Monday, October 4, 2010

Quite an Experience

This evening I had my very first German (Deutsch) class.  All I can say is...OH MY GOODNESS!  It was possibly the most overwhelming class I have ever taken in my life (and trust me, I've taken some difficult classes before).  After arriving a few minutes late (due to incorrect information) and out of breath (after climbing four flights of stairs), I began my class feeling jittery and unsure.  Sadly the class continued to become more and more overwhelming (almost to the point of tears).  As it turns out I am in a beginner class with 8 individuals; six who already have a much better understanding of the language than I do.  This has caused my German teacher to teach at a level that is slightly higher than I am capable of (at the moment).  Being a teacher myself, I understand the position she is in and agree with her decision to teach at the higher level.  Thankfully, she is well aware of my inexperience with the German language and has already been giving me some additional help since I am not as quick as the other students.  Even with this new stressful "adventure," I've learned a few things:

1. ELL students really need a lot of encouragement, visual aids, gestures, compassion, and gentleness during their learning experience
2. I HAVE to work harder than ever before in order to keep up with the class
3. It's okay to be "at the bottom of the class," as long as you are doing everything you possibly can in order to improve your skills
4. It will most likely be only through much prayer and God's grace and mercy that I "survive" my newest experience