Hosting a teacher from Nuremberg, Germany
Monday 06 February 2023 | By Megan ConnorOver the last two weeks, we have been very lucky to be able to host Magdalena Stemplinger, a teacher from the Realschule am Fränkischen Dünenweg in Germany.
Her visit was organised through the UK German Connection, an organisation which works to increase contacts and understanding between young people in the UK and in Germany. Throughout her two week stay, Frau Stemplinger has got to know Teesside High students in their German lessons and also by visiting other lessons, such as English, RE, History and French, as well as visiting Lower Prep to find out what they have been learning in German with Felix and Franzi.
She has also taken the opportunity to experience some of our enrichment activities. Year 9 students were very excited to “meet” Frau Stemplinger’s English class 9C on Tuesday via video conference, which was a new experience for everyone involved. Max and Rhys from Frau Butterfield’s Year 10 German class took some time to get to know more about Frau Stemplinger by interviewing her in German, which was very impressive. Here is a translation of what they discovered:
Where do you live? I live in Nuremberg in Bavaria, which is in the south of Germany.
Where is your school? It is in Röthenbach, which is 15 km outside of Nuremberg.
How long have you been teaching and what do you teach? I’ve been teaching since 2018 and I teach English and French.
What have you been doing outside of school whilst you have been here? My time outside of THS has been good. I’ve been to York, North Yorkshire, Scotland and Barnard Castle. They are all very beautiful.
How does the North East compare to where you live? It’s very rural here compared to the city where I live.
What are the main differences between THS and your school? There is no uniform in my school. Long hair, piercings and jewellery are okay. The teachers aren’t as strict. Students have a classroom that the teachers move between, as opposed to the students moving between classrooms. There is no cafeteria, as school ends at 1.00pm. There are no assemblies.
How have you enjoyed your time at THS? Teaching at THS has been very good and interesting. The students are very quiet and polite, compared to in my school where the students are much louder and for lack of a better word, rambunctious. You are very nice.
How have you found the staff at THS? The other teachers here at Teesside High are super nice, and I feel very welcomed. Students are eager and interested, as well as incredibly kind. I feel incredibly welcomed by everyone.
On a side note, Frau Stemplinger was also very impressed with Max and Rhys’ German! Thank you, Max and Rhys for conducting such a thorough interview. We are looking forward to making further plans for working with Frau Stemplinger and the Realschule am Fränkischen Dünenweg in the near future. Thank you for visiting us!
Frau Butterfield
