Albert Einstein Gymnasium (grades 7-13)

We visited the Albert Einstein Gymnasium (grades 7-13) today, located in a leafy industrial sector on the outskirts of Berlin. On the cab ride to the school I initially focused on the Mexican Restaurant nearby that will be screening the Word Cup opening match this weekend, but arriving on campus I was soon distracted by the countless wonders of Albert Einstein Gymnasium. At the risk of seeming biased, this was by far the most rewarding and informative school visit Principal Vaughn and I have undertaken during our time in Berlin.

The atmosphere at Albert Einstein Gymnasium was serene and focused, and the students I interacted with were mature, focused, and highly proficient in English. The school's areas of emphasis are music and art, and the hallways and common areas bear this out--student artwork adorns most walls on this campus housing over 1,100 students.


Some of the highlights from today's visit: the senior English class where the discussion centered around illegal immigration and T.C. Boyle's book The Tortilla Curtain; our student tourguides who were sincere, mature, international-minded, and cheerful; the campus that was so clean I would have eaten off the floor without complaint; the English department chair/hostess who was unfailingly helpful and willing to answer difficult questions about German reunification and the integration of immigrants into mainstream German society; being given a copy of an original letter from Albert Einstein dated 1955 that granted the school permission to use his name provided the situation in Germany did not revert to its pre-Word War II status; the senior geography class where students examined the pros and cons of organic food products and the ways in which the European Union monitors farms' compliance with organic produce criteria.

Leaving the campus, I felt honored that AEACMS and Albert Einstein Gymnasium share a namesake; I am hopeful we will learn from the many positive aspects of this school and likewise they can learn from us.

Tomorrow we are off to Dresden. Given the two hour train ride each way and our full itinerary (which hopefully will include viewing at least part of the opening game of the 2010 World Cup featuring Mexico vs. South Africa), I may wait until Saturday to post my next entry.

I would like to thank the AEACMS community for supporting my endeavors and for following this blog, especially out students. If this trip inspires young people to travel abroad and expand their horizons, it will all have been worth it, and then some.

All best.

Go Mexico in the opening game!

DVS

John Lennon High School

Today I visited John Lennon high school located in the former East Berlin. The school, one of the top-ranked in the city, is housed in a 120 year old building that looks out onto a leafy courtyard. Racks of student bicycles attest to the favored form of transport. When the Berlin wall fell 20 years ago, the decision was made to update the school's name. Parents, students, and teachers had equal say in the naming process. Students wanted the new name to be Bob Marley high school, while teachers favored a more traditional name. Finally, parents swung the vote in favor of a compromise. As a result, images of the school's namesake can be seen everywhere; titles of Beatles songs hang above classroom doors, and the main stairwell is decorated with stencils of Lennon's signature glasses.

After an orientation and several cups of coffee with the principal, we spent time in a 10th grade English class. Students were discussing the concept of stereotypes, and were analyzing clips from the film Legally Blonde. While the teacher began the lesson leading the discussion from the front of the room, within minutes the 24 students were divided into groups and deep in cooperative discussion.

I had an opportunity to address the class and ask a few questions. Students indicated that there was little or no bullying behavior on campus, and despite the fact that the school is open and has no school personnel stationed in the entryway, students comply with the requirement to remain on campus the entire day out of loyalty to their teachers. A few hours after we concluded our visit, scores of students marched down a nearby street to protest education budget cuts.

I was impressed with the students' overall English language proficiency; over half the students in this school will participate in a year abroad in the US or other parts of the world, and students told me many of their classes focus internationally rather than specifically on Germany or even Europe.

Below are some photos from today:

Titles from Beatles songs adorn walls.

Discussing stereotypes with 10th grade English students.

View from the courtyard of John Lennon school.

Construction sites are everywhere in the school's neighborhood, including directly across the street.
Tomorrow we are off to see the Albert Einstein school!

DVS

Various photos from school visits

Today was a busy, engaging, and informative day--we traveled by train to Potsdam to visit two schools (Kindergarten and elementary) as well as an after-school program operating at two separate sites. It was compelling to think that just twenty years ago the area we visited was in East Berlin. In fact, all the school buildings and nearby apartments were constructed in the past 15 years, so they don't have the industrial cinderblock look of older structures that were built before the fall of the Berlin wall.

At each of the facilities we visited classrooms, met with teachers and staff, and ate our fill of cookies and bratwurst and drank plenty of coffee. We also had an opportunity to offer our impressions of what we saw...more on this in a later post.

Following are various photos from the past two days:

A wooden castle for students to play in during their after-school experience. Many of the toys and classroom items we saw were made of natural, sustainable materials.

The elementary school had fewer than 20 computers in their technology lab; we didn't see any classroom computers for student use.

Elementary school gymnasium. This was a dance class in progress, taught by an outside contractor.

We stumbled upon a skit in the first/second grade English class. The student on the left repeated the refrain, "I am an earthworm" while a succession of animals questioned his importance because he simply lived underground.

Elementary school entrance foyer.

Front of the elementary school.

Wooden toys in Kindergarten classes.

Bundestag seen from the top level. Note the class encasement.

Brandenburg gate.

Thanks for your interest in my Berlin experiences. Check back frequently for more posts.

DS

Bundestag and First School Visits

As my jetlag continues to fade (although I am up before the sun writing this post and listening to scores of birds greet the day outside my hotel room), I enjoyed the first weekday of this Berlin exchange. The international flavor of the city invigorates me and gives hope for our AEACMS graduates as they enter a world where communication across cultures and languages is critical to success and fulfillment. Our waiter this evening spoke German, Spanish, English, Greek, and Italian, at times interchangeably. Multilingualism is common in Berlin, a fact that AEA German exchange participants have noted on their visits here. This is further confirmation of the importance of language study at AEA both in German and Spanish.

In addition to a comprehensive overview of the German education system, we visited the Bundestag on a private tour. I was struck both by the history that was palpable and visible in this building, as well as the modern architecture. Despite the modernization, several walls have been preserved still bearing the handwritten names of Soviet soldiers who occupied the building in 1945 as World War II drew to a close. In addition to saving these names as part of the historical record, there is a vertical ticker that continuously scrolls the text of speeches and documents created and presented by an array of German politicians over time. Documents created by the Nazis are also included in this ticker, but the letters are inverted.

Much of the Bundestag's structure is glass, suggesting a new openness and transparency to the German political system. From the roof we enjoyed a spectacular view of Berlin at sunset.

Today we are scheduled to visit a daycare center, a Kindergarten, and an elementary or Grundschule (grades 1-6). I am excited about the opportunity to explore the similarities and differences between the way we start children in school in San Diego and how this works in Berlin.

Specifically for the IB learners at Albert Einstein Academies, I will be reflecting on the following questions (and doubtless more) during our visits today:

• What can I learn from the way German schools meet the needs of students ages birth through sixth grade that might benefit AEA students?
• What might I share with the staffs at these institutions that may assist them in their programs?
• What are classroom environments like compared with AEACMS?
• How do students, teachers, and principal interact and how does this compare with the culture of AEACMS?
• What role do parents play in these schools?
• How do these schools meet the diverse needs of all students?

I will be posting photos from the Bundestag as well as today's outings later Tuesday afternoon (Berlin time). Off for a dawn run as Berlin wakes up...

DS

The adventure begins...

Due to the generosity of the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation and the support of the AEA Board of Trustees, I am off to Berlin to experience the language, culture, and educational system. Over the course of the next two weeks I will post reflections and photos. Stay tuned!