Fall '22 saw the start of a pilot outreach program to raise interest in German at the high school level. Jorge Blanes was the intrepid student who took on teaching German culture and phrases to Community High students for the very first time! Using the Goethe SPARK curriculum, Jorge infused his class with his knowledge of the German language, his experiences studying for a year in Freiburg through the AYF program, and his enthusiasm for German culture - all with resounding success. A few of the comments from the students were:
"Jorge is always joyful and very responsive to feedback. He is willing to work to provide us the best experience as students with the limited material he was supplied. His warm openness unlocked the classroom and made it one of my most enjoyable classes ever - it allowed me to not only bond with him, but with my classmates better. His instruction allowed for us to discover our own passions in Germany, while still finishing all the content provided."
"[...], I found the course very engaging and interesting. There was a lot about the intersection between German and American culture that I did not know about!"
We hope to grow this program with time to help stem the losses incurred by cuts to German programs throughout the K-12 level. Those losses have been felt in our enrollment. Through efforts such as these, we hope to do our part in keeping German on the front burners of incoming university students! This sample of their work is a good indication that we are off to a good start!
