Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr 2013! - American Association of ...

From the President
How I wish I had written this message to you earlier last week. Focusing on positive opportunities in our profession seems
minimal when one considers the events in Connecticut that have broken the hearts of all. As I drove through Lancaster
County Pennsylvania yesterday, my thoughts returned to those families who had lost children in a similar setting. Those
families found comfort in the support of community. We pray for some measure of comfort to envelop the community in
Connecticut and the entire nation as we grieve together, taking some comfort in Maya Angelou’s thoughts: “Our country is
grieving. Each child who has been slaughtered belongs to each of us and each slain adult is a member of our family. It is
impossible to explain the horror to ourselves and to our survivors. We need to hold each other’s hands and look into each
other’s eyes and say, ‘I am sorry.’”
Despite our grief, we can reflect on a year filled with exciting changes within our organization. Our Executive Director, Keith Cothrun, has
introduced many positive changes. I hope you have noticed the format change to the newsletter and the website, the changes in AATG Store,
and the webinar offerings. My thanks to those of you participating in the webinars and a special thanks to those who have spent countless
hours in preparing to share their expertise in this format. As always, our office staff has also been hard at work to keep you informed about
these changes and how to navigate any area where you might feel uncomfortable.
Our Constitution and By‐Laws have been revised as has our Policies Handbook. What great reading for a long, relaxing weekend! Seriously,
check out the documents. Likely, you will find ways AATG is meeting needs in ways you did not know.
Our committees are reviewing their goals and adding new members. I am most thankful to the committees for sharing the progress they are
making. If you have a special interest in an area and would like to work on a committee, please contact me. Some of our current committees
include: Alle lernen Deutsch, Community Colleges, Deutsch an Schulen, German for Professional Purposes, and Kinder‐ und Jugendliteratur.
The American Association of Teachers of German met in Philadelphia this year in conjunction with the American Council of Teachers of Foreign
Languages Convention. The AATG Executive Council met in intense sessions beginning Tuesday evening and ending Thursday evening prior to
the beginning of the conference. They worked very hard to represent you as we worked through reports from the officers and Executive
Director and reports from the committees of AATG. They met in small group committees in preparation for the work to come in 2013.
During this weekend, we honored our peers at the Awards Presentation on Saturday evening. Special congratulations to all honorees: Corinna
Kahnke, Maria Stehle, Nick Block, Jonathan Wipplinger, Kate Stewart, Burkhard Henke, Sigurd Piwek, Roslyn Raney, Brenda Stewart, Susanne
Wagner, Adelheid Walz‐Jungmann, Uwe Goodall‐Heising, Jennifer Kraeer, Janelle Morgan, Albrecht Classen, Marilyn Metzler, and Carol Anne
Costabile‐Heming.
Many thanks to Executive Council members Karin Baumgartner, Deborah Orth, and Jim Sheppard who have completed their term of service.
Congratulations to Doug Philipp, Eva Russo, and Wiebke Strehl who were elected this fall to serve on the Executive Council 2013‐2015.
If you were able to attend ACTFL in Philadelphia, you know that the Program Committee did a wonderful job in providing a fantastic selection
of sessions for you. Please join me in thanking the committee Ester Eichler, Ali Moeller, and Susanne Nimmrichter. The committee for the 2013
conference in Orlando is already hard at work to make that experience outstanding for you. Thank you to Regina Braker, Carolyn Ostermann‐
Healey, and Susanne Wagner for their work. By the way, the conference in Orlando is not at the Disney Resort. It is at the Convention Center in
downtown Orlando.
So how did your New Year’s resolutions for 2012 pan out? Did you meet new teachers of German in your area? Did you create some
connection between post‐secondary and K‐12 colleagues you did not have in 2011? Are you keeping an open eye to the German programs near
you and reaching out to those that might need some added encouragement in tough economic times? Have you shared new ideas with a
colleague? Did you “like” AATG on Facebook? Do you have those pattern advocacy letters ready?
Please keep an eye on professional development opportunities available to you on our website. Check out one of my favorite books, Irgendwie
Anders. The book is written for children, but the theme is appropriate for all students learning the German language. Das Vier‐Farben‐Land is a
good book for addressing tolerance, as well.
I wish you restful, peaceful holidays.
Kathy J. Fegely
Antietam High School, Reading, Pennsylvania
kfegely@antietamsd.org
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