I wish I had known
Congratulations for finishing your overseas student teaching experience! I know it has been a once in a lifetime experience in so many ways for each of you!!!
For your final prompt, please post here a letter to future student teachers. Please think about things that you wish you had known; ways to help with the adjustments to being in a foreign country as well as being part of a military community; things that were easier than expected, and also harder than expected; and the best tidbits you can think about from being in a DoDDS school and about Bamberg specifically.
Thanks ladies for a wonderful semester, and please do keep in touch!!!!! Come see us if you find yourself in Pullman!!!
:-) Heidi & Chris
posted by Heidi @ 10:57 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
The past few weeks have been very busy, but successful. We finished up some team teaching and I started to give Delome back the class. I have been spending less time in my classroom this past week to help get the students get use to having one teacher again and I have been observing other teachers. It has been interesting to observe other teachers; everyone seems to have their own strategy that works for them. I have found the experience of visiting other classrooms very beneficial, because I have learned many new ideas that I really like.
One idea that I learned in a class was to call students alternating between boy, girl, boy, and have every student participate in the class discussions. The students can either volunteer or they can get randomly called on but everyone participates. I took this teaching idea and implemented in to my classroom, I like it because it holds all of the students accountable and checks to see if all of them are paying attention. Another reason I liked this strategy is because it made me very aware of whom I was calling on since I had to make sure all of my students either got called on.
This past week was kind of stressful but it has given me experience of what it is like to have a student who is getting a referral. The paper work process is tedious. I made it my mission to try different intervention strategies with this student; it was tiring but again a great experience. I spent a lot of time asking the special education teacher for ideas to help this student. I sat next to him and made this student my buddy for two days. We set up a plan to try and keep him on task. I would check his progress every 10 minutes, if he was making steady progress he would earn a certificate, if he was not making steady progress then he did not get a certificate. This strategy was not affecting him, he still did not care. My next strategy to try was to put a timer next to him and set small goals to have finished and if he was night staying on task then he would have to finish his work during recess. It took him 15 minutes to write 6 words, which was frustrating because he can work faster when he wants. I told him that he was not earning his recess and he needed to work fast so I told him he had 10 minutes to write 5 ideas on the graphic organizer, he completed the whole graphic organizer (13 sentences) in 7 minutes, he thought that if he finally started working he was going to get his recess. That motivation only happened once and now it does not faze the student.
It is stressful because I am putting all my time into one student trying to make progress and nothing is working and it is taking away from all of the other students. However, the extra energy that I have been putting into this one student is beneficial since it is information to put on the referral that could help him get this help he needs.
Dear Future Overseas Interns,
Congratulations! You are truly about to embark on one of the greatest experiences of your life. We feel very fortunate to have had this amazing opportunity. We are happy to share what we have learned about living in a military community, overseas, and especially Bamberg.
Some of our first questions stemmed from what to bring. Try to live minimally. Don’t take your off season clothes in the beginning. Get your off season clothes together in a box ready to be shipped. Once the season changes and you receive your box of clothes, ship the previous season’s clothes back. We packed all of our clothes all at once and it was a challenge getting to Bamberg with our entire luggage because we did not know anyone here yet. Be aware that you can get toiletries at the commissary and the PX, they may not have your specific kind but they have plenty to choose from.
We recommend flying into Nuremberg because it is a smaller airport and more convenient. While it initially seems more expensive, by the time you buy your train ticket from Frankfurt to Bamberg the cost evens out. The train ride from Frankfurt is about 3 hours and requires a train change half way through the journey, while Nuremberg is only about an hour with no train switches. Both airports require a tram to the main train station. We suggest going to the ticket counters at Reizen________ (Infromation), they usually speak English and are helpful. Remember to try and use your German, the response will be more positive. Don’t be afraid to use a phrase book, the Germans appreciate the effort to use their language and will usually respond to your German in English. Have a plan with the elementary school for when you arrive.
Once on post (what the Army calls base) be ready for a long hectic day, remember you are dealing with the US government and the German culture (many German civilians work on post). You will first go to the elementary school and receive a packet of paperwork that you need to finish filling out, attached will be directions of the things you need to complete to receive your temporary ID and your privilege card. Your privilege cards allows for you to buy food from the Shopette and the Commissary as well as to receive and send mail. We suggest bringing an extra passport photo with you; we needed it for the privilege card. You can get one here, but it is $8.
If you want a phone or internet please see the following list:
• It is nice to have an international plan on your state side phone for emergencies/flight changes etc.(cost a $1 a minute with AT&T)
• To make a phone call on a cell phone once you get here (cheapest options)
bring an "unlocked" phone from the states and go to TKS and get a 15 Euro simcard.
buy a prepaid phone from the Powerzone (PX) or where ever you can find. This costs about $25 and comes with 1 Euro worth of minuets.
With both options you should still get an AT&T phone card and dial the special number before the main phone number on the card. That way it is not taking money off your phone, it is only taking money off the phone card. (if calling the states). If you are calling another German number just dial direct.
• Prepaid cells get free incoming calls but whoever is calling you gets charged.
if they have AT&T the can add an in-state international option to their plan for $3.99 a month. This allows them to call prepaid cell phones for $.23 and a line land $.09.
• As for a land line. TKS has a "Surf and Talk" option which gets internet and phone. It is expensive because of the short term agreement but worth it. It is about $625 for the whole time (includes installation & activation fees & monthly bill). This price will be divided by the # of people as long as they want internet and phone.
with this plan you can make unlimited free of charge calls to all landlines and cell phones in the US and Canada. Other cell phones have a per minute charge.
Once you are on settled in, make sure you stay on the same page as your mentor teacher and administrators. If you have a situation that comes up and you do not think something is fair, be tactful and talk to the source respectfully before going to the supervisor. I would highly suggest talking it over with your mentor teacher as well. If it involves your mentor teacher go to your supervisor for support and ideas. Also, use your fellow student teachers for support, they are your best allies and will understand the situation the most. In fact they may be experiencing the same thing. We recommend getting to know the other teachers and student teachers; it will make your time more enjoyable. Do not be afraid to ask the other faculty for help or advice, they are a wonderful group of people and willing to help. They remember what it is like moving to a foreign country and moving on into a military community.
There are a few other things you should know about living on post in Germany. Do not be afraid to use the resources on post. The CAC (Community Activities Center) is where the library is located and they have free Wi-Fi. The Outdoor Recreation center is a great place to rent from, they have outdoor equipment and even outdoor clothing such as ski pants and jackets. If you are wandering around Post at 0630 or 1700 and hear the TAPS (the trumpets) you need to stop and face the direction of a flag until it is over. Be aware there are several long pauses, so don’t let it trick you. If you go to a movie on post be prepared to stand right before the movie for the National Anthem. The commissary is closed on Mondays which brings us to the point of downtown.
It is easy to get downtown using the Bamberg city buses. If you go out Gate 5 by the high school, the closest one to the apartment is the Stadion bus, it is bus #902, or you can go out the main gate which is Gate 3 and take bus #901 Gardenstatd. You can buy the bus fare as you get on and it costs 1.30 Euro or you can buy a pack of 4 tickets at the machine or at the bus depot for 3.60 Euro and it is cheaper. Don’t put your feet up on the bus, the bus drivers don’t like that. To get home from downtown go to the ZOB and catch either Standion or Gardenstatd depending on which gate you want to go to. The daytime bus will take you to Birkenalle which is right outside of Gate 5 on the Stadion route but the nightline takes you to the Stadion stop and you have to walk about 1km.
Downtown has a lot to offer and the more you try your German the more the people will help you. There is a daily produce market on the main strip called Grüner Markt. The produce is fresh and is reasonably priced. There are fresh bakeries all around; we highly recommend buying your breads from these. It is the freshest and best bread you will get. There are many fabulous places you should try downtown. Two of our favorites are Café Müller and Klosterbrau. Café Müller has wonderful food. Don’t be afraid to try something even if you are not sure what it is. Every meal we had was delicious. When tipping round up to the nearest Euro, it is not like in the States. At most restaurants you seat yourself, just be aware of reservation cards on the tables. You will also need to ask for the check when you are ready to leave, they will let you sit for hours and socialize. Other than the restaurants, most things are closed early and are not open on Sundays.
As for traveling while you are here, take advantage of the opportunity while you are here. For starters, do not spend all of your free time on post, get out and embrace the new culture you live in. For weekend trips plan ahead, if you are planning on using the train buy your tickets at least 3 days in advance, it will be cheaper. If you are planning on traveling in the local Bavaria area with a group of people we suggest using the Bavaria ticket, which is 28 Euro for 5 people for one day. Remember student teaching is tiring and normally you have the weekend to get caught up and rest, however with being overseas you want to travel so it is hard to get caught up. The train is a great time to get things done and get caught up on sleep. Lastly, be realistic about your trips, it not only tiring but can be expensive depending on destination (do your homework aka research your trips).
We hope this letter helps prepare you for your upcoming adventure. If you have any more questions feel free to contact us at Kylarae@gmail.com and Cherise.Morton@gmail.com. If you send your questions to both of us you will be able to receive multiple perspectives. We wish you the best!
Sincerely,
Kyla Thompson and Cherise Morton
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