LACI
Exceptional Education Graduate |
LACI
Exceptional Education Graduate |
This week I went to the Black Forest. This is where a lot of old farms developed in Germany. We went on a tour of one of the farms. It was so interesting to see what they had to do in order to keep the farm going. We went into a house that the family would live in. There was a living room, kitchen, and bedrooms. The house was connected to the barn. The living room was small and had two tables with a bench that went across the wall. There were a few other benches by the tables to sit. They had a ceramic heater in the room, where they not only used it to stay warm, but also to dry clothing that they had washed. The kitchen was very small and had about three cooking areas in it. The ceiling was black from the grease and smoke that would come up from cooking. They didn't have fans or anything to take the smoke outside. This was so interesting to see because, it was so dark and small in there I don't think it would be easy to cook in. The bedrooms were also very small, it had one big bed for the mother and father and two small beds for the babies. Once the children were grown they shared a room with their sister or brothers. It was interesting to know that the boys mostly slept on hay in the barns instead of a room. After going through the house we got to see the building where they collect the grains for the bread. This was amazing to watch. I couldn't believe it was powered by a water wheel. We watched it crush the grains and come out ready to be used to make food. We also got to see some of the animals they had now. There were horses, sheep, and ducks. The farm was very interesting, and quickly became one of my favorite activities that we did in Germany.
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This weekend I went to Munich, it was beautiful. Although we didn't spend a lot of time there, we did get to tour the city and make it to the concentration camp. The city was beautiful and the buildings were stunning. I can not imagine going by those building every day and not being late to work because I stopped to look. My favorite part out of our whole weekend was going to the concentration camp. It was so moving, I think everyone should see a concentration camp at least once in their life. When we first walked into the camp you stand in front of a gate where they all entered the camp grounds. It was so serial to be walking in the same spots these poor people walked in. The camp was huge, as soon as you walked in you could feel the hot sun beating down on you. The thought of these people working and being out in the heat everyday made me sad. When I looked to my left I saw the buildings where the Jews and solders slept, toileted, and ate. On the right I saw what now is the museum that holds artifacts and pictures of the camp. Before it was the main building for officers and behind that was the Jail. Walking through each of these building was hard, every room had a different story and a different feel. We walked through the jail and saw the small rooms they all had, you could see the dirty and scratched up walls still. That was so hard to hear what happen to those prisoners, and to imagine how they must of felt. After leaving that building we made our way to the buildings that housed many Jews at one time. They had to sleep in bunk beds. They washed at two larger sinks. If someone got sick; it was hard to contain the illness in the living quarters. I moved on down the middle of the two living quarters. On either side of me were outlines of where so many building stood that housed Jews. It was so sad to see how many once stood on that land. The part that got me the most was the gas chambers. I walked in the opposite way the Jews would have. So, I walked into the building that had the stoves were they burnt the dead bodies. Then I walked into the gas chamber, it's a small room that would hold 100 Jews at a time. If you looked up you could see holes that I think is where they pumped the gas in. After that I walked into the room where the Jews took their clothes off thinking they were going to be taking showers. The room at the end was where they waited to go in. This part hurt me the most to see, they were just so tired and hopeful to get clean, that they didn't think they would be walking into their death. Munich was very interesting but by far the concentration camp was what impacted me the most on this trip. I will forever hold those images in my mind and hope that our world never becomes like that again. My first week in Stuttgart is coming to an end. I have the most amazing host family! They have been very welcoming and kind. In the household are two children a 5 year old girl and a 1 and a half year old boy.They have put a smile on my face everyday. The little girl gets up early and waits for me to be done getting ready in the morning. She wants to hang out with me before I head off to the school I'm teaching at. The little boy has the most amazing smile, he gets so excited when I see him in the morning. The whole family is amazing and I feel right at home! At first, I was nervous living with a family I didn't know and whom I may not be able to communicate with. Luckily, from the moment I walked in the door I felt like I had known them for years. Although the communication barrier is there, we are able to understand each other. The little girl is teaching me German words and I am teaching her them in English. I am truly grateful for this family and how close we have gotten in such a short period of time. The school I teach at is small and friendly. I am in a first grade classroom with 22 children. The children are so sweet and wanted to know all about me. The first day we did an introduction for the children to ask us questions. First, it started out with them telling us their names, and then they told us their numbers in English. The school doesn't have a lunch room, so the students bring a snack from home but do not eat lunch at school. The school I am at are done at noon most days. The children go home to eat with their families. Also the children have about a half hour of out side play time. They don't have a playground, just a few scooters and balls to play with. It is very interesting to watch them make believe and really build relationships with each other. I also went with the little girl I live with to her kindergarten class. This is equivalent to preschool in the U.S. This was interesting to me because I am doing my research project on unstructured and structured play in both America and Germany. After seeing how the first graders do a lot of unstructured play, it was interesting to see that in the kindergarten the students mostly participate in unstructured play as well. However, there are some times they play in a more structured envioronment. The kindergarten has rooms for the different subjects, for instance there is a science room which has real materials to do science experiments, a math room, napping room that has bunk beads for those who need to sleep. There are also art rooms, that have materials needed to create different forms of art and a construction room where the children use real saws and hammers to create their masterpieces. In most of these rooms the children have to show they can use some of the items by "passing" the test. They get their picture taken and then they have cards that they show that they can use an item. In the U.S. we give the children pretend saws and hammers, and instruct children on how we use materials for certain things. In addition, their playground was centered around the kids and using different materials to create an amazing play area for the kids. From my observations Germany is more centered around their kids and how they play than we are back in America. Also the children appear to have independence and the parents allow children their space to learn and create without interference. In the German culture they believe this is how the children will learn what is right and wrong, and also this will show the children their limitations and help set boundaries. So far my first week has been very exciting. It has been a pleasure learning from my host family and getting to know them. In addition it has been a pleasure being in the schools and being able to see how the children interact with each other, and the differences from the United States. I am enjoying every minute of this trip and I am looking forward to taking back so many experiences as well as tools to use in my own classroom someday. My first few days in Berlin have been amazing. There is so much history, I don't think we have enough time to learn everything. I have the role of navigator which is really hard! I honestly thought I would never be able to find my way around Berlin, and in the train stations. By Saturday I was able to figure out what stop we would need to get off. on Sunday I even was able to go with some girls to the zoo and get us to the train station and back to our hotel. I don't think there is just one thing I loved about Berlin, it was a beautiful city! The building were so big and beautiful. I really enjoyed going to see the Berlin Wall. The art work that they display on it now is amazing! It was so powerful and emotional to actually see it. I have read about it in high school, but never actually thought anything of it. To be next to it and imagine what it must of been like to be separated from other people like that was heartbreaking. I can not imagine what life back then must of been like. I am very excited to see what Stuttgart is like. Also, I can not wait to see the school system and meet the students. I leave tomorrow, I can not believe it has come so fast. I have been mostly stressed about packing, and making sure I have everything I need before I leave tomorrow. Packing is one of the biggest challenges so far, I am trying not to pack to many clothes since I know I can do laundry at my host families house. I am so excited to see what Germany is like, I have looked at pictures but the actual experience will be amazing. I have decided to do a lesson on our flag to the children in the Waldorf school. They only know colors and numbers in English since they are only 6 to 7 year olds. The communication between me and the children is a challenge I am hoping I will overcome. I look forward to getting to know Germany from my host families eyes. I am also very excited to try all the food over there. This is a very exciting trip and I can not wait to finally get to experience what I have been learning about.
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