Blogs from Werne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

Week 2- This week of student teaching has flown by. It's hard to believe I only have three days of student teaching left at AFG after the weekend. It's been a blast and the students have been great. There has never been a moment since I have gotten to Werne were I ever felt alone. Everyone here has been so helpful! The teachers, my host family, and even the students have been super helpful throughout this whole experience. Words cannot express how thankful I am for all the help and support shown by those who have taught me so much along the way. I am so thankful to have been blessed with an opportunity like this and have enjoyed every minute since I have been here. This week I have taught about everything from Shakespeare to ... read more

Tuesday-My second day at AFG was my first official day in the classroom and it was truly a great experience. I began the day in Mrs. Eckert's 7th grade English class. When Mrs. Eckert and I entered the classroom all the students stood up from their seats and politely greeted us. The students the remained standing until Mrs. Eckert gave them the command to take a seat. Afterward I spent a brief amount of time introducing myself and telling the students a little bit about Kentucky and the area in which I live. Many of the students seemed really excited and seemed to enjoy the presence of an American in the classroom. For the remainder of the time in class I revised and reviewed some of the short stories written by the students in English. To ... read more

Sunday- The trip from Berlin to Werne was certainly a long and tiring one. To pass some time on the train ride Heike and I talked about everything from the Berlin Wall to classic country music. The time the two of us were able to spend with each other on the train was a great experience and very insightful into the perspective of a west German growing up in the time of the wall. Our conversation showed me how special the reunification of the country was for everyone. As the time grew shorter and shorter until we were to reach our destination I began to feel more and more anxious about meeting my host family. Questions rushed through my head about whether or not they would like me, if I would be an inconvenience, and many ... read more