DAN
Elementary Education Graduate |
DAN
Elementary Education Graduate |
It is now almost two weeks since I've been back in the States, and I just cannot seem to accept that. It feels as if just yesterday I was waking up to go the school that my host was teaching in. We would have a light breakfast and then be on our way, off to teach and thrill the minds of young students with the wonders of a country they have never seen. The truth of the matter is that my cohorts and I are now back in the States, but we are now so much richer from our experiences. We grew very close as a group, with a large part of that being due to the fact that we were in each other's company for long hours each day. We laughed, shared stories of past experiences, and bonded over issues that I would never have thought of bonding over. In short, we became a family. In my first post, I mentioned of my belief that travel does wonders in expanding the mind of an individual. Well, I think this idea works even better when you have an entire group that can bond over what they have learned in sharing new experiences. Although we were in Germany for a short time, my cohort and I are still keeping in contact with each other, and I could not be more happy with this development if I tried. We now have the time to relax, and go over the details that some of us might have missed or glossed over while we were trying to absorb everything around us. I know that I will take what I learned with this fantastic group with me into the profession of teaching. My future classroom and students will be further enriched by the experiences that we had together. I hope to see this program used as well as it was with my group. The educators of tomorrow are in the here and now, just waiting for an opportunity like this to come along and change their lives. I was lucky enough to have it. I hope others will have this chance too.
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Hello again to all of my loyal followers! I apologize for not updating you with up to the minute breaking news, but I've been trying to absorb an entire country into my being in just two weeks. As you can imagine, it's not entirely possible. However, I have had the pleasure and the honor to sit in, listen, talk, and experience a world where teaching has so many doors that are always open for new experiences to any who are seeking them. This was the main classroom that I stayed in for the majority of my time in the school. Although the picture is slightly out of focus, I'm sure you can see the rooms that are connected to the classroom that I stayed in. The room in the back is a classroom where another member of my cohort stayed. The interconnecting room is actually a room to pull aside students that require extra help when dealing with a particular problem. I thought this was very interesting in how we view the topic of inclusion in classrooms. What stood out for me was how these rooms were connected by a door that could be easily opened by the students. This allows for the feeling that, although they may need to leave the main classroom for a certain time, they are never farther than a door away from the other students. This bowl contains fruit that is provided for the class. Each student is given a fruit (apple, nectarine, etc.) once a week. This is provided by the city (maybe state?), and I thought it was a great way to keep the students focused on the idea of eating healthy. This was something that I could never seem to get over, no matter how many times I saw it. The third grade classroom had all of their writing implements and everything else neatly tucked away for when they need to make use of them. I couldn't help but think of all of the pencil box cases that I had used in the past. They had always been so messy and disorganized. However, these were kept so immaculate that I felt that I needed to see if I could find one for myself during our excursions. As it so happens, I was lucky to purchase while in downtown Stuttgart the very next day!
As far as titles go, I feel that one is the most appropriate. Although my cohort and I have been in Germany for less than a week, it has felt a lot longer than I thought would be possible. We made our way from Buffalo to Toronto, Toronto to Ireland, Ireland to Berlin, and we have just made it to Stuttgart today. The trip has been amazing, and we still have over a week left! Have you ever tried to navigate a public transport system when you didn't really know the language? It can be frustrating when mistakes are made, disheartening when you find out that you made a mistake, and challenging since sometimes you just end up going with a gut feeling. However, it feels incredible when you can get to a destination by utilizing what is in front of you and using your reasoning to figure out what you need to do. It didn't appear to me at first, but I imagine this can be the case when we have students that are adjusting to English as a second language in the classroom. They can see the words in front of them, but they require help in order to process the information that is right at their finger tips. I hope to bring this thinking with me when I return to the states. This bear statue has the Berlin subway map printed over its body. It was quite a delight to find and use to the group's benefit. We were lucky to see a section of the Berlin Wall during our second day in Berlin. It was incredible to think how this one wall separated an entire city where friends and families could die just for wanting to see or be next to the people that they love. When we saw the wall, it did not look like anything you might expect. One side was covered in a variety of graffiti while the other was covered in murals. Unfortunately, those beautiful murals were covered up in a variety of graffiti as well. Welcome to the Reichstag! This building houses the German Parliament, and allows visitors to travel to the roof and view the city. It's very impressive to learn of the history of this building and the city as well through the audio tour that is provided before you step out onto the roof. It really is quite amazing to think of all of the decisions and plans that have borne fruit due to the people that worked hard for a better tomorrow in this building. Here are a few members of the cohort in one of the many rooms that were shown to us by Herr Kupper at Nurtingen University. It was amazing to see the differences in how education is taught in different countries. The room in this photo was a supply room for the teacher candidates to examine ideas for how they may teach a lesson in a classroom. I could not get over how simple this ideas was, yet I have never seen it used anywhere else. I intend to use what I learned here in order to bring about some ideas back home that will hopefully bring about change for the better for teacher candidates at the college. Although we may only have just over a week left, I can't imagine the adventures and exciting things that will be in store for us tomorrow! I can't wait to see all of the incredible things that will be coming our way!
In less than one week now, my cohort and I will embark on a trip to Germany. While we are there, we will take in the sights and sounds. More importantly, however, we will be inside schools, learning of the cultural differences that make schools from two countries so different. We will get to jump into the deep end of the pool in seeing how students are taught when they are not held to the same restrictions that are imposed over here in the United States. I am looking forward to learning and absorbing all I can while I am over there in the hope that I can translate what I learned into when I will have my own classroom.
Although I am certain that it has been said numerous times in the past, I am a firm believer that travel really does help to broaden the mind. I consider myself extremely lucky to have traveled out of the States to Israel last year. I met an amazing group of people, learned more in two weeks than I would have ever thought imaginable, and I feel that I became a changed man for the better. While I have yet to leave the States for Germany, I feel that the same has already begun to occur. I have met so many wonderful people, and I’m still in Buffalo! Time is winding down, and we will soon head out on a grand adventure. Please keep an eye out for my posts and those of my new friends. We’ll be on our way, and I’d love for you to come along. |
AuthorHello everyone! My name is Dan, and I am an undergraduate in
the Elementary Education program at SUNY Buffalo State. My goal is to graduate
with a concentration in English, and move forward into the professional career
of teaching. I’m very excited to be taking this trip to Germany, and I can’t
wait to show you all of the incredible things that I’ll learn while I am there.
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