Every year, German teacher Shari Fox and her students hop on a bus and go to Susan Lindgren Elementary with one goal: teach German to elementary students. Not only German, but also to teach the students what Christmas traditions look like in Germany. However, this yearly tradition was put to a stop because of COVID-19. Now, this is the Germans first year since the start of COVID-19.
Fox said watching the students learn about Nicholas was thrilling. Nicholas is what German people call Santa Claus.
“I really enjoy seeing the elementary kids get really excited about the idea of summoning Nicholas, and I also really enjoy watching my own students get super into it and enjoy teaching those kids,” Fox said.
According to senior Ashley Reyes, the nostalgia of elementary school hit hard. She said the reason she is in German class today is because of this field trip.
“It definitely brought back a lot of nostalgia because I was a little fifth grader too once and I remember that the German class also came to my classroom and they did what we did,” Reyes said. “I actually signed up because of that.”
Junior Max Przezdziecki said he believes this exposed students to a future in German they might not have thought about.
“I think it exposed them to something they probably haven’t seen before, they’re still teaching Spanish at the elementary schools, but most of them probably don’t know much about German,” Przezdziecki said.
According to Fox, the field trip created new opportunities for the students to learn about unknown cultures.
“It gets (students) excited for different cultures and just learning about what different cultures around the world do and different holidays,” Fox said. “I think it was probably interesting for them to learn (about how) the whole idea of Santa Claus came from somewhere else.”
Reyes said seeing her old teacher was a top priority while attending the field trip.
“Seeing my old teachers and looking back at the place that I went to school and grew up in was definitely something that I wanted to do,” Reyes said.
Fox said this experience brings out the best in students, but stating that being back in an elementary school allows them to be like kids again.
“I think everybody just loves learning somewhere inside like all kids do, and you just have to tap into that, kind of turn that switch on,” Fox said.
According to Reyes, she appreciated showing the students her knowledge of German.
“I enjoy going back to my elementary school and seeing my own teachers, and being able to demonstrate what a part of my German class is like to fifth graders, since I have a younger brother too,” Reyes said.
