ALEX
Elementary Education Undergraduate |
ALEX
Elementary Education Undergraduate |
We started this experience with months to go and hundreds of days on my countdown app until we departed for Germany. I watched the number dwindle, and before I knew it I was scrambling to get everything packed and organized. As I was preparing for this experience, many family members and friends began to ask me how excited I was and what I would be doing while abroad. Talking about this experience that was coming so soon, was making me even more elated for the experience, all while making my nerves kick into full gear.
I keep thinking of the different things I am going to learn about different cultures while in Germany, but also about myself. I hope to find a new independent and confident woman in myself through this experience. My main hope for this trip, is to learn about the differences between American schools and German schools, giving me the ability to implement new skills and practices in the classroom to better increase student engagement. I plan to teach students in the classroom I will be visiting daily while in Stuttgart about American schools and America culture. I hope the students in the classroom will be able to learn something new about America, while they are teaching me about their classroom and culture in Germany. As time gets closure to departure on this journey, my heart begins to race out of sheer joy, yet some fear of being outside of situations I find myself feeling most comfortable in. I look forward to working with teachers in Germany and their students, while building knowledge and skills to benefit my future classroom and students, as well as getting out of my comfort zone in many ways. We ask students to try new things every day in the classroom. This experience is going to provide me with the experiences to try new things every day.
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Time is flying by. When I applied to participate in this program, the travel dates seemed so far. As we get closer to leaving the U.S. and traveling to Germany, I am thinking of all the amazing experiences I am going to encounter. There are numerous reasons why I decided to apply for this experience through Buffalo State. When I first started at Buffalo State in 2016, I was sitting in a classroom being informed of all of the amazing travel abroad opportunities IPDS offers to education majors. I turned to my mom, and said “I’m going to do that, that is such an amazing opportunity.”. At that time, she thought it was something I was going to back out of, being the home body I am.
When I was researching the different places IPDS travels to, Germany spoke to me. Hearing stories for years about my great grandparents and their bakery in Germany, made me always dream of visiting the place they once called home. I knew that I had to apply, and take a shot at this amazing experience. I’ve heard many stories over my past few years in college, from friends and family members telling me to take a chance and study abroad if I have the chance, or I will regret not experiencing something remarkable on my own. I knew that this trip would be something that would get me out of my comfort zone, but as we get closer I am starting to realize how much this experience is going to give me the power to find myself and develop different strategies in classrooms, that I may not have been introduced to in America. By traveling to Germany, I hope to gain many new ideas for my classroom to increase student engagement, as well as classroom management tools. I believe that this trip as a whole is going to help me find the strategies I am looking to implement in the classroom, when student teaching in the upcoming fall, and my future classroom. Needless to say, as the days go by, I am getting more elated for this upcoming endeavor. The suitcase is ready, and so am I, even though my mom may not be. |
AuthorHello! My name is Alex. I am very excited to be traveling to Germany, as many of my family members have immigrated from parts of Germany. This trip is going to be an amazing experience, while pushing me out of my comfort zone. I have two German Shepherd dogs, who I will miss dearly, however I plan to Facetime them every day. You can expect to see numerous photos of food, classrooms, and architecture in my blog. I cannot wait for this journey to begin! ArchivesCategories |