This is the school where I will be working in Germany. It is called the Franconian International School and I will be a TA in third grade, unless that assignment changes before school starts. I just found out the other day that my work permit was granted which is really exciting because the school anticipated having some trouble hiring me for a TA position over a native German who can speak English. There are certain laws that restrict employers from hiring someone other than a German if a German can do the job. Luckily, with the help of adidas and the very nice HR lady, I was able to get permission to work!
Here is a little more info about FIS:
The Franconian International School was founded in 1998 to serve the needs of a growing international community in the Nürnberg, Erlangen, Fürth and Herzogenaurach area. Within 11 years it has grown from 25 students to over 450 from over 40 different nationalities, taught by a highly-qualified and dedicated international faculty. (I am one of those highly qualified and dedicated people!)
The school is situated in the east of Erlangen on a beautifully constructed 3 ha campus. The school is divided into four sections, starting with the Kindergarten (ages 3-5) which has just under 100 students. The Elementary School has 150 students in Grades 1-4. The Middle School teachers supervise the academic of 130 students in Grades 5-8, and the High School, the newest section has 95 students. It has well furnished classrooms, modern science labs, state of the art computer labs, excellent sports, music and art facilities as well as library.
The academic curriculum promotes inquiry based learning. We strive to teach critical thinking skills and instill international respect and understanding within a caring, nurturing and safe environment. In the Elementary School, classroom teachers teach Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Art. Specialist teachers teach German, Ethics, Physical Education, and Music. English as a Second Language is offered to those with limited or no English language. In the Middle and High Schools specialist teachers are used in all subject areas.
It will be a very interesting experience to work with third graders and in an environment that is inquiry based. I am looking forward to learning a lot from the teachers that I work with and coincidentally one of the third grade teachers is actually from Oregon! I also heard of another teacher who previously worked for TTSD! Can't wait to get to know them better and learn about their experiences in Germany!
My first day of work will be Augusts 19th, which is a meeting for all TA's and then the first day of school is August 24th. I will only be working part time, so I will have a 3 hour per day schedule, probably starting around 9:30 or 10:00 am. Sounds rough right? Fortunately, working part time will allow me plenty of time to explore my new territory and continue with my doctoral courses.
We are not yet sure of our exact moving date, but it should be somewhere around the 15th. We will be celebrating our second wedding anniversary in Deutschland! Two years...two different countries...maybe we will have to make a tradition of celebrating each anniversary in a different country!
2 comments:
KT, after you arrive in Erlangen and have your computer set up, send me your email address (victoriajackiw@yahoo.com). A group of us, i.e. English-speaking women, meet about once every two months or so at a local restaurant, and I'll have your name put on the mailing list. I'm looking forward to meeting you.
By the way, do you know where you will be living? Will it be in Röthelheimpark, near the FIS?
I like the idea of you celebrating each anniversary in a different country. Why didn't I think of that? Its been 10 years for us and I guess it's a little late to start that one.
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