Here's a little bit of self-adulation
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 8:19 pm
As some of you may know I'm teacher (English and philosophy) at a comprehensive school over here in Germany. We start grade 5 and go up to grade 13. For a few years now the kids already start learning English around grade 2 (or earlier) in elementary school. We get kids from about 4-5 elementary schools around and the language skills of the kids vary a lot.
So last year I (being the head of the English department) decided to invite elementary school teachers to our school for some sort of a "round table" - exchange of ideas, the usual stuff, etc. We decided to start a project together. The aim was to perform a drama on stage - a play in six acts in which each of our six grade 5 groups would perform a scene together with a grade 4 group - and that in English. So my sister (she works at our school as well) and another colleague wrote the play together. It's about Sherlock Holmes who has to find the crown stolen from the Queen.
If you have ever tried to coordinate interactions between two independent institutions you'll know how hard it is. It's already hard enough to coordinate the stuff in our school alone. To get 5 schools together, find dates for meetings etc almost is impossible.
Well, to cut a long story short, today we had open house and we finally could bring the play on stage - without a real dress rehearsal. Watching the little kids in their costumes and playing their roles (in a foreign language, mind!) brought tears in my eyes. It was just wonderful. The hard work of the last months, the countless hours on the phone talking to people, convince them to stay on board or beg them to accept dead lines, the fear to find last minute cancelations everytime I opened my mailbox, the discussions with our leadership team to get the time to coordinate things - it all paid off in the end. I'm all exhausted now but in a positive way. I think I'm gonna get drunk tonight. :p
So last year I (being the head of the English department) decided to invite elementary school teachers to our school for some sort of a "round table" - exchange of ideas, the usual stuff, etc. We decided to start a project together. The aim was to perform a drama on stage - a play in six acts in which each of our six grade 5 groups would perform a scene together with a grade 4 group - and that in English. So my sister (she works at our school as well) and another colleague wrote the play together. It's about Sherlock Holmes who has to find the crown stolen from the Queen.
If you have ever tried to coordinate interactions between two independent institutions you'll know how hard it is. It's already hard enough to coordinate the stuff in our school alone. To get 5 schools together, find dates for meetings etc almost is impossible.
Well, to cut a long story short, today we had open house and we finally could bring the play on stage - without a real dress rehearsal. Watching the little kids in their costumes and playing their roles (in a foreign language, mind!) brought tears in my eyes. It was just wonderful. The hard work of the last months, the countless hours on the phone talking to people, convince them to stay on board or beg them to accept dead lines, the fear to find last minute cancelations everytime I opened my mailbox, the discussions with our leadership team to get the time to coordinate things - it all paid off in the end. I'm all exhausted now but in a positive way. I think I'm gonna get drunk tonight. :p
Excellent work! 
