The German Teachers visited on Thursday. They toured Cape Henlopen High School and then had socials with the staff and their hosts. As part of all of it, I was ready to learn and to share.
I was not ready to flip my perspective, take of my sunshades, deeply develop theories of cultural, and become so in tune with my new friends.
First, they were completely gaga over the CHHS building. "It's just so enormous. A beautiful building! Nothing like this in Germany! Such friendly students. The staff was confident and so professional!"
They were amazed at the mixture of sports and academics. Football! Soccer! Hockey! Volleyball! All in school! They loved the choral group - sounded so finely tuned and the theater performance that was top notch. They were awed by the mixture of special needs students into the fabric of everyday life.
Susan and Rita, my German guests, opened up at dinner and explained that theirs was a system of education that was very academically driven, and testing dependent. Their schools were held in mainly older buildings that went from grades 6-12 with large classes and an emphasis on achievement in languages, sciences, social studies, math and religion. Teachers work long hours and often take work home on the weekend. Parents were demanding but students generally were cooperative and respectful. Teachers pay, not so much, was dependent upon the state government.
There are issues here, I offered. We discussed racism, gun violence, drugs and homophobia. These are issues that touch our students and staff everyday. To hear them talk about these very same issues in their country was provocative. We stayed up late and in the end we decided that we were so much more similar than different. Both Germany and the United States shared a high level of educated citizens, large manufacturing and business success globally, leaders in world peace and defenders of democracy. Our friendship ignited over common beliefs and similar world views.
I never would have thought of us this way. What a difference a day makes if it is with teachers from another country who just happen to be amazed at the place that I had forgotten is so amazing.
I was not ready to flip my perspective, take of my sunshades, deeply develop theories of cultural, and become so in tune with my new friends.
First, they were completely gaga over the CHHS building. "It's just so enormous. A beautiful building! Nothing like this in Germany! Such friendly students. The staff was confident and so professional!"
They were amazed at the mixture of sports and academics. Football! Soccer! Hockey! Volleyball! All in school! They loved the choral group - sounded so finely tuned and the theater performance that was top notch. They were awed by the mixture of special needs students into the fabric of everyday life.
Susan and Rita, my German guests, opened up at dinner and explained that theirs was a system of education that was very academically driven, and testing dependent. Their schools were held in mainly older buildings that went from grades 6-12 with large classes and an emphasis on achievement in languages, sciences, social studies, math and religion. Teachers work long hours and often take work home on the weekend. Parents were demanding but students generally were cooperative and respectful. Teachers pay, not so much, was dependent upon the state government.
There are issues here, I offered. We discussed racism, gun violence, drugs and homophobia. These are issues that touch our students and staff everyday. To hear them talk about these very same issues in their country was provocative. We stayed up late and in the end we decided that we were so much more similar than different. Both Germany and the United States shared a high level of educated citizens, large manufacturing and business success globally, leaders in world peace and defenders of democracy. Our friendship ignited over common beliefs and similar world views.
I never would have thought of us this way. What a difference a day makes if it is with teachers from another country who just happen to be amazed at the place that I had forgotten is so amazing.
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