The First Week of School

Sorry for the very, very long intermission between posts. I actually started this post last week and then got really sick, so sleepy time and battling the plague became more important than writing. A few important things: 

First: I got my visa!! Finally.

Second: I bought a bike on Sunday! It is pink and is little so I can actually ride it. (The man at the bike market swore that it is NOT a kids bike.) 

Third: I have now been at my school for a week and a half, so I've visited my classes at least once. The following is my class schedule and my observations of each class:


Monday
7:40:  Frau Schultz's 8B class.
These students are pretty quiet and whenever they do speak, their English is not so wonderful. I was surprised on my first day at the amount of German used in class. Frau Schultz is also my mentor teacher, yet doesn't really seem to know how to utilize me in class. We'll see how this goes.  

8:30: Frau Reisinger's 8D class.
They use little to no German in the classroom. I did not hear one word of German spoken by the teacher. Frau Reisinger also has her students write all of their errors and corrections in a journal, instead of just correcting it on the original paper, so they can catch themselves making common mistakes. The students are very attentive and active participants. They will be very easy to work with. I found out after the class that they are 'bi-lingual students,' which means they take some of their other subjects in English to broaden their language skills. I really adore Frau Reisinger. She is extremely nice and enjoys utilizing me as a way to introduce new teaching methods to the class. I think I am going to learn a lot from her.     

Tuesday
7:40: Frau Schultz's 8H class
Though this class speaks up a bit more, their English level is still not as strong as some of the other 8th grade classes. 

9:30: Herr Heinemann's 8C class
This class holds the title for the first class I gave a planned lesson to. I had never visited the class, and decided on my first day to give it a go and hope for the best. These students have a pretty strong command of English. They are not as strong as a bilingual class, but they have strong fluency and adaptability. They were very willing to participate and answer questions. Herr Heinemann is super nice and very helpful during my lessons, encouraging students to be active and as he puts it, "take advantage of an expert." 

Wednesday
8:30: Frau Mikutta's 11E class.
These students are taking the course as a Grundkurs, which means it won't be tested as a primary subject for their Abitur. These students make grammatical errors that are considered to be way below their level. The first week they were very quiet, but when I presented a lesson on American high schools, they opened up. Frau Mikutta was really happy that I got them to talk a lot, and would like me to focus future lessons on discussing or even debating a topic. I think NPR is about to become my best friend.

9:30: Frau Aufderhaar's 9A class.
These students are very active. They are required to speak a lot, and therefore have excellent pronunciation. Frau Aufderhaar probes students with more questions about their answers to really make them think about the topic on their feet. She doesn't want them to rely on previously written answers. All of them want to read and actually complain when someone else gets to read more often then they do. At the end of my lesson on American high schools they moaned because not all of them were able to answer my question. German is only used for clarification. They will be very easy to work with. I also found out afterward that they are a bilingual class.

12:10: Frau Weber's 8H class.
Oh, goodness. These kids are a piece of work.

12:55: Frau Peter's 6 Bili class.
These students are 'training' for bilingual to be in bilingual classes in the 7th grade. They have a pretty good command of the language after one year of instruction. They are very curious and unbelievably excited to have a guest from America (even if they can't quite comprehend the difference between the US and England). They are too cute and I can't wait to create crazy games to play in class!

Thursday
8:30: Frau Weber's 9F class.
These students have a pretty good command of English. They were very willing to participate, especially speaking.

9:30: Frau Aufderhaar's 9D class.
These students are a bit more nervous to speak out loud, but when they do, they have strong fluency. I think if I focus on giving all of them a chance to speak in class, I will really get them going.

10:20: Herr Heinemann's 8E class.
So, Herr Heinemann threw me a curve ball the first day I visited his class. All of the other teachers wanted me to introduce myself, then observe. He, however, gave me full control of the hour. I eventually started to get the students to ask me questions about myself and to bring up topics they wanted to learn about during my visits. I'm pretty sure they think I'm really weird, and I definitely showed them how big of a nerd I am, but hey, they laughed a lot (so I hope that means I'm funny).

Friday
7:40: Frau Peter's 11 LK class.
These students are taking English has a main subject for their Abitur, and their English is very, very good. They are reading books I read in high school. Like my sixth graders, they are pretty excited to have me in class, and provided me with a very long list of topics to discuss and present during the semester. They want to learn about the American Political system (hello, School House Rock) and the rules of American football (I might teach them how to Call the Hogs, because that would be pretty damn hysterical), among other subjects. I think they will succeed at being my easiest and most difficult class each week.

Tomorrow is Wandertag, which means every class is going on a field trip and I don't have to go to school. I'll miss the kids, but I won't miss my 5:30 wake up call.

lg, Lauren