Language Teachers Among Those Receiving First SMHS Foundation Grants
Left to Right:
Nhora Gomez-Saxon, Spanish, Field trip for ELL and native Spanish speakers working on their second book to the Levine Museum to learn local history & to UNCC to see that there are college opportunities in our own “backyard";
James Bello, Science;
Laura Thompson, Social Studies;
Jinko Dailey, Japanese, Japanese drums for Taiko Drum Club as part of the Japanese language magnet program;
Janine Hill, Math;
Ingrid Bialas-Wilson German, German novel set and German AP Review books for our German language magnet students;
Melissa Suber, Math.
Nhora Gomez-Saxon, Spanish, Field trip for ELL and native Spanish speakers working on their second book to the Levine Museum to learn local history & to UNCC to see that there are college opportunities in our own “backyard";
James Bello, Science;
Laura Thompson, Social Studies;
Jinko Dailey, Japanese, Japanese drums for Taiko Drum Club as part of the Japanese language magnet program;
Janine Hill, Math;
Ingrid Bialas-Wilson German, German novel set and German AP Review books for our German language magnet students;
Melissa Suber, Math.
Congratulations to our teachers who were awarded grants of approximately $500 each to
meet the needs of students in their classrooms.
Thank You to our alumni and parent donors and community sponsors!
Learn more about the SMHS Foundation here: www.southmeckfoundation.org
meet the needs of students in their classrooms.
Thank You to our alumni and parent donors and community sponsors!
Learn more about the SMHS Foundation here: www.southmeckfoundation.org
Olga Haller
2016-2017 PAD Foreign Language Teacher Assistant
German and Spanish
I study Spanish and English at the Eberhard Karls Universität in Tübingen. I will graduate next year with a Staatsexamen. I am going to teach students from 5th to 12th grade at Gymnasium.
I am one of 16 interns sent by the PAD (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst) to the United States. In October, 2016 I arrived in Charlotte and I was teaching from the very first week at South Meck which helped me a lot to become more spontaneous. I appreciate it so much that I also got the opportunity to teach Spanish 5 (AP).
Something that I like most of the American school system is the fact of how much time we have to deal with one unit. We can apply so many different methods and approaches and my students have the chance to become very creative. The major advantage of the American school system is definitely the fact that you teach the same class every single day which is such an advantage, especially for foreign languages, because the students deal with the language every day for at least 90 minutes.
Besides teaching, I also used the time on the weekends for traveling. Sitting on a bench in the Central Park in New York was maybe my personal highlight. I love musicals and so I was really happy that I got to see a Broadway show. Besides, we also have been to the opera in Charlotte and I saw some of my students performing “How to succeed in business without really trying”. I also enjoyed going to Ocean Isle Beach, meeting up with some of the other interns in Charleston, visiting the Biltmore Estate in Asheville and hiking in the Smokey Mountains.
What I like most of Charlotte and the United States in general is the variety of places and things there are to explore. Charlotte´s location is just perfect: it´s a two hour drive to go to the mountains and a 3 hour drive to get to the beach.
Staying with different host families was such a valuable experience for me. I remember how thankful I was on Thanksgiving being around so many people. My families took me to places I would have never seen. I joined the Royal Society meeting of the Queens University, the Oktoberfest at the Carmel Country Club, a Novena right before Christmas, I attended an interesting speech at the Charlotte Rotary and I also enjoyed going to several sports events, like Lacrosse and football games. I spent the night of the Superbowl at a sports bar in Charlotte uptown – it was not just a special and unforgettable game in terms of the first win in the overtime, but also one of the most exciting experiences.
All in all, I enjoyed my stay in Charlotte. I met amazing people and I also got so many insights in so many cultural events. I will miss all the nice people, the blue sky and the sun. In June, after the internship, I will make a road trip from LA to San Francisco to finish my year abroad.
I am one of 16 interns sent by the PAD (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst) to the United States. In October, 2016 I arrived in Charlotte and I was teaching from the very first week at South Meck which helped me a lot to become more spontaneous. I appreciate it so much that I also got the opportunity to teach Spanish 5 (AP).
Something that I like most of the American school system is the fact of how much time we have to deal with one unit. We can apply so many different methods and approaches and my students have the chance to become very creative. The major advantage of the American school system is definitely the fact that you teach the same class every single day which is such an advantage, especially for foreign languages, because the students deal with the language every day for at least 90 minutes.
Besides teaching, I also used the time on the weekends for traveling. Sitting on a bench in the Central Park in New York was maybe my personal highlight. I love musicals and so I was really happy that I got to see a Broadway show. Besides, we also have been to the opera in Charlotte and I saw some of my students performing “How to succeed in business without really trying”. I also enjoyed going to Ocean Isle Beach, meeting up with some of the other interns in Charleston, visiting the Biltmore Estate in Asheville and hiking in the Smokey Mountains.
What I like most of Charlotte and the United States in general is the variety of places and things there are to explore. Charlotte´s location is just perfect: it´s a two hour drive to go to the mountains and a 3 hour drive to get to the beach.
Staying with different host families was such a valuable experience for me. I remember how thankful I was on Thanksgiving being around so many people. My families took me to places I would have never seen. I joined the Royal Society meeting of the Queens University, the Oktoberfest at the Carmel Country Club, a Novena right before Christmas, I attended an interesting speech at the Charlotte Rotary and I also enjoyed going to several sports events, like Lacrosse and football games. I spent the night of the Superbowl at a sports bar in Charlotte uptown – it was not just a special and unforgettable game in terms of the first win in the overtime, but also one of the most exciting experiences.
All in all, I enjoyed my stay in Charlotte. I met amazing people and I also got so many insights in so many cultural events. I will miss all the nice people, the blue sky and the sun. In June, after the internship, I will make a road trip from LA to San Francisco to finish my year abroad.
Bei SMHS haben wir Praktikanten!
(We've got Interns!)
SMHS is pleased to be hosting several interns from UNC-Charlotte for Spring 2017. All are currently studying German and providing help to South's teachers and students almost every day of the week for most of the school day. Below are profiles of a few of them.
Herr Hatcher hails from the small NC town of Council and is currently a senior at UNCC double majoring in Psychology and German. He took up German as a high school sophomore to "try something different" and liked it so much he took levels II and III his senior year. He tried German again as a sophomore in college and fell in love with it. Having both Native American and African heritage, Herr Hatcher enjoys the diversity in Charlotte and at UNCC. Employed now, he hopes to continue working while attending graduate school in Psychology or Counseling Psychology and would like to get a Masters in Human Resources, also. Finally, he hopes to travel to Germany for both leisure and business. Schoene Reise, Herr Hatcher!
Frau Rhinehart is from Asheville, but has been in Charlotte four years. She studies German and International Studies at UNCC and would like to teach Genocide Studies (currently her Minor) or European History following Masters and Doctoral degrees. She studied abroad in Freiburg, Germany last Summer, finding the biggest difference between here and there to be walking everywhere on the college campus and walking or biking in town. Train use was also frequent. She thinks the Light Rail extension will help UNCC students from abroad feel more at home in Charlotte by making it easier to explore the city. Wilkommen, Frau Rhinehart! |
Though born in Tustin, CA, Herr Vaccaro has lived most of his life in Huntersville. He is studying Economics, German, and Statistics at UNCC. He chose German because of its culture and his family history - post Civil-War era immigration from Mengelrode, Germany to New Ulm, MN - and wanting to try something different than he has already experienced, but already feels a part of. Visiting Berlin, Herr Vaccaro will make his first trip Germany during UNCC’s Spring Break. After graduation from college he hopes to become a Statistician or Data Analyst and use his German skills in the international job market. Alles gut, Herr Vaccaro!
|
Our teachers keep learning, too
German Teachers Frau Rowland and Frau Wilson have been awarded Goethe Institute Scholarships for "Deutsch Lehren Lernen," a nine-week course in the Fall of 2016 combining practical knowledge with theoretical learning using self-reflection as well as professional critique. The course utilizes technology for distance learning as well as an in-person component. Teachers share and critique lesson plans and practical presentation to keep fresh and keep learning.
Frau Rowland and Frau Wilson spent the weekend of October 20 - October 23 at the Goethe Institut location in Montreal, Quebec. It involved three days of practical application of information learned during the online phase of the course. The goal of the seminar was to learn more about the ways in which students learn. Frau Wilson and Frau Rowland have learned many new things that they look forward to sharing with their colleagues at their next SMHS World Languages department meeting.
Frau Rowland and Frau Wilson spent the weekend of October 20 - October 23 at the Goethe Institut location in Montreal, Quebec. It involved three days of practical application of information learned during the online phase of the course. The goal of the seminar was to learn more about the ways in which students learn. Frau Wilson and Frau Rowland have learned many new things that they look forward to sharing with their colleagues at their next SMHS World Languages department meeting.
World Affairs Council of Charlotte Scholarship Recipient Frau Rowland in Madrid, Spain,
Summer 2015!
Summer 2015!
Frau Rowland, German Teacher, sets an example for Sabre students...
...continuous learning
...third-language learning
...striving for cultural competency.
Danke & Gracias, Frau Rowland!
Thanks to the generosity of the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, Frau Rowland was able to spend three weeks this during the Summer of 2015 in Madrid, Spain. Those weeks involved being immersed in the language by living with a host family, joining a group for Spanish language learners, and attending Spanish language courses three times a week. Frau Rowland was also able to take day trips to Toledo and Salamanca (where she met up with former SMHS Spanish teacher, Srta. Beltram). In addition to seeing Spain, she was also able to visit Lisbon, Portugal. Congratulations, Frau Rowland, for being chosen by the World Affairs Council for this wonderful summer study abroad opportunity.
|
Anja Plassmann, PAD Foreign Language Assistant, 2015-2016
Anja Plassmann, Hamburg, Germany, joined South Meck as a Padagogischer Austaunschdienst (PAD) foreign language assistant in October 2015. The PAD scholarship program, sponsored by the German government Educational Exchange Service, is awarded to university students who graduate with education or teacher degrees.
Anja, who graduated from the University of Hamburg with a Masters in Special Education and English/ESL, joins 10 PAD teaching assistants assigned to elementary and high schools across the US.
At South Meck Anja loves the diversity of the students and staff. She sees how the students seem to identify themselves a lot more with their school, taking part in a lot more extracurricular activities compared to German high schools. Assisting in the German language classrooms she is impressed by the high level of German the students are speaking and writing. She has observed and appreciates how many native speakers (or at least speak the foreign language like a native speaker) work in the World Language Department. Compared with her high school in Germany, where she often had English teachers who spoke with a really thick accent, she believes it makes the foreign language class much more authentic if the teacher speaks the language on a very high level.
Anja has found the people in Charlotte to be friendly. Wherever she goes there is always someone who wishes her a good day. While living with her host family, whose son is taking AP German at South, she has enjoyed independently getting around by foot or bicycle for a daily walk, run or ride to Latta or Freedom Park. She loves the weather here! She also is thankful for the many people who have welcomed her so kindly into their homes.
Anja, who graduated from the University of Hamburg with a Masters in Special Education and English/ESL, joins 10 PAD teaching assistants assigned to elementary and high schools across the US.
At South Meck Anja loves the diversity of the students and staff. She sees how the students seem to identify themselves a lot more with their school, taking part in a lot more extracurricular activities compared to German high schools. Assisting in the German language classrooms she is impressed by the high level of German the students are speaking and writing. She has observed and appreciates how many native speakers (or at least speak the foreign language like a native speaker) work in the World Language Department. Compared with her high school in Germany, where she often had English teachers who spoke with a really thick accent, she believes it makes the foreign language class much more authentic if the teacher speaks the language on a very high level.
Anja has found the people in Charlotte to be friendly. Wherever she goes there is always someone who wishes her a good day. While living with her host family, whose son is taking AP German at South, she has enjoyed independently getting around by foot or bicycle for a daily walk, run or ride to Latta or Freedom Park. She loves the weather here! She also is thankful for the many people who have welcomed her so kindly into their homes.
March 2015 Anja visited the US for the first time, taking a road trip from San Diego to New York City with an American friend. Seeing the country from sea-to-shining sea really made her want to come back again to live in the US, allowing her to really experience the American culture more intensely.
Since her arrival in October, Anja has enjoyed further exploring the US, travelling to New York City (twice), Boston, Atlanta, Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah and to the North Carolina mountains. In April she will travel to the Pacific Northwest for a week where she will attend a conference for teaching interns in Seattle, then traveling to Portland, Oregon and Vancouver.
As she is quickly coming to the end of her PAD scholarship experience, preparing to return to Germany in May, Anja is already making plans to return to the US to visit all the friends she has made as well as with the hopes of adding Montana to her US travel experiences.