Amusing, nonetheless! Something interesting about Germany: waiters are not tipped nearly as much as in America, so they never rush tables. Most people stay at the restaurant for hours, and nobody rushes you out. The waiters and waitresses also do not return to your table very much once they take your order, and it can be a little difficult to get their attention in order to get your check. I think that restaurants are one of the places where a "slower lifestyle" has been most evident. People really sit down to enjoy their food and company compared to America where it is usually a more rushed ordeal. After dinner Gabrielle and I headed back to her host family's house. Splitting "nachos" between 5 people didn't quite satisfy our hunger, so we decided to make dinner...at 9:30PM. Normal. At her host father's suggestion, we made our auflaf, which basically consisted of throwing a bunch of leftover veggies and meats in a pan with noodles, sauce, and cheese. We had such a good time making the meal! From start to finish: Oh my gosh, the finished product was DELICIOUS! Who knew that throwing a bunch of random leftovers in a pan could be so good? We somehow managed to finish the entire pan between the two of us. We'll justify that by saying we walked a lot at the zoo. Gabrielle's host parents joined us at the table, and we had a blast trying to pronounce the sounds of the German letters. Her (hilarious) host father had me laughing so hard that I was crying as he corrected my pronunciations. I actually am not sure if I am capable of making the correct sounds... but I try!
All in all, it was an amazing day... and it feels so good to feel like we fit right in here in Hamburg! :) A random list about life lately:
"Der April, der April, der weiß nicht, was er will" This is a saying regarding Hamburg's weather that I heard even before I came to Germany. When I first contacted my host family, I was told to keep this saying in mind while packing for the month. It translates to, "April, April, she will do what she wills," and I think that it perfectly described today's weather. It was sunny, it was raining, it was super windy, it was sunny again, it was hailing, and this continued... all day long. What in the world? Apparently this is normal April weather for Hamburg. ANYWAYS, today started with a fraction lesson taught by... me! I have done a lesson on American classrooms and a few literacy mini-lessons, but this was my first math lesson in Germany. Math was one of my favorite subjects to teach in North Carolina, so I was really excited to be able to teach math to my German students as well. Even better, I got to teach fractions - the very same unit I taught at home! It was a really cool experience to be able to observe similarities and differences in learning as well as the role of language in instruction. Speaking of the role of language - I have become the most animated teacher of all time. My students in North Carolina are going to think I am absolutely nuts when I come back with animations, hand motions, and a terrible British accent. These students have not worked with fractions at all yet, AND there is a bit of a language barrier between us, so I went about fractions a little differently than I did in the States. Cue hand motions galore, math theater (I totally just made that term up), and manipulatives on manipulatives. I had to scaffold the mathematical terms a ton ("I say, you say" was a hit - thanks Stef!), but all in all, I saw a lot of similarities in thinking between both groups of students that I have taught. I started by posing an equal sharing situation with one chocolate bar being shared between two children, four children, and then eight children. Then I gave each table group (each with a different number of students) a "cookie" and had them share the cookie equally between themselves. We also discussed which students would get the most cookie and the least cookie and related this to fractions. Because the students were able to relate this situation to real life, they were able to use their reasoning to figure out solutions even on their first day working with fractions. I think this lesson was a good reminder to me to always set my expectations high. Students are capable, but it is the teacher's job to give them the opportunity to think. Some other random thoughts from my classroom experiences lately: 1. Religion is taught in schools. Students are taught Christianity at Max-Eichholz-Ring but can choose to take other religion classes when they are older. Update: I actually learned from my host father that part of the Germany constitution allows children to choose their own religion at age 14. 2. Students use technology to learn English! 3. Students' school supplies (mainly their book bags) are old-school and awesome. 4. I brought some American transition phrases into the classroom, and students think "1, 2, 3 eyes on me... 1, 2 eyes on you" is THE coolest phrase of all time. 5. Mondays are Mondays everywhere. They will be a little chaotic, and that is life. 6. Students' birthdays are celebrated in the classroom! There were two student birthdays over the weekend, and we spent 30 minutes today celebrating these birthdays. There was an English birthday song, and then each student was given a chance to go over to shake the birthday boy or girl's hand and wish them good wishes over the next year. Usually the wish went something like, "Happy birthday, and I wish you good friends, good times, and a good life!" It was adorable. After the students gave their wishes, it was time for cake! On the topic of birthdays - staff birthdays are a big celebration here too! Whenever a staff member has a birthday, the faculty brings in presents and sweets that overflow the tables in the teacher's lounge, such as the picture above. The entire staff sings to the person during morning break, and everyone enjoys... cake (of course)! This post is full of random rants, but there is just so much to share. Continuing with my day... I caught the bus home for a delicious meal with my host family. It was my host sister's last day of school, as seniors here get out early to study for an exit exam (the Abitur), so my host father made some of her favorites: gnocchi and pudding. Sooo good! After lunch and a little walk around town, I headed back to a school near Max-Eichholz-Ring. The students had their Jeki concert, which they played songs on all the instruments that they have been practicing on. I was amazed at the variety of instruments they play. Everything from the cello to the flute to the guitar! After the Jeki concert, we headed back to Bergedorf to meet Amy for her birthday dinner! We ate at a restaurant called Brasserie on the water and just so happened to arrive right at the beginning of happy hour. It was a really good time with our group, and I started to realize how close I have become with these people over the last two weeks. Two weeks does not seem like much time, but it is when you travel to a foreign country with one another! We started talking about how fast our time is going and realized that with Berlin this weekend, we only have six full days left in Hamburg! I still have so much I want to do, so it will be a busy six days for sure. We ended the night with ice cream and singing, "Happy Birthday" to Amy right in the middle of the Bergedorf shops. I don't think we could have become any more American than that moment, and it was awesome.
This was a super long blog post for one day's recap, and I am off to bed. Happy Monday everyone! On Friday I taught a lesson to my third-graders on American classrooms! It was so much fun to teach them about school busses and school cafeterias. However, it resulted in me losing my voice thanks to this lovely cold that our entire group seems to have contracted by this point (#hamburgcoldepidemic2014). My voice was gone most of the weekend, but I made the most of it anyways! Friday afternoon started with a trip to the oldest bakery in Hamburg and shopping downtown! Next, we headed to the Hofbräuhaus to meet others from our group for dinner. The atmosphere was meant to replicate Southern Germany's many biergartens (beer gardens). We enjoyed live music, bratwursts, pretzels, and of course, beers! The next stop on our agenda for the night was DOM. DOM is a huge fair that comes to Hamburg four times a year. On Friday nights they have a big fireworks show at 10:30 PM, which was exciting to see! We enjoyed the German version of fair food, such as little funnel cake nuggets, potatoes, and pommes (french fries) and hopped on the "Wilde Maus," (Wild Mouse) which we were told was a must ride. It didn't disappoint, and I managed to lose any remaining voice I had left. Saturday was a wonderful day. Gabrielle, Leslie, Amy, Jennifer, and I woke up bright and early to hop on a train to Lübeck for the day! The weather was AMAZING (which is unusual for Hamburg in April), and we spent almost the entire day exploring the port city, famous for its salt and marzipan industries! Jennifer's host parents joined us in the morning and gave us a tour. They were SO knowledgable about the city, so it was nice to have them there! They left shortly after lunch, giving us the chance to do some shopping and enjoy a relaxing drink by the river before heading out for the day. Some snapshots from the day: I brought some marzipan chocolates back to my host family and was able to enjoy dinner with them at a Greek restaurant in Bergedorf before heading back out for the night! Dinner was delicious, and at my host sister's suggestion, I enjoyed a chai tea with my food to help my cold. After dinner I met up with Gabrielle and Kelly for a night out in Hamburg! This was our last weekend night in Hamburg because we will spend next weekend in Berlin and head to Italy the following Friday. Time is passing too quick. Although our plan was originally to go to Night of the Museums, in which all the city's museums stay open until 2:00 in the morning, most of our group decided against this after the day's activities. We still wanted to make the most of our last weekend night in Hamburg, so we decided to visit a local pub then meet up with some of the other students in our group in the Reeperbahn. We had a good time and finished the night earlier than last weekend's Fischmarket adventures... but still late compared to NC! The night life here is unlike anything I have ever seen before. Sunday consisted of a boat tour of the harbor. It was beautiful! Afterwards, Gabrielle and I got hamburgers... because when in Hamburg, you must eat a hamburger, right? Yum! Halfway through eating our hamburgers, we realized that people in the restaurant were looking at us strangely. After looking around, we realized that people in Germany use a fork and knife too eat their hamburgers! They were looking at us because we were eating them with our hands! Oops... American mistake.
The rest of Sunday was spent relaxing and catching up on some much-needed sleep for the week ahead! On the agenda for the week: math lessons, my students' music concert, a trip to the zoo, and a weekend trip to Berlin! Can't wait! :) Note: This blog post is part of a school assignment, in which I had to address specific topics. During my first week in a German classroom, I noticed every little thing that was different than the classroom that I have grown comfortable with in America. This past week I started to understand why.This week has definitely been a "growing week" for me as an educator. When I entered the classroom last week, I was intimidated. I was intimidated by all of the little differences, by the less strict behavior management, and by instruction that I was not familiar with. If I have learned anything in the last week about myself as a teacher, it is that familiarity is an interesting thing. Familiarity is often mistaken for the "right" way. Because I was familiar with the structure of an American classroom, the little differences that I noticed last week made me question the rigor of the German school system. This week I became more familiar with the German school system. And it made me question if my previous experience in America was the "right" way. Is there a "right" way to teach? I don't think so. As I am exposed to more perspectives of education, I have found that it is vital to understand why things happen the way that they do. Why do students work independently most of the time in Germany? Why do students get so many breaks during a 5 hour school day? Why are the students in Germany so far ahead in curriculum compared to American students? Let me back up and reflect on some of the differences in instruction and assessment. The learning environment in Germany schools is much more student-centered than teacher driven. There are very few instances in which I have observed direct instruction from the teacher. While I was teaching in North Carolina, I would have said that I taught very little instruction, instead focusing on guiding students (such as CGI word problems). This is completely different than the student-centered learning that I see here. In Germany most of the day is spent with students independently working on assigned tasks. Lessons are short. There are some days in which the teacher does not even lead a lesson. The best way that I can compare instruction is that in America we "model, guide, apply" or "explore, guide, apply," depending on the subject. In Germany it looks more like "briefly teach, apply, apply deeper, apply more." In Germany students receive their math weekly workload (mostly from a textbook), and a lot of their math period is spent working on these problems... and they get it. Part of me has to wonder, do they have the deep mathematical understanding that we push so hard to get through math discussions in the US? Are they just finding the patterns of the algorithms and procedures? I do think that we push for deeper thinking through our instruction in America. However, their weekly workload requires them to apply basic concepts to complete hard word problems (in English)... and they seem to understand. Is it possible that students can push their own selves to deeper thinking without any instruction at all? It seems so. This brings me to my next question. How would instruction be different if there was classroom inclusion in Germany? There is very little differentiation in the classroom right now, but there are not as many diverse learners as in American classrooms either. Students with special needs go to separate schools. Does this play a role in the fact that there are not extensive "extra" materials? I have found that we had many more resources in the States: rooms of math supplies, guided reading material, laptops, etc. This is not the case in Germany; however, I have heard that the school has enough money to buy most resources that the teachers ask for. The teachers do not seem to need much more than the basic materials to teach. They spend their money else where, such as taking the students on a week-long trip to Sylt in June in which they will apply the knowledge they have acquired to keep a writing journal, conduct science experiments, and learn about the ocean. I have to wonder how much curriculum and assessments play a role in accounting for the differences between the school systems. Both curriculums emphasize problem-solving. I have found that America interprets problem solving to be academic, and we stress inquiry and critical thinking. I have seen problem-solving to be emphasized most in social situations in Germany. Every Friday the class engages in a "Class Council," in which they talk about issues that have arised in the class during the week, problems, and solutions. Could this difference be explained by the focus of assessment in America? There is so much focus on meeting standards and the end-of-year assessment in America. There has to be because this is how students' and teachers' performance is measured. There is not so much stress on assessment here. When I talked to my teacher about the subjects that I would teach while in Germany, there was leeway. It was not a big deal if it was not in the German curriculum because as my teacher said, "it is good for them to learn from you." Students take two math tests each semester and otherwise are just monitored by the teacher through their weekly workload and other assignments. In 2nd and 3rd grade students take a Hamburg-wide end-of-grade assessment, but otherwise teachers have freedom to assess in whatever way they please. It is important that teachers do monitor their students, especially in the fourth grade, because at the end of this year students will be recommended to go to one of two schools: gymnasium, which prepares students for university, or a more vocational-focused school. I don't have answers to these questions, but I am questioning and starting to understand the reasoning behind instructional methods in Germany, and I think this is the best way to get the most out of this experience and better myself as a teacher. Like I said in one of my past posts, I am learning so much by both experiencing new perspectives on teacher and by learning to appreciate some aspects of the classroom in America that I previously took for granted. Nonetheless, this has been an amazing opportunity this far, and I hope to be able to experience other classrooms across the world in my lifetime!
I would love to hear all of your thoughts as well, so please feel free to comment below. :) |