Yes, I actually teach here

If you look on the left side of my homepage, you’ll see my half-hearted attempt to sum up this blog: “112 days of teaching, traveling, and trying new things.” Although it’s not the most creative description, I think it works. But, if you’ve been keeping up with my blogs, you’ve probably noticed I haven’t touched on the “teaching” aspect hardly at all. It’s listed first because it really is the reason I’m here (promise!) It’s what I spend most of my time doing (although this blog doesn’t reflect it) and it’s what I’m learning to perfect so that I can run my own classroom come August.

When I set up this blog I knew it wouldn’t be a diary of my everyday life.  I wasn’t expecting to write much about my teaching, although there is a lot to say.  There’s a few reasons I wanted to keep that private:

1) If I were in the states completing my student teaching, I wouldn’t be writing a blog at all. Therefore, it can be assumed that this blog came about because of my international experience. It’s become a way for me to share my travels and throw some of my thoughts out into the world about the parts of the world I’ve been fortunate enough to see.

2) This blog has been a way for me to decompress.  If I, for some reason, had a rough day at school or a lonely day away from my family, this blog lets me escape that. I usually jot something down in my journal to look back on about the school day, but my personal problems aren’t what I want to share.

That being said, I do want you to know about my school and classroom – so here goes.

Who do I teach?

– My class has 24 students, 13 of which are English mother tongue and 11 of which are German mother tongue.  All of the students understand English, but only the English mother tongue students write in English.  Communication with some of my German students has been difficult because they speak in broken sentences, cannot find the words in English they want to use, and often speak quietly because of a lack of confidence with the language.  It’s tough to feel, at times, like I can’t communicate fully with a student. This has gotten better as the weeks have gone on, but it’s a challenge nevertheless.

What do I teach?

– I teach every day.  I’ve been teaching mother tongue since the end of January and Science and art since the beginning of February.  Next week I begin solos so Math will be added into the mix.

How do I teach?

– The school doesn’t have “standards”.  There aren’t “I can” statements posted in every classroom and daily objectives are hidden from view.  JFKS does have a curriculum but if you looked at second grade’s it would be a listing of topics, one of which is Space. Do you know how broad SPACE is (both as a subject and in reality)?? It can be overwhelming at times to look at a topic that could go in so many directions and not have some kind of guidelines as to where to begin.  My next topic to tackle is Dinosaurs, including but not limited to all types of dinosaurs and fossils, continental drift, law of superposition, archaeologists… and the list goes on.  I haven’t even thought about conquering that challenge yet.

– Although the lack of guidelines can be tough, it’s also really fun.  I had my students think up their own planet, describe it, say what real planet it was most like, and then create it (paint, glitter, ribbon, glue EVERYWHERE). Because this doesn’t match up with a standard in the U.S., I probably wouldn’t be able to do it there. I’m glad I’ve had the chance to try some of my ideas to see how they pan out.

Biggest challenges:

– I’m the kind of person who is slow to ask for help.  I’m stubborn and I like to figure things out on my own.  So it’s been really tough to HAVE to ask for help in order to get things done.  Any kind of written assessment I want to do with my entire class, I have to have translated into German. Furthermore, if I want to see if they met the objective, I have to have someone look over their written answers. I hate feeling like a burden or like I am causing anyone trouble, so it’s been hard to accept the fact that I NEED help sometimes.

– Getting supplies.  For example, I wanted my students to create a model of their planet with a small styrofoam ball. I have scholarship money to spend and  I thought a class project would be a good place for it to go.  Well, finding a styrofoam ball in Berlin is like finding a snowball in Miami. It just ain’t happening.  And I can’t just jump in my car and run to KSS or Michael’s and grab the supplies I need. If I did find a supply store here, it’d be such a time commitment to go that it wouldn’t be worth it.  So adjusting my lessons according to the resources I have has taken some getting used to.

– Staying organized.  I am the type of person who has assignments done a week in advance and lessons prepared in bulk.  It’s tough to have a teeny tiny work space, full of student work and my own materials.  I also don’t have folders or any kind of filing system, so there are papers EVERYWHERE. I misplace papers on a daily basis and I’m thoroughly convinced that I’m losing my mind at times.  I’ve learned that organization keeps me sane and I will have a good system once I get my own classroom – count on it.

Greatest rewards (thus far):

– Independence.  I know I just said I have to ask for help, which I do, but when I’m not having things translated, I plan almost everything on my own.  While my teacher will look over lesson plans, she’s more of a hands off type of mentor.  She basically says anything I plan is alright to try out and then lets me see how it goes. This has its pros and cons, of course.  If a lesson doesn’t go well, I feel dumb. But if a lesson works, I feel so confident because it was MY lesson. Learning to trust myself as a teacher has been a big part of this journey.

– Time management. I travel almost every weekend and do things in Berlin as much as possible.  This experience has taught me the importance of finding a balance between work and play.  Of course I will give my whole heart and best efforts to my future students, but you can’t let any job, not matter what it is, take over your life.  There has to be a line.  Student teaching abroad has highlighted how crucial that really is.

 

So even though I am preparing for solo weeks, crying on the inside because the school’s copier is broken until Tuesday (yes, I know this happens in real life. yes, I know it’s not the end of the world. BUT WHY DURING SOLOS?!), and getting ready to say goodbye to Olivia and hello to the next COST student Maria, I wanted to take some time to fill you in on my internship. It’s been bumpy but I know that at the end of this I will have so much solo experience in the classroom that transitioning to my first job will be a cinch.

Below are some pictures of the planets my students created and some of the suns we made after our lesson on the sun’s make-up and solar flares. Enjoy :]

My favorite one! He was so creative, took his time, added details and described it well in words.

Close up :]

What imaginary solar system would be complete without an ice cream planet?

Or a planet that has cookie trees?

Makin’ the sun shine in Berlin!

 

Traveling: The good, the bad and the ugly

Through my travels, I have learned to appreciate the beauty of places different from my home.  It’s easy to take in views of white-sand beaches in the Dominican Republic, majestic mountains in Canada, centuries-old architecture in Europe, and diverse and interesting people in each new destination.  I’ve found that nothing makes me want to travel more than traveling in the first place; I want to see another gorgeous building, be baffled by another foreign language, and wobble along another cobblestone street that’s older than the country I hail from. Many people travel only to see the good, but this weekend I traveled to Poland to see, in my opinion, the ugliest place on Earth: Auschwitz-Birkenau.

I made the journey by myself because the other COST students didn’t have enough money to make the trip. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t turn down any opportunity in Europe for any reason. Out of money? Get a loan (or ask for help from my parents with my best “I’m the baby of the family” voice). Not enough time? There’s always tomorrow. Too tired? I can sleep this summer. So when I found out I could come to Poland and the other COST students couldn’t, I wasn’t going to use it as an excuse.

Call me morbid, but Auschwitz has been on my bucket list since about the eighth grade.  It’s tough to read about atrocities like those that happened in the holocaust and really wrap your head around it.  Now, after touring Auschwitz and witnessing where these crimes took place, I’m further from understanding than ever before.

I barely made it to my tour bus in time to make the hour-long trip to the former camp.  I arrived in a taxi, ran across the street, slipped and almost face-planted into a pile of fresh snow, and showed up to my bus out of breath and unsure if I was running up the stairs of the right tour bus. After showing my ticket and getting a half-hearted head nod from the driver, I took a seat. The front of the bus said Auschwitz – even if it was the wrong tour, I was going to the right place. I’d figure it out.  Luckily, though, it was my bus and I didn’t have any issues.

On the hour bus ride, they showed a documentary of a filmmaker/photographer who was in charge of documenting Auschwitz after the liberation in January 1945.  There was no background music, no pictures were edited, and nothing was left out.  The pictures I saw on my bus ride there were just a small preview of what I was about to encounter.

I wasn’t aware that Auschwitz was a museum with exhibit halls.  While some of the buildings are more authentically preserved than others, there are large displays of Jewish belongings and camp remnants behind entire corridors of glass encasement.  There are paintings of scenes from Auschwitz, but even more photographs and explicit captions. Instead of being left to your own devices to imagine what life must have been like there, the museum lays out every detail.

In order to minimize noise and preserve a reverence for those being remembered, tour guides are not allowed to speak above a whisper.  Each guide gets a small microphone and each person on the tour gets a set of headphones. This way, everyone can hear but there aren’t 20 guides in one building speaking 12 different languages trying to make sure their patrons get the best tour of all.  The system worked and I felt there was a certain tone maintained throughout my time there.

I don’t know how to sum up my feelings about visiting Auschwitz.  I am glad I came here, no question.  But instead of feeling an overwhelming sadness like I anticipated, I was overcome with more disgust and anger than anything.  I stood inside a gas chamber where thousands of people were killed at one time.  I saw the barracks that people lived in which were originally designed as horse stables.  I was silently questioning why it had to be so cold on the day of my four hour tour, and then I thought about how these people were stripped of their shoes, hair, clothing and dignity and forced to work on days much colder than today.  I was mad at the ignorance of people during WWII and I was mad at myself for ever thinking I’ve had one bad day in my life.

I’ve written a lot but I don’t feel like I’ve said much.  I’ll leave the rest of this blog to pictures and maybe I’ll have the words on a different day.

“Work Sets You Free”

Block 11, known as the Death Block, where punishments were carried out.  No cameras are allowed inside.

Recreated Death Wall where prisoners were shot. Local school groups bring flowers, read poems,  and say prayers here regularly.

Gas cans. It took 5 cans to kill 1000 people.

Just a small amount of the luggage collected at Auschwitz.

Barbed wire fence surrounded not only the outside of the camp, but areas inside it, as well.

The entrance to Birkenau.

Train car at Birkenau and the gate in the background.

Barracks where 500 people lived. It’s open air at the top because it was designed for horses. In the winter, snow blew inside.

“Forever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity where the Nazis murdered about 1 1/2 million men, women and children, mainly Jews, from various countries in Europe. Auschwitz-Birkenau 1940-1945”

Rediscovering Berlin

So, as you know, I went on a whirlwind trip through Europe last week.  As you also know, I returned to Berlin.  It’s a strange feeling to go on such a monumental vacation, and not be able to crash in your own bed when you finally get home from the last airport. The total lack of energy, overwhelming urge to talk to family and friends, and intense need to prepare for another week of teaching all hit you at once.  Reality sets back in and the enthusiasm for new and different experiences subsides, leaving you with stress and post-traveler’s depression.

Although I did experience all of these things, I also decided to fight them – resist logical and natural feelings in order to milk this abroad experience for all it’s worth.

On Sunday, after doing some work for school, I decided I needed to go to the Berlinale, the international film festival going on 20 minutes from my home here.  There have been signs for it everywhere, I picked up post-cards about it before I even knew what it was, and because my sister might have actually hurt me if I didn’t make an attempt to attend, I put on my game face and mustered the energy to experience this unique and exciting Berlin event.

I asked the other COST students to go with me, but because they are in solo weeks and needed a day without shoes (9 days in boots is rough…), I went to the festival by myself. I know, I know – it’s taboo to go to a movie solo. But I wasn’t going to a movie, I was going to a cultural event. Yes, a movie would be playing, but that wasn’t what it was about (to me anyway). I didn’t even know what I was going to see before I got on the train. Having absolutely no plan (I got used to that last week, more than ever) I hopped on the S-bahn and headed for the Sony Center – my first time being alone in this big city.

When I got to Potsdamer Platz, it was a little later than I had intended on arriving. The 7:00 movies had already begun, and so I went to the ticket counter with no information or any idea what I wanted to see.  I told the lady behind the counter I was looking for a film that began at 7:30 or later and had English subtitles – my only two requirements.

I ended up seeing a Korean film called “Fatal”.  It dealt with some very serious issues and focused on paying for your sins.  The film itself, as I said before, wasn’t the most important thing to me.  I wanted to be there for the experience. It was such a cool atmosphere because there were people from all over the world in this one place for this one reason.  The director and lead actor of the film were in the theatre as we watched it and they answered questions and provided commentary afterward.

Even though I felt slightly awkward going by myself, I’m so happy that I went.  I knew this week would be hectic (I was right) and that I wouldn’t have the chance to attend before leaving for Amsterdam Saturday morning. Deciding to avoid post-vacation blues with a reintroduction to my love of Berlin was just what I needed.

After 4 hours of sleep Sunday night and a crazy first day back to school, I had another Berlin/European item to conquer – a soccer game.  My cooperating teacher bought tickets to one of Berlin’s most intense “fussball” matches of the year – Hertha vs. Union (former East vs former West).  We’d had plans to go for a while now, and even though I was exhausted, I was so excited to be experiencing a real, intense European soccer game.

I was not disappointed (except by the score).  Getting to the game was an experience in and of itself.  It took 5 trains filling with people before we were able to squeeze like sardines into one headed toward Olympic Stadium.  Before the train arrived, the five people in our group locked arms and even though we were blindly shoved into the train, we all made it. Fans were taunting each other on the platform and in the train cars. I may have been smushed together with 100 other people in a tiny space, but I was loving every second. The passion these fans have for their teams in infectious.

Which is something I appreciate.  Whether it’s watching Scotty and his girls take on their KHSAA rivals or being in Rupp to cheer on my cats, I miss the aspect of competition and devotion to a sport.  Even though this was soccer (which I’ve never been a fan of), I felt comfortable surrounded by a stadium full of fans wearing blue or red (fitting, right?) and the loud cheers that didn’t stop for 90 minutes of play.

The game ended without a winner (“And because we have soccer highlights, the sheer pointlessness of a zero-zero tie.” – Sports Night) but just like with the film fest, I was there for the atmosphere, not the show.  I walked away knowing more about the workings of European football than I ever thought possible, with a blue and white scarf to commemorate the experience, and with some social time with my CT which was a nice change of pace.

I’ve had the privelege of living in the great city of Berlin for over a month now and its versatility is still surprising and refreshing.  My reintroduction after traveling throughout Europe was a reminder of how lucky I am to call this city home for the next 2 1/2 months.

Passport to Paris

The first “research paper” I ever wrote was in fourth grade. We were instructed to choose our dream vacation destination and describe a week-long trip there.  We were told to figure out how much it would cost, make a list of all the things we would do, write about meals that we ate, and talk about why we chose that place over any other.

I’m calling it a “research paper” because of my teacher. She was in the National Guard and had a glare so intense I swear some of the rowdier boys in my class left with holes burned in their shirts.  This assignment was probably supposed to be fun, but because she was known for being tough (that’s the nicest euphemism I got..) I took the direction of “describing” to intense lengths.

I used the internet for some of my research (mainly restaurant names and food prices) but the bulk of my research came from the cinematic gem “Passport to Paris” starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. I dreamed of having an adventure like they did in this European destination; living in a lavish house, riding on mopeds, and shopping at the most expensive boutiques. My paper ended up being 8 or 9 pages long (which is colossal for a fourth grader!) because 1) I didn’t want to feel the wrath of my teacher for handing in an incomplete/ill-researched assignment and 2) I basically transcribed a movie, minus the love interests.

I’m telling you all of this because what I learned in fourth grade about Paris is all I knew going into this trip. Over the years, my dream destination changed from a metropolitan center to a Mediterranean getaway. I stopped imagining myself in a big city and came to terms with the fact that my life would never be like Mary-Kate or Ashley’s (which I realize now is a good thing).  What wasn’t good, however, is the lack of knowledge I really had about the city of Paris.  On a positive note, I learned a great deal while I was there and feel as if I could give some decent advice to anyone wishing to travel there.

We arrived in the city around 11 in the morning.  Getting off the plane, we had no idea how we were getting to our hostel or how far away it would be.  We didn’t know if there was public transportation at Orly Airport or if we would have to take a cab into the city.  Furthermore, we had no plan for the day and it was becoming increasingly likely that the first day in Paris would be a wash.  Luckily, though, we found an information desk, figured out we could get to our hostel by public transport, and were fortunate enough to only have to take one train (the underground system is a cruel, French labyrinth.. beware!)

Getting to the hostel wound up being the least of our worries.  Once we got to the room, I think we all wished we hadn’t been able to find it.  Oliver was our lovely roommate from Australia (still not sure I believe that) and his bedmate was from somewhere in Paris.  The room reeked of pot and the bathroom was, let’s say, less than clean.  Considering it didn’t smell like Oliver had showered in the last week, it was even more unnerving that our bathroom was so disgusting.  We also only bargained for one roommate – we weren’t exactly thrilled about his Parisian princess joining the party.

Needless to say, we were all a little on edge after we discovered our living situation for the next three days.  But, as I’ve said before, traveling is all about making the best out of every situation, and this was no different.  I was in Paris and I was determined to discover the city I fell in love with thanks to the Olsen twins.

In 3 days, we explored Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, L’Orangerie, the Arc de Triumph, the Latin quarter, and endless gardens and squares.  What we lacked in comfort we made up for with sightseeing.  And food intake.  French food, especially dessert, is a new favorite.

After spending a very busy three days in Paris, I’m not sure I need or want to go back.  Test-tasting three cultures in 8 days allows for a multitude of compare and contrast moments. While I am extremely happy I had the opportunity to visit, I found two other cultures I would much rather visit again.

While I realize I may not have had the best approach to this trip, I don’t think any amount of planning could have made me like this city more than Venice or London.  I’ve saved those two posts for later because in case I have a bad day, I want to have a reason to stop, look through all of my pictures, reminisce about our adventures and instantly cheer up.

Word to the wise: If you’re going to Paris, book a reputable hotel, spend too much money on good food, and be prepared to get lost underground at least once.  Doing these things will ensure a positive experience.

 

The Louvre

Venus de Milo, Louvre

Arc de Triumph

Heaven on a plate

Notre Dame

Home Sweet…Berlin

“Didn’t have a camera by my side this time
Hoping I would see the world through both my eyes
Maybe I will tell you all about it
When I’m in the mood to lose my way with words.”
– John Mayer, 3 x 5

Aside from me having a camera, this song completely sums up the last 9 days of my life. Look it up and listen, you won’t regret it.

After 9 days, 4 plane rides, 2 hostels, and countless desserts, I am back in Berlin. I have stood inches away from famous van Gogh, Picasso, Renoir and Monet paintings, watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle (both from the ground and inside it), heard Big Ben’s tones echo through the streets of London, and seen some of the most elaborate costumes on display during Venetian carnevale.

Although there were some minor bumps (to be described later), we ultimately conquered public transportation in Paris and London and didn’t get lost in Venice even though we arrived after dark. We didn’t miss any flights (although we managed to run at some point getting to our gate in every city), no one lost a passport (even though Keli left her’s at the hostel in Paris) and no one had anything stolen (but I may have had my wallet in my pocket and had a lovely British lady warn me to keep my hand on it).

I spent entirely too much money, ate obscene amounts of food, and took way too many pictures but I don’t regret any of this excess. I can eat ramen the entire month of April, walk a little extra in Berlin, and spend my entire day tomorrow organizing and uploading pictures for my friends and family to see. I got it all figured out, don’t you worry.

I don’t have the energy to describe the past 9 days in detail at the moment. I’ll leave you with some “optical feasts” (as my Grandaddy would say – shout out to Ed for teaching me that) and fill in the details later. Enjoy!

 

Venice

Venice

Paris

London

London

London