Field Trip, European Style (Or What I Learned With My Students)

I have been on a lot of field trips in Texas. They usually involve going to a museum or the zoo, then having a sack lunch and time to play in the park.  Not here. When your fifth-grade class is studying the Middle Ages, what could be better than to go to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Nuremberg? 

the walled city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

view of Nuremberg from the castle

I like history, but I have never been that interested in the Middle Ages.  It's probably because back home it just seemed so foreign to me--it was a long time ago in a faraway land; I had no connection to it. Here, though, you are surrounded by it.  I knew I was in for some good lessons on this trip when, the week before we went, my students were explaining to me where to find the nave and the transepts in the cathedral.

So, what did I learn on the three-day trip (yes, three days and two nights!) with fifth graders?

1.  The difference between Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Direct quote from one of my students: "If it is circular, then it is Romanesque, and if it has the pointy thingy it is Gothic."

Chapel inside the Nuremberg castle







St. Lorenzkirche in Nuremberg

2. Crime and punishment were up close and personal.

My students took this picture of me in front of the Criminal Museum in Rothenburg...the stocks were better than some of the other medieval instruments of torture we saw inside (and, thankfully, no one threw anything at me like they would have in medieval times), but now I think I would have preferred the Shame Mask.

I had heard of swords, shields, and even lances, but now that I have been to the Criminal Museum, I can add maces, flails, halberds, pollaxes and spikes to the list. Yikes!  There was even a small exhibit of a classroom in the (late) Middle Ages, complete with a wooden donkey for misbehaving students to sit on.  A couple of students thought that was very funny, and asked if we could get one.

You see the mask above the entry?  In medieval times the people of the town would stop attackers by pouring hot tar on them through the mouth of the mask. 

3.  The skies were golden in the Middle Ages. Artists had to paint the skies gold as a symbol of God's kingdom. If you see a painting with a blue sky, chances are it is not from the Middle Ages.



the altar at St. Wolfgang's Church in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

4.  In the Middle Ages, walls were built around the city for protection, but now they are good for walking, and even for having picnics.



Playtime along the wall in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Coventry

This past weekend I was sent to Coventry for a conference.  My American friends who are reading this are no doubt thinking, "Jan is so lucky! She gets to do all of the cool stuff!"...while those of you from the UK are chuckling to yourself and wondering what I did to deserve it. You see, in the UK if you say someone is being "sent to Coventry", it means he is being punished or ostracized.

Whatever may be said about Coventry, the people were the friendliest.  It seems to me that Coventry got a bum rap, but what do I know? I only spent a few hours outside of Warwick University, where the conference was held.  That conference was work; when we finished each day I just wanted to sleep, and I stayed in a dorm room that made the Jester dorms at UT look large and even slightly luxurious. (Maybe I was sent to Coventry?!) 

Valentinstag

It's refreshing to be in a country where Valentine's Day isn't such a big deal. I think the only commercial I've seen about the holiday was an advertisement for the movie Valentine's Day, which will be showing on German TV on Sunday.  Most of my fifth grade students seemed blissfully oblivious. When a student's mom (who is a fabulous baker, and, by the way, is also from Texas) brought in delicious pink cupcakes with red sprinkles this morning, some of my students asked, "Whose birthday is it?"

A few of my students knew, of course, and I did get some Valentine's Day cards. They were the best kind, too: the homemade kind. :)

some of my Valentine's Day treats...and snow, too!

You know you are in a whole other world when...

It's a tradition in Germany to give first grade students a Schultüte on the first day of school. They are usually filled with candy, and maybe some pencils or other small school supplies.  The administration at my new school decided to keep up this tradition and give us newbies a Schultüte, too.

My Schultüte, about 2 feet long

However, in contrast to what you would find in a first grader's bag, the contents of mine were:

So, to finish the sentence I started...You know you are in a whole other world when the school administration welcomes you by giving you a bottle of local liquor and follows it up with a short back-to-school party with beer, wine, and cakes in the faculty lounge.

Auf Wiedersehen

In July of 2002 I was a nearly-broke grad student spending her remaining funds hanging out with friends in Guadalajara, Mexico.  While there, I was hired over the phone by a principal in Texas who was desperately seeking a bilingual first-grade teacher.  I figured I would work at PLE a year or two, save enough money to go back to grad school full-time, and then quit.

Flash-forward nearly nine years, and my friends at PLE are throwing me a going-away party before I go to Germany.  Everybody should get a party like this:  not only were my current co-workers and current boss there, but also my former principal and a number of teachers I'd worked with over the years.  I felt kind of like a rock star, except that (thankfully) I didn't have to sing.

Auf Wiedersehen means goodbye, but I think if you translate it literally it is something like "until we see each other again".  Auf Wiedersehen, PLE, and Vielen Dank!

Not the best picture, but definitely the best cake--white with buttercream icing. Mmmm...

This Bayern-Munchen scarf was a gift and I love it!!! Is it going to get me in trouble in Frankfurt?

      

Hey, Kids! Guess What?!

In my current job, I work with elementary students who need extra help in reading.  With only three weeks of class left, I thought it would be a good time to start telling the kids where I will be next school year.

After the Aww's and the Why? 's, the first graders were curious about my new school (much more than about the country it was in).  Both groups of first graders asked what the name of my new school was.  The answer was followed by peals of laughter, and one group decided "our school's name is better."  Apparently, the word "Frankfurt" is REALLY funny if you are seven.

The third graders had more comments:

N.L.:  "Is that near Vegas? I am going to Vegas."

J.M.:  "You know, you could adopt me."

S.T.:  "You're going across the OCEAN? That's going to take, like, three days!"

My Going-Away Present

The Beginning

I have been teaching in a Texas public school for several years now, and lately I have wanted to do something different.  I like my job and my school, so it wouldn’t be enough just to change school districts—I want to get out of the country! 

With that in mind, I attended an international job fair. For my first job fair ever, I picked a big one, with over 120 schools from about 60 countries attending despite the crazy weather. The fair organizers said keep an open mind, cast a wide net, interview with schools from places you’ve never heard of—the problem with that was that I did my homework, and by the time of the fair, there weren’t any places I hadn’t heard of. I knew which schools I was interested in (and Texas schools weren’t yet talking about laying off teachers). So, I did exactly what the fair organizers said NOT to do:  I focused on only a handful of schools, knowing full well that I could end up going back to my current job. In the end, it was as good strategy for me. I only had three initial interviews, but I ended up with two job offers—both in the country I had dreamed, hoped, and prayed I’d get a job in:  Germany. 

My departure date is July 31^st… it sounds far away, but that’s only four months to pack up everything (or just get rid of it) and start a new job in a new country!    

Lots of snow at the fair in Boston...good practice for Germany!