My passion when it comes to language learning is directly connected to my own, not always easy but challenging and valuable, personal experience:
When I was 17 years old, I lived in Latvia and went to school there for ten months. This was – until now – one of the most intense personal experiences with language learning: Not only did I not know any Latvian before I left, but I also couldn’t relate it to any other language I knew at that point. With the help of my Latvian friends and family, my folk dance group and one hour of tutoring per week, I ended up speaking fluently by the end of the exchange.
After I finished my a-levels I volunteered in an orphanage and hospital in Bolivia for one year. Again, I did not speak any Spanish before I left but was fluent by the end of the year.
As to my English learning experience: this is directly connected to my first English teacher who influenced me deeply. Even though he was not very popular in my school, he made a great impression on me and encouraged me to take my English skills to perfection.
I think that I as a young person not much older than the students themselves, could bring my mother tongue and culture well into the lessons. Since I grew up with German culture, I will be a representative example. I would like to introduce English pupils to this "foreign world", and point out the similarities, differences and overlaps between our cultures. I would seek out the appropriate methods to awaken their interest in German and German culture. My goal is to bring the "current Germany" into the classroom, to represent it and thus facilitate interaction. It is very important for me to leave as broad an impression as possible of Germany in my lessons, which not only reflects my own personal interests, but others which are also part of German culture.
Furthermore, my level of Spanish is very good due to my stay in Bolivia, my close contact with Spanish-speaking friends and, of course, my studies, which is why I am more than willing to teach Spanish as well. Although I cannot represent the Spanish/Latin-American culture as I can in German classes, I can still be supportive on the language side and have gained a great deal of experience.
As a former foreign language assistant of German at Hills Road Sixth Form College Cambridge, I have gained a lot of experience when it comes to teaching German as a foreign language (especially speaking). In the academic year of 2020/21, when the Covid pandemic hit its peak in the UK, I was responsible for 55 English native speakers between 16 and 18 years old. In a final letter from the Head of Modern Languages Department at Hills Road, they state that I have “proven [myself] to be hard-working, reliable and creative, finding and devising for example additional resources to supplement [my] lessons. [I] quickly established an excellent rapport with [my] students and staff and was a very valued member of the Department. [I] was also extremely flexible in working arrangements to support [my] colleagues and showed a great sense of responsibility and www.*** ; On top of that, they mention my inter-personal skills, the academic flair, self-reflection and hard-working capacity to succeed in teaching. The close contact with teachers and students at Hills Road added to my valuable knowledge and understanding of the current language learning context in England, with Spanish as a very popular Modern Language within the a-level-students and knowing German considered a rather secondary skill. Nevertheless, or maybe even because of that, teachers of German as a Foreign Language are more needed in England than ever. This is why I would like to help improving the current reputation of German by bringing a refreshing, activating and student-centred approach into the GFL classroom.
Before that, in 2019/2020, I supported refugees as a teacher of German as a foreign language for an asylum seekers charity. This has given me valuable experience and adds to my confidence in my ability to teach German in England in the future.
As part of my Master’s degree in education, I completed a three-month-internship at a German secondary-school where I taught both English and Spanish as a foreign language. I planned and conducted lessons for students from the age of 11 to 18 years old. These included basic skills of the respective language, but also more advanced lessons about everyday sexism, including catcalling or Machismo. I received very constructive feedback from the teachers watching my lessons, who highlighted my great appearance in class and organisation.
In addition, I have already lived abroad several times for lengthy periods (two months in France, ten months in Latvia, twelve months in Bolivia, two and eight months in England), and been a kind of ambassador for Germany. Above all I have been able to comprehend the "view from the other side". I already know approximately which questions and prejudices I will come across and have learned to react appropriately to the various situations. Of course, this does not mean that I will not face new difficulties and challenges during my stay. However, my experience has made me better prepared for certain situations and enabled me to react much more calmly and objectively.
As a (future) English teacher, not only will I impart the language to the students, but also the culture. I want to get to know the country from various angles, understand what different views of the world are represented there, strengthen ties I have already made and make new ones.
Finally, I would like to stress that I really feel I could be of benefit for the school and would love the experience of teaching German/Spanish/English as a Foreign language. I will finish my www.*** this year and would like to take the opportunity to start teaching in England.
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Mareike S.
Tutor, Teacher, Instructor
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