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

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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 2
The AATG Endowed Scholarship Fund benefits students! The AATG Endowed Scholarship Fund provides summer study abroad experiences for high school students. Thanks to your generous support, this past summer four students joined the nearly 30 students who have benefit‐ ted from the Fund. Each student has returned home more mature, more culturally knowledgeable, and speaking much better German. This year, your contributions made a difference to Lauren, Alekhya, Megan, and Kyle. There’s still time to make a tax‐exempt donation in 2012! Give today at www.aatg.org Lauren Swords, Keller High School, Keller, Texas, recipient of the Helene Zimmer‐Loew Endowed Scholarship Thank you for the opportunity to go on this amazing trip! It was the experience of a lifetime and something I will never forget. The world seems smaller now because of the connec‐ tions I made. My host sister and I were a fantastic match and we got along famously. This trip has made me more aware, open‐minded and appreciative for another culture as well as for my own. My German improved quickly. The longer I was there, the easier it be‐ came. I was even thinking in German! Megan Alpert, Parkview High School, Lilburn, Georgia Winning the Endowed Scholarship gave me the opportunity to experi‐ ence something that I could have only dreamed of. The chance to visit a country whose language I spent four years learning showed me that my hard work and dedication paid off. Experiencing a way of life more than 4600 miles away from home was both nerve‐racking and exhilarating. Living with a host family and exposing my‐ self to their culture and customs taught me about the world and more importantly, about myself. I met some amazing people, learned much more than I could ever learn in a classroom setting and further cemented my love for the German lan‐ guage and culture. This experience has prepared me for any situation I will encounter in my life and helped me become a more worldly and well‐rounded individual. I hope to return soon and continue to explore the many wonderful things that Germany has to offer. 3 Alekhya Mallavarapu, David W. Butler High School, Matthews, North Carolina I went to Braunschweig on the AATG German Summer Study Program. My host family was very welcoming and treated me as a member of their family. This trip helped me become more fluent in conversational German. It was a great opportunity to put my German to the test. My host family spoke to me in German and taught me Umgangssprache. family. The best preparation I had was my knowl‐ edge of German. Not being prepared for anything else allowed me to have an open mind and observe the new culture around me without any restraints. This trip was a life changing experience. Not only did I get to experience a new culture and speak in another language to enhance fluency, but I also learned how to communicate with others better. It made me more open to meeting different people and prepared me for my college experience. Kyle Adams, Whitewater High School, Fa‐ yetteville, Georgia, Delta Epsilon Phi Käthe Wilson Scholarship recipient I am grateful to the AATG for this once in a lifetime opportunity. The AATG German Summer Study Program helped me broaden my horizons through immersion in the German culture and become more open to other views and customs. I made everlasting friendships and connections with people in Germany, especially my host The program did a wonderful job of immersing us into the culture while allowing us to visit famous sights of Germany. We were fortunate to experience Germany through the eyes of our host families and gain insights only possible living with native Germans. The trip was the best experience of my life.
Page 1: In this Issue … From the Presiden
Page 5 and 6: Congratulations! Six educators were
Page 7 and 8: Other Professional Development Oppo
Page 9 and 10: AATG’s Professional Partner Progr
Page 11 and 12: Rollins College Creates New Opportu
Page 13 and 14: New Materials from AATG! Order onli
Page 15 and 16: German Band ARTIG Rocks the East Co
Page 17 and 18: Schulinterne Lehrerfortbildung an d
Page 19 and 20: German for Hire „Kurz & Gut macht
Page 21: Kathy Fegely, President Antietam Hi

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