My mentor teacher, U, came down with a light case of pneumonia a couple of weeks ago. I ended up substituting for her the week before and last week. Unfortunately, she hasn’t completely recovered, so I resumed my substitute-teaching responsibilities last Thursday.
(The Nikolaikirche and an obelisk in Potsdam on the left.)
Although I’ve mentioned that ETAs are not allowed to be left alone in a room with the students, this does constitute as an emergency and the work is not at all difficult. I’m not saying that because I’m some genius substitute teacher. I literally don’t have to do much except follow the basic outline of what U has already photocopied for me and the directions she has written down. She has essentially done all the work and all I have left to do is direct the students. Truthfully, these lesson plans aren’t the most interesting and engaging because U suddenly became ill, but they are more than adequate enough for the students to continue learning English. This also gives me the opportunity to get to know the students a lot better.
Picture Tangent: I haven’t had many reasons to take any pictures of anything relevant recently, so I may pull some random pictures from my previous time in Germany when I was abroad in Munich for a full year. The picture above is one of my favorites because the car is a BMW Z4 Roadster, which is my dream car. The Z4 had its own little exhibition in a small building next to the BMW Museum in Munich. This Roadster was actually on the basement floor of the BMW Museum. I’m intrigued by the idea that cars are not just pieces of metal; they can also be works of art. Here’s an interactive link to the BMW Z4 Roadster!
Back to substitute-teaching: the students have been incredibly kind to me and very patient with the chaotic schedule. J, the languages department head, made sure to emphasize the stipulations of my contract, stating that I needn’t substitute if I didn’t want to. He specifically told me that if something has crossed my personal boundary of what I’m willing to take on as an ETA, then I can always tell him without even stating my reasons for feeling that way. J made sure to tell me that I was here in Germany to enjoy my time here outside of my responsibilities at school. I was really appreciative that he and U have taken such good care of me, as well as the other teachers I’ve worked with or have daily contact with. This is especially the case when I’m having a bad German day (a frequent occurrence, I have to admit). I truly lucked out on getting such a kick-butt school assignment. Thank you, Fulbright Gods!