Global Teachers Germany 2017: Day Five

Orientation | Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day Five | Day Six | Day Seven | Day Eight | Day Nine | Follow-Up

Day Five

Another school visit started the delegation’s second day in Stuttgart. This time, the school was Eschbach-Gymnasium Stuttgart-Freiberg. While in the United States, gymnasium generally means a place for physical education, in Germany it’s a type of secondary school. Eschbach-Gymnasium is renowned for its use of technology in the classroom and for its teaching of STEM-topics. In addition to a tour of the school and the opportunity to sit in on classes, the teachers also presented to students about North Carolina and have conversations about the differences in the educational approaches.

Carla McSwain of South Stanly High School and Shanna Mustin of Andrews High School shared their thoughts on what they witnessed:

Our visit to Eschbach-Gymnasium Stuttgart-Frieburg, an ocean and continent away, revealed that teenagers are more alike than different. They dress alike, they giggle at goofy adults, and many shy away from speaking in front of groups. But clearly there is a fascination with Americans — as evidenced by an incident in the classroom we visited. Read more.

After a few hours at the school, the delegation left for Freiburg to visit Vauban, a well-known energy-efficient neighborhood, and tour it with Innovation Academy E.V., a nonprofit organization that is recognized as an official project of the United Nation’s World Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. the organization gave the teachers a personal tour of the area.

Jeanne Morris of Valley Springs Middle School and Mary Faulk of Jonathan Valley Elementary School share their view of trust’s role in Germany’s schools.