Claire Feldhaus from Freie Universität Berlin
My internship is a compulsory internship as part of my teaching studies at Freie Universität Berlin. But instead of doing it near where I live, as most students do, I applied to German schools abroad that are members of the WDA. Fortunately, I was accepted to the German School in Newport Beach. This is my first time in California, and I am very grateful for this experience and the opportunity to learn a lot here.
The director Mrs. Schoeneich picked me up from Los Angeles and gave me a warm welcome.
I arrived before the actual school started, but this did not mean that there was no work. During the summer break for the students, a lot of work was done to prepare everything for school to start. For example, various events were held to give students and parents the opportunity to learn more about the school. In addition, school bags and handbooks for school enrollment were created. A Pirate Festival was hosted in connection with the German pirate Störtebeker, for children in Old World, the German old town in Huntington Beach.
At the first teacher meeting, I met Ginah, Kristin, Kerstin, and Stefanie who were all very motivated and committed. The team harmonizes very well, and all make a significant contribution. On the first day of school, I was already allowed to give a presentation. This presentation was about Germany, its pupils, and the school system, to give the children and parents, who are far away from Germany, an idea of the daily routine and the culture in Germany.
Now that the lessons have started, I get an insight into the different class levels. German School Campus offers classes for all ages from 4 years old to adults. I already have insight into the Kindergarten, High School, and Middle-School class levels. This is very interesting, because not only the age is different, but also the level of the German language and one can learn a lot about how to deal with individual differences.