Now my time here at the German school campus is already over. Eight instructive and exciting weeks are now behind me. In these two months, I have been able to get to know great teachers, students, and parents. In my opinion, the contact and exchange with inspiring people is the reason why experiences abroad leave a lasting and positive impression. After only a short time, I can already say that my time at the German school campus will continue to have an effect for a long time to come and that it has left a lasting impression on me, especially for my upcoming professional life.

I have gained a more comprehensive understanding of team building, which will almost certainly help me greatly in the future. The teaching team from the German School campus was always motivated, well-organized, and fun to be around. For example, I was able to experience firsthand what Mrs. Schoeneich considers when planning the carnival or the upcoming Easter celebration. Mrs. Schoeneich and the teaching team also spare no effort with the AATG and DSD exams. Exam time can be stressful. However, the German school campus provides all students with this outstanding opportunity for further education and supports the students competently in their endeavors.

I was particularly impressed by Mrs. Schoeneich’s motivation to pass on German culture as authentically as possible. The authenticity runs like a thread through the school concept and starts with the cooking classes, goes through the didactically diverse concepts to the extracurricular events such as carnival. I am sure that I will be able to pass on the American culture to my future students in an authentic way. Intercultural competence is one of the most important skills in foreign language teaching and is firmly anchored in the curriculum in Germany. The German school campus, therefore, combines the interaction of two cultures in an exemplary way, and above all the teaching of the German language and culture. I would describe the teaching methods used at the German school campus as contemporary, student-oriented, and varied. We work with digital media, but also with analog media. In addition, great value is placed on cooperative learning. The German language is taught primarily through the concept of immersion, which is successful because all teachers are native speakers of the German language: Keyword authenticity. Through this kind of immersion, the students are always surrounded by the German language. Also, the didactics, which are taught in Germany, state that monolingualism in the lessons in the foreign language should always be kept high. Since I study two foreign languages, this insight was again a great inspiration for my future teaching.

In the end, I was able to take a lot with me, both interpersonally and culturally. In the last few weeks, I was particularly impressed by the visits to the two presidential libraries and the trips to Los Angeles and San Diego. From garbage disposal to overtaking in the right lane on the freeway: my time in the U.S. has left a great impression and I’m already looking forward to sharing my experiences with my future students!