Volunteering at the Accadis International School
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| A completely irrelevant, somewhat interesting panorama I took in Mainz |
This past week I added a new element to my weekly schedule, something that I had planned but about which knew few details. In the spring I contacted the Accadis International School with a reference from my host family, saying that I was looking to volunteer. From being a big brother to working as a counselor at Camp Dudley, I know I have part of that teacher gene in me. It seemed working with kids would be a fun way to fill up some of my time. They were excited about my interest in helping out, and by June we had a meeting scheduled for shortly after my arrival. Still, I did not know what to expect.
When I interviewed, I was told that they needed the most help in the physical education classes. Initially, I didn't know how to feel. My gym classes were often the highlight of my school day at Mt. Greylock, but I didn't know how the Germans operated P.E. And, I would be working with kids ages five to thirteen--slightly different than my coaching and Dudley experience. I had helped as a Student Teacher last year in Greylock's Middle School, but then I had known what I was signing up for.
I anticipated my first day--meeting Mr. Cormier and the students and getting a feel for the place. Accadis is bike-able from my house; after twenty minutes of the cool morning air hitting my face, I felt fully awake and ready for the day. (On a side note, the bike rides have been a great opportunity to catch up on my favorite podcast--"The BS Report." I try to catch most of what Bill Simmons has to say, and even though I won't be watching too much American sports while I'm here, I still want to stay connected. Plus, Fantasy Football is upon us.)
I anticipated my first day--meeting Mr. Cormier and the students and getting a feel for the place. Accadis is bike-able from my house; after twenty minutes of the cool morning air hitting my face, I felt fully awake and ready for the day. (On a side note, the bike rides have been a great opportunity to catch up on my favorite podcast--"The BS Report." I try to catch most of what Bill Simmons has to say, and even though I won't be watching too much American sports while I'm here, I still want to stay connected. Plus, Fantasy Football is upon us.)
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| The Old Sports Hall |
At 8:15 I stepped into a nearly brand new and very cheerful school building. I said hello to Ms. Gunold, with whom I had interviewed the week before, and she walked me to the teachers' lounge where I met Mr. Cormier. To the kids, he is Mr. C. I was glad when he quickly established that we would be on a first-name basis, because there always will be only one Mr. C in my life.
So, a little bit about Darrell Cormier: he grew up in Toronto speaking French and English, and then went off on a baseball scholarship to the University of Oklahoma. From there he moved to Kansas to get a degree in physical education, meeting his future wife along the way. She is German, and when she returned home to the Frankfurt area Darrell found a job at Accadis. As he learned German, he said, he lost French. In the States he trained for and completed a half-Ironman, but now he has a dog and a six-week-old baby girl to keep him busy.
I knew immediately that we would get along and that it would be easy to work together. Right away, he told me that I should take as much time as I need observing and getting comfortable with the kids; once I know the routine, however, he wants to challenge me to plan and teach some of the classes. My routine goes as follows: teaching three days a week, with three classes on Tuesday, three on Wednesday, and four on Thursday. Since the school is still building a sports hall for themselves, we have to walk about fifteen minutes with each class to one of two gyms. The new gym is spacious and well lit, while I don't think I'm wrong in saying that the old gym (pictured above) is over a hundred years old. Darrell said that the one thing he didn't practice in his graduate program was entertaining a whole class while the students walk.
After three days, I know that my decision to commit to Accadis is a good one. It seems that every teacher has made a point to introduce themselves to me. They want to hear my story of how I've ended up in Germany for this fall. I think this genuine interest stems from their own experiences. Accadis being an international, bilingual school brings a unique group of faculty together. More than half did not grow up in Germany, and very few are Bad Homburg locals. There's a definite energy created by the (mostly) young and passionate teachers. I've enjoyed hearing their stories--how they came to teach at Accadis and what their perspectives are on German society and culture.
Working with kids is never bad, either. It's interesting trying to figure out the dynamics of each class (20-30 kids per grade). Darrell is incredibly observant and knows the kids really well. Countless times he's pointed out a situation to me and talked it through as it's occurring. With each I learn a little bit about the students. I'll be working more with the older grades, fourth through seventh, which fits well with my Camp Dudley experience. I figure that when I know all of their names, I'll be ready to step in and begin teaching classes. And it's going to be everything from soccer drills to the "Whoosh" game. I could write a whole post about the "Whoosh" game--I might be able to fit that in somewhere.
Helping out with elementary school gym class doesn't seem all that earth-shattering, but so far I love my situation at Accadis; I know that I'll be able to take a lot away from it.
So, a little bit about Darrell Cormier: he grew up in Toronto speaking French and English, and then went off on a baseball scholarship to the University of Oklahoma. From there he moved to Kansas to get a degree in physical education, meeting his future wife along the way. She is German, and when she returned home to the Frankfurt area Darrell found a job at Accadis. As he learned German, he said, he lost French. In the States he trained for and completed a half-Ironman, but now he has a dog and a six-week-old baby girl to keep him busy.
I knew immediately that we would get along and that it would be easy to work together. Right away, he told me that I should take as much time as I need observing and getting comfortable with the kids; once I know the routine, however, he wants to challenge me to plan and teach some of the classes. My routine goes as follows: teaching three days a week, with three classes on Tuesday, three on Wednesday, and four on Thursday. Since the school is still building a sports hall for themselves, we have to walk about fifteen minutes with each class to one of two gyms. The new gym is spacious and well lit, while I don't think I'm wrong in saying that the old gym (pictured above) is over a hundred years old. Darrell said that the one thing he didn't practice in his graduate program was entertaining a whole class while the students walk.
After three days, I know that my decision to commit to Accadis is a good one. It seems that every teacher has made a point to introduce themselves to me. They want to hear my story of how I've ended up in Germany for this fall. I think this genuine interest stems from their own experiences. Accadis being an international, bilingual school brings a unique group of faculty together. More than half did not grow up in Germany, and very few are Bad Homburg locals. There's a definite energy created by the (mostly) young and passionate teachers. I've enjoyed hearing their stories--how they came to teach at Accadis and what their perspectives are on German society and culture.
Working with kids is never bad, either. It's interesting trying to figure out the dynamics of each class (20-30 kids per grade). Darrell is incredibly observant and knows the kids really well. Countless times he's pointed out a situation to me and talked it through as it's occurring. With each I learn a little bit about the students. I'll be working more with the older grades, fourth through seventh, which fits well with my Camp Dudley experience. I figure that when I know all of their names, I'll be ready to step in and begin teaching classes. And it's going to be everything from soccer drills to the "Whoosh" game. I could write a whole post about the "Whoosh" game--I might be able to fit that in somewhere.
Helping out with elementary school gym class doesn't seem all that earth-shattering, but so far I love my situation at Accadis; I know that I'll be able to take a lot away from it.
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