LAVONNIE
Elementary Education Undergraduate |
LAVONNIE
Elementary Education Undergraduate |
Its so sad when I think about how I never saw myself traveling because I did not think it was possible for me. I remember freshman year was the first year I was introduced to IPDS via the DR trip. The first IPDS trip was Zambia and when I came back people always would ask me "how much was it." My advice to anybody that wants to partake in an IPDS trip, DO IT! Since Germany is my second trip, I cans safely say the only money you need to have UP FRONT is the money for the flight because they book it at the cheapest price they can find which can be any day. The rest is charged to your student account and you pay it like any other bill. IPDS is great if you want to be a cultured teacher, and if you want to bring something fresh and new to the classroom. Homesickness is a problem but you must live in the moment or those thoughts of back home will eat you alive. Be open minded because you will experience different cultures, different people and new experiences. People always say travel because you cant get your time and experiences back but you can earn your money back, and its true! Don't hold yourself back because of financial issues because there are scholarship and research that help with money issues and if already know you want to be apart of IPDS get a head start on saving money. I have no regrets and when I think about traveling I happy I got to go to Zambia and Germany to do what I love.
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3 weeks flew by but felt like a long time too! I did a lot of first in Germany like picking strawberries from a strawberry field and made a desert. I traveled alone on public transportation abroad. I experienced my first ever chocolate museum and factory, I felt like the real Willy Wonka [Lavonnie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory]. I served many German cookouts where you bring your own meat to grill. I learned that patience is important as well as communication. Not being afraid to be the outsider or loner if you want to do something that interest only you. I visited a majestic waterfallI. watched my first broadway play, Anastasia, even though I grew up in NYC. I experienced a lot of moments that you had to live to understand. Plus I found a new favorite wine. I want to leave you guys with some Germany highlights, and remember just because you couldn't imagine something doesn't mean it won't happen.
The title of my blog comes from a unit taught by Mr. Boyle, who is an Grade 8 and 9 teacher at the school I am at . Mr. Boyle himself is from Ireland and a very welcoming soul. I've observed many of his lessons as he has invited me to his classroom and always ask for feedback. He teaches English as well as History and he does a great job by relating the topics in his classroom to engaging or real life material.
I want you the reader to stop right here and guess what the unit is about... "The American South" is literally about the history of the south, including slavery. One, I am surprised to see a history teacher in Germany teaching about slavery, which is important that everybody knows about. The unit was not sugar coded or filled with inaccurate information, and I even learned new things. For example, did you know the Dutch were the first people to have slaves! Also, I learned about a whip that had hooks attached to the end, which was created because they wanted to figure out ways to make remove as much skin off of their backs without killing them. He explained in detailed how slaves were transported and how they didn't have access to bathrooms, healthy living conditions, or food. He even showed students a wanted sign for a run away slave and how they use to describe and think of black people, like we were not human just property. I was satisfied with the opening lesson. Next, they would examine songs sung by slaves that kept the hope alive, this symbolized how strong minded our ancestors were. Yes, they were enslaved people but they knew that one day they would be "free" and push forward to provide me and further generations with opportunities. Lastly, he had the students google famous southern recipes, with these recipes students explained to their classmates what their dish was. That following Monday students would have a potluck with all the different southern dishes they did research on. CREATE CULTURED STUDENTS ! People that are not from America love it so much, so when it came to deciding the topic of my first lesson it was no problem deciding the topic. The hardest part of creating a first lesson is the language barrier, so I had to think outside of the box and incorporate something that anybody can do no matter the language. I decided to do an infamous NYC show-and-tell. I begin by showing students a map of NYC which showed how each borough is famous for something. For this lesson students were separated into three groups representing the seasons fall, winter and summer. Each group was given a group of pictures along with sentence strips, in both, German and English. Students were to match the sentence strip with the picture, allowing you to describe what activity it is. Since each group was a different season when it came to the show-and-tell part everyone learned what you can do in NYC during the fall, winter and summer. This activity helped me connect with the students despite the fact we did not speak the same language. I am always nervous when I teach or meet new students but once I get into the groove it's no stopping me!
I think I choose to teach in the wrong part of the world! After my first week of being in German schools, I've noticed the similarities and difference of the German education system compared to the NYS education system. The main difference is the amount of access that students have to the outside world during the school day. For example, students are allocated a 15 minutes break between every two periods, you would never see this in New York. These frequent 15 minutes breaks allow students to debrief and recharge throughout the day, so they can focus in the classroom. In addition, students are also given about 5 minutes to drink water and enjoy a snack. Along with the 15-minute breaks, in each classroom, there are about six huge windows which bring in fresh air and sunshine into the classroom. Also, the classrooms look comfortable like a place where pupils enjoy learning.
The school environment is more relaxed and the responsibility of learning it not only on the teacher but on the student as well. I say this because two times a week students are given independent periods were they complete work they've been working on or alternate work assigned by the teacher. I observed one of these periods, and after directions were given students did their work. During this independent time, students were allowed to converse with one another and walk around, and still doing all of this the entire classroom was doing the work they needed too. This opened my eyes in the sense that if students are held responsible for their work more often and babied less when its time to complete work independently they can without a problem. They have the freedom to make their own right decisions, which I believe is a trait that lacks in New York classrooms. Furthermore, a huge difference I've observed is that students only write in cursive [or script]. When I was younger cursive used to be taught, and if you went to a Catholic school you were required to write cursive. However, I rarely if not at all see cursive being taught in our schools in NY, and I think it puts our students at a disadvantage. Being able to write is an overlooked skill that students and adults need to have and we need to add it into our curriculum. Previously I mentioned how the school environment was relaxed that also goes for the dress of code for teachers as well. One teacher at the school explained the lack of uniform or strict stems from history when the Nazi party was in control. In order to keep the dictator feel out of schools students and teachers are allowed to dress how they want to. For example, teachers can wear shorts, a tank top, and flip flops; a shirt, a skirt, and sandals; or dresses and sandals. As for NY, teachers are required to wear a long skirt or dress, closed toes shoes or heels, and a nice blouse or shirt. Brace yourself for what I am about to type next... teachers only have to be in school for the lessons they teach! As a full-time teacher [at the school I am at] you only have to teach 28 lessons a week, and you can break it up however you want. Giving teachers the freedom to teach and not be in the school building all day can be the difference between teachers leaving and staying in the profession. I've observed German school and I clearly see the differences and I look forward to using the things I like from German schools to implement in my classroom this fall. For everybody who doesn't know what a foodie is, it is a person who loves food [me]! Between me and you, I was tired of eating sausages, so you can only imagine how happy I was when we went to France for the weekend! I want to begin by saying the air is Strasbourg smelled like a fresh bakery mixed with love and a hint of good vibes. Every corner we walked on it was either delicious flambés, ice cream, pizza or alluring scenery; it was travel girl heaven. My first night I enjoyed a three-course meal, fancy right!? As a starter, I had a French onion soup [my first time trying this]. Then, for the main course, I had a beautifully cooked duck leg, that feel right off the bone, with some roasted potatoes. Last but not least, I had an apple and peach cobbler with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream, it was so delectable.
On the second day, I tried the famous Flambées. A flambées is like a very thin flatbread with cream cheese, onions, and ham. Of course, you can get other kinds of flambées but that were the traditional one of Strasbourg, and I fell in love. I don't usually like onions but like I said: "When in France do things you don't like!" France was wonderful, I wished we would have had more time there. Mark my words I'll be back but for now Au revoir! We’ve been in Berlin for 4 days now, but this one has been the most “emotional” day I’ve had thus far. Today, we visited the concentration camp where Jewish people, war criminals and people from all over European countries were imprisoned, starved, worked and eventually killed. The reason why I put emotional in quotations marks above was that I was not sad nor angry, but my mind was blown. Like slavery or the Native American genocide, the Holocaust is briefly taught in school curriculums. They did Holocaust survivors and victims justice by putting together such a detailed and in-depth experience for visitors. There are over 30 different exhibits that include real artifacts and propaganda, cinemas, documents, recordings, and interactive components.
As I walked around, I could not imagine what it was like when everything was still standing. There was one exhibit where Holocaust survivors who came to the concentration camp as teenager spoke about their experience, and that was hard to watch because they ranged from the age of 14-17. 14-17 years old that have been separated from their families and are being starved and forced to obey with hopes that somebody will come to save them before they are burned alive. There was another account where a food worker explained how he delivered the food and essentially he was responsible for the poor conditions they ate in. He witnessed the inhumane portions they were fed and how they ate like they did not eat for days. After hearing the audio, I then noticed you did not have to actually be killing people to be apart of the holocaust it was the guard, the concentration camp doctors, and the neighbors that turned the other cheek. What stuck with me the most was how guards would make prisoners test out their combat boots, disregarding the size of the impacts, they were forced to march on a strip 40 km longs that had many surfaces [so they can be good for war]. Then, I saw the infirmary where life ended for many Jewish people and European people affected during the NAZI regime, and WOW! I was so shocked I don't know what I was expecting but that was not it. There were different kinds of the infirmary, some bigger than others, and as I walked around inside the presence was so strong I couldn't believe it. We were granted 3 hours to view the concentration camp and still, that wasn’t enough time, so that should tell you something. I’ll include pictures and videos taken while at the camp. Days leading up to my departure to Germany and I do not know how to feel. One, because of student teaching I was not really able to attend class, and I fear that I will be the outsider. I am also worried if I will experience racism and how I will handle that situation if it occurred. I’m nervous about not being able to properly communicate when I get to Germany because I do not know the language. I’m thinking about what I want to take away from this trip personally and professionally. I don’t have many concerns and because I went to Zambia I kind of know what to expect.
Yes, I’m going to Germany! Last summer I participated in the IPDS Zambia trip lead by Professor Shandomo and Professor McLeish, and I will forever remember that experience. After last summer I learned the importance of travel, and what it means to be a global educator. I love the fact that I was able to collaborate with educators from Zambia and now Germany. The reason I choose Germany, after some research, I admired the fact that Germany is a country that embraces their past in order to move forward as a united Germany. Like the quote goes “United we stand, divided we fall.” Unlike the USA, Germany educates their people on the horrors of the past such as the Holocaust and discrimination that marginalized groups have faced. As Americans we do not like to talk about the big elephants in the room that being slavery and the effects it still has on us today, we let white old men decide what women can do with their bodies and the many more elephants [LBGTQ issues, pollution, human trafficking]. Another reason I applied for the IPDS Germany trip was to encourage black and brown teacher candidates to step out of there comfort zone and travel to Europe. I have no doubts that I will learn from my trip to Germany and I cannot wait to share my knowledge when I get back to the New York, and hopefully implement these in my classroom when I start teaching in the fall. |
AuthorHello Folks! My name is Lavonnie and I am currently a senior studying Childhood Education and Mathematics. Last summer I went to study abroad in Zambia, and this summer you be able to follow my journey in Germany. When I travel I love trying native dishes, going sightseeing immersing myself in the culture, and most importantly, teaching abroad. One of the goals for my blog this IPDS trip is to make it more animated, so I hope you enjoy as I blog my Germany experience. Archives
August 2019
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