Latest / Inside the OSD / Ep. 4 - German Exchange Students Ft. Dreieichschule Students in Langen

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Ep. 4 - German Exchange Students Ft. Dreieichschule Students in Langen · Inside the OSD

• 0:00
  SPEAKER1: Over the last three weeks, we have been honored to have 25 students from Germany and their three delightful teachers join us for a special exchange program that
• 0:10
  we've created between our two schools. Today, we are going to hear how it's been going directly from those in the program.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER2: Welcome to this episode of Inside the OSD podcast, where it's all about the kids.
• 0:25
  Here is your host, lifelong educator, and our superintendent, Doctor Leslie Bergstrom.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER3: Let's begin with introductions. Please share your name and a little bit about yourself.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER4: So I'm Jessica Binder. I'm an English and phy ed teacher at the Dreieichschule in Langen.
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  I've been involved in this program since 2012.
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  Um, this is my third time being in the US.
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  I was here the last time as well, two years ago.
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  And I'm here again with these amazing students this time.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER3: And we're so glad to have you back.
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  SPEAKER4: Thank you.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER5: Um, I'm Janik Reisenberg. I go into 10th grade also at the Dreieichschule Langen and a little bit about myself.
• 1:11
  I play basketball and I am, uh, doing schoolwork to--for being a first responder.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER3: Oh. Thank you.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER6: Uh, I'm Maddox Wochenske. I'm a sophomore here at Oregon High School, and I'm part of the exchange program.
• 1:27
  Thanks.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER7: Uh, I'm Vi Evans. I'm a junior at Oregon High school.
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  Um, I've been learning German since sixth grade, and I'm very excited to go to Germany next summer.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER8: Hey. So my name is Ariana -- short, Ari.
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  I'm a student at the Dreieichschule Langen, so I'm from Germany.
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  I visit the 11th grade and it's my first time in the US, and I'm very excited to be a part of this project and in my free time,
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  I really love to read books.
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  SPEAKER1: Thank you.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER9: I'm Jolene Wochenske. I'm the German teacher here at Oregon High School.
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  This is technically my first and half exchange, but first time coordinating on the American side.
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  However, I've been involved in multiple exchanges in different schools throughout my career.
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  I'm really excited to be working with the Dreieichschule Langen. And yeah, I've been doing German for a little bit longer than some of my students.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER1: So you are an old pro at this?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER9: I'm an old pro.
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  SPEAKER1: So, um, if we could begin with our two teachers, could you please describe the program and the exchange relationship we have
• 2:34
  between our two schools?
• 2:37
  SPEAKER9: Well, the GAP exchange is actually a federally recognized exchange program that is organized entirely by the teachers.
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  So it's called the German American Partnership Program, sponsored by the Goethe Institute,
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  which supports learners and teachers of German throughout the United States.
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  I'll let Jessi tell you a little bit more about this program, particularly.
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  SPEAKER4: Okay. So our school is part of the GAP program, which is really special for German schools.
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  It's really hard to like for German schools to become part of this program.
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  There are very strict regulations on it other than American regulations.
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  I think for American schools it's much easier.
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  Okay. So for example, we have to have ten days of school while we're here.
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  It's a mandatory, um, thing. So that's why our students participate in lots of classes and gives them amazing opportunities to see the difference between our
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  two school systems and also the similarities, because there are some and um, for our school,
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  um, it was for now, the program was established in 1990.
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  So it has a long it has a long history. And I'm really proud.
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  I mean, I always see it as something--see it as something bigger than we teachers are,
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  because the students have such a great opportunity to experience another culture and to kind of really have connections with
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  American students. And these opportunities you don't get by traveling, just like as a tourist.
• 4:05
  Yes. So, um, yeah, that's actually the gist of it.
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  I could go on, but.
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  SPEAKER9: Well, that was--
• 4:12
  SPEAKER1: that was really informative. Thank you. And I agree, because people are forming relationships that they could have for many years to
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  come.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER9: Right. And a piece of this is--it's not just a travel program.
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  A lot of schools can only offer travel programs.
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  But what's unique to the German language and the German cultural program that we have is we bring in in this school,
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  it's not the same for every school, but in this school, we've brought 25 students from our sister school in Dreieichschule Langen.
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  Um, and they come here and our students host them and they go to school.
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  They attend classes with our kids. They shadow them, they go on excursions to different areas and learn about cultural concepts in
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  our area. Yesterday we were on a farm, um, playing with baby cows and--and horses and getting to know the dairy industry in
• 4:56
  Wisconsin. But then in June, we will travel over and the students that hosted their German students will then stay with them for the time and also
• 5:06
  do a little travel. So it's more about the in depth and understanding and relationship building than just seeing a country and being a tourist.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER4: And it's also special because many schools don't offer these like really exchanges.
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  So most of the time Germans come here and they are hosted, but many students don't come back.
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  Right. And it's a challenge for everyone.
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  And they also I don't I mean, you guys can just tell us about it in a second, how much you've already learned beyond the language this is.
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  SPEAKER1: So what you're
• 5:36
  SPEAKER9: saying is this
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  SPEAKER1: is a unique experience for our for our students.
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  SPEAKER9: Right? Yes.
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  SPEAKER1: Thank you. So let's start at the beginning here.
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  Um, and I'll go to our German guests first.
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  Um, how was the trip to Oregon and what was it like when you finally arrived?
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  SPEAKER5: So for me, I've been put in late to the exchange.
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  It was a bit stressful because I only had a few weeks to prepare, but when we arrived we were really happy.
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  We have--We traveled about a whole day and we we are happy felt very welcome.
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  We had a welcome dinner and it was a great atmosphere.
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  Um, there is some videos online about the teachers getting to know each other.
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  Um, after a long time. It's really funny.
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  SPEAKER1: Oh that's great, thank you.
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  SPEAKER8: Yeah, we were welcomed pretty warmly. Um, so everyone was nice and they were just genuinely excited to see us.
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  I feel like we felt very welcome here in the US and the travel was very long.
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  The flight was very exhausting, I would say.
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  And then also to, um, have a two hour bus ride
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  SPEAKER1: from
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  SPEAKER8: Chicago to Oregon. It was pretty exhausting for students, but I think the welcoming dinner and just getting to know your exchange student
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  and their families and just seeing the school for the first time in general just made that like,
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  appear in nothing. So I think it was very, very nice.
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  SPEAKER1: Well, I'm so happy that both of you felt welcomed because that certainly was the goal.
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  I was there that evening and there were a lot of people there who were so excited to see you.
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  Um, now for our OSD students, um, what was it like for you to welcome our guests?
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  SPEAKER6: Um, it was very exciting, you know, because I've been looking forward to finally seeing my German exchange student.
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  And once I saw him get off the bus, it was this awesome feeling, like, "hey, I got a new friend now."
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  SPEAKER1: So, yeah. That's great.
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  SPEAKER7: Um, for me, it was really surreal. Um, it was like we had spent so much time getting ready and preparing for this.
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  Um, with just like, uh, very little actual contact with, um, the partner and then to finally get to,
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  like, uh, see them and meet them after so much speculation was really cool.
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  SPEAKER1: "There's a real person!" Yeah. That's cool.
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  All right, so this is for all of the students.
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  Uh, talk to us about your experience. What have been the highlights for you?
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  And I'll go to our German students first and then our OSD students after that.
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  SPEAKER8: Okay, so, um, our highlights were pretty much experiencing things that you usually don't have in Germany,
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  for example, my personal highlights were the football games especially, and the pep rally.
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  I thought that was a pretty cool concept that should be considered at our school too,
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  because it's like--it's realistic to like bring it into more, more schools.
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  Um, I think it was very exciting getting to experience the, like, high school life and just like having those school spirits around you and
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  like everyone is just genuinely so excited for everything to happen and to see everything develop.
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  So it's like very nice.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER1: I am so glad you were here for homecoming because that gave you a very special perspective.
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  Yes. How about you?
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  SPEAKER5: Yeah, I agree with Ariana. Um, I think everything was great in that part.
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  Um, what I enjoyed most were the day trips.
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  So the day trip to Madison, or the day trip around Oregon, where we got to see the fire department and police department.
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  That was really cool. Um, in Madison, going to the capital, going into a thrift store with friends,
• 9:32
  trying on clothes. Uh, that was really cool.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER1: Oh, I'm glad you liked that. And I'm glad that you, as someone who is in potentially in the future in emergency management,
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  to be able to see the police and fire department.
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  That was a great opportunity. Thank you.
• 9:47
  Now, our OSD students, um, what have been your highlights?
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  SPEAKER7: Um. Well, I really loved when I got to take Ari to Costco.
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  Um, because, like--because, like, I go there all the time, right?
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  Sure. It's nothing new for me. But then, like, I take Ari in there, and it's just like shelves and shelves of stuff,
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  and it's--And the things she pointed out, she's like, "everything is so big." And it was just like,
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  this is really cool. Like, I, I take some things for granted here.
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  And I think that's really interesting to learn about.
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  SPEAKER1: Costco is a uniquely American experience.
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  Yes. How about you, Maddox?
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  SPEAKER6: Um, I'd say the same thing. Like doing normal things for me is so different for him,
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  you know, because when you go to the US, it's a whole lot different than in Germany.
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  So yeah.
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  SPEAKER1: That's great. So has there been anything that has surprised you?
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  So whomever wants to start with this one, go right ahead.
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  SPEAKER5: Uh, so me, um, my biggest surprise was how dependent you are for a car.
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  If you don't have a car, you can't really do anything in the US.
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  I'm used to going by bike to school everywhere, to my sports, to my job.
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  And so that was a big shocker for me. What I also found surprising is everybody in Germany told us that the weather was going
• 11:22
  to be very bad. There were, um, I have neighbors who told me when they came on the exchange,
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  uh, that it snowed the whole time they were here.
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  And it's been great weather since we've been here, so we got pretty lucky for now.
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  SPEAKER10: You did, you did.
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  SPEAKER1: It's very unpredictable this time of year, and you have been lucky.
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  This has been great. Thank you.
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  SPEAKER8: So I would 100% agree with YJanik that you are very dependent on a car.
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  And in Germany we most certainly have more like, um, public transport for example,
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  trains or busses they like come more often than here.
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  But another surprise was how many electives you got here and the variety of, like,
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  um, school subjects you have here and that you can like select so many things that you want to learn because in Germany it's not like that.
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  SPEAKER1: Thank you. Those are both really interesting, um, surprises.
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  Right. Anything from either of you OSD students?
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  SPEAKER6: Um, I found it surprising how fast new friendships can be formed, you know, because within,
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  like, the first hour that he was here, friendships had already formed, and I'd already seen other people that had come here from Germany.
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  And I was already friends with some people. So.
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  SPEAKER1: Yeah. Thank you. That's nice. How about you, Vi?
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  SPEAKER7: Um. Well, I guess the main surprises were like, in the, in the, like, several months leading.
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  SPEAKER1: Yeah, yeah, all those things were just meant to help you, but it gave you a different perspective,
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  I appreciate that. So, um, what do you think will stay with you from this experience?
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  What do you know you're going to think about for a long time to come?
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  SPEAKER7: Well, what I think will stay with me the most is, uh, Ari is a very social person,
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  and I am not really, uh, and I think that contrast has been really good for me.
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  Um, like, I, I think my, I think my mom definitely misses me because now I'm like,
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  uh, like, going places, things, um, a lot more than usual.
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  But it's it's been nice to kind of, like, force myself into some interaction and getting out of my regular group of
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  friends.
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  SPEAKER1: That's great. Yeah.
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  SPEAKER8: Yes. Like I already mentioned, I'm a very social person, so I think what will stay with me the most is like the contact that I created
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  over like several students of the OHS High School, I made very many new friends.
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  I got to see very many places, and I got to communicate with very different people that have very different opinions on everything,
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  basically, and that have very different life experiences and that, yeah, I think that will stay with me the most.
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  SPEAKER1: That's great. How about either of you?
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  SPEAKER5: Uh, so for me, it's, um, I agree with you both, um, that friends and being social is very important.
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  But what I also--also am taking with me is a memories, photos and souvenirs that are that I've collected over the past
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  few days. So yeah, they're going to be secure in my room.
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  SPEAKER1: Do you have a favorite souvenir yet?
• 14:43
  SPEAKER5: Um, I have a mug, which I bought for my mother.
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  Nice. I'll give that to her.
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  SPEAKER1: I'm sure she will appreciate that. Anything from
• 14:52
  SPEAKER6: you? I feel like knowing I have somewhere to stay.
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  If I were to go to Germany is something that I wouldn't say comforts me, but makes me feel better,
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  you know, because I feel like I will want to go back to Germany eventually. So. That'll be nice.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER1: That's great. So what advice do you have for Oregon students who will visit during the next exchange to Germany?
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  What advice do you have? Anybody? Um.
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  SPEAKER8: I would say that you should, like, be prepared for very many surprises because, like,
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  we got to we got to experience the similarities, but also the differences.
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  The difference, I would say the OHS students should be, like, prepared for very many new things,
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  a very, very different culture and a different, um, school system and that everything can everything.
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  Even if it's different, it can be positive.
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  So always see the positive things. Just be open up, open up to people and don't be afraid to like,
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  use your language and what you learned your German skills because.
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  Yeah.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER1: Thank you. That was nice.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER5: Uh, so I'm going to elaborate on being open.
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  Um, I think what is really important with the exchange is you should try doing everything well being here,
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  because if not, you're going to regret it.
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  Because if people are meeting, you shouldn't stay in because it's once in a lifetime.
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  So I think you should go and try everything you do.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER1: Thank you.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER6: And I think that you make sure to make as many friends as you can and meet as many people as you can on the exchange,
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  because these people are people you might never see again, so you might as well be friends with them while they're here.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER9: Thanks.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER7: Yeah. Um, I definitely agree with Ari. Um, I think that it's important to, uh, embrace when things are different than you
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  expect, which can be difficult at times, but it's, um, important that you stay open,
• 16:56
  like Janik said.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER1: Oh, I like how you tied in pieces of everybody's.
• 17:00
  That was really nice. So, um, I'm about to ask you if there's anything else you would like to share with listeners.
• 17:07
  Um, so think about that. And before, um, before I open that up, I'll say that I would love to share that our teachers,
• 17:15
  our guest teachers from Germany, all of them participated in the staff dance at the homecoming assembly,
• 17:23
  and we were all super excited to see that.
• 17:26
  And thank you for that. Was it fun?
• 17:28
  SPEAKER4: It was definitely, um, it was fun in the end.
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  I was very nervous about it, but I think it was really cool.
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  And it was it gave us the opportunity to not just exchange with our German teacher,
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  but also with other members of the staff, which is something we haven't done before.
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  And we have now. I have the feeling that more people, more staff members know about the exchange because of that.
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  SPEAKER1: That's a really good point. You're you're right, because you had to rehearse with other staff members,
• 18:00
  right? Correct. That's that's a great point.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER9: And I will say that they honestly took on homecoming with full gusto and served as fantastic role models for their students.
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  I even twinned with one of them with PJs for Animal Kingdom Day.
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  Like they got dressed up, they took on all the things.
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  And the kids are saying like, take on those opportunities.
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  It's been wonderful just to see all of the opportunities that they're taking.
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  And Janik said it best, like, you are going to regret something that you didn't do.
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  You get the one chance and and dive deep, do all the things.
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  It's the only way that you can truly experience it.
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  And that discomfort that Vi was talking about.
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  That's where the growth happens. And it's building relationships.
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  It's creating. It's taking down borders, it's building understanding.
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  But it's also about having fun. And one thing I want to say before, and I didn't get the chance,
• 18:51
  was you talked about how the kids were excited to see each other.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER1: Oh, well that's true. The adults--
• 18:57
  SPEAKER9: This exchange...
• 18:58
  SPEAKER1: You and the teachers were very excited for sure.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER9: Right. This exchange is not just about the kids, but what Jessie just said.
• 19:04
  They got to get together with other teachers and get to know their teachers.
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  But when I saw my friends get off that bus that I haven't seen in a year, that they have become truly people that are my support team when it comes to
• 19:16
  this exchange. And I couldn't do it without them, and I just adore them so much.
• 19:21
  And that friendship that happened in the one and a half years, it's going to be something I'm going to take with me forever. So I can't wait to
• 19:27
  get back to Germany and see them again.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER1: You guys are all making me want to go on an exchange.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER9: You're welcome
• 19:33
  SPEAKER1: to. You're welcome to. This is pretty great stuff.
• 19:37
  So, students, is there anything else you'd like to share with anyone listening to the podcast?
• 19:41
  SPEAKER6: Um, I would just like to say, if you have the exchange, the chance to go on an exchange,
• 19:47
  make sure you do it, because it's an experience of a lifetime.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER1: Thank you. Anyone else or do you feel like you've said it all?
• 19:54
  SPEAKER7: Um, well, I know obviously your German is going to improve on an exchange.
• 20:00
  Well, if you're an American, your German's going to improve.
• 20:03
  Mhm. Um, but also I feel like my English is improving, which is very, very interesting because like,
• 20:11
  as a native English speaker, uh, you kind of don't hear how you talk very fast and,
• 20:19
  um, you use like slang and shorten words that maybe a non-native English speaker wouldn't understand.
• 20:27
  So I think being with non-native English speakers has been, um, good to like, uh,
• 20:34
  slowed down my speech, become more clear and just be more, um, verbose, I guess.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER1: What an interesting observation. Thank you for that.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER8: I would also say, um, I know very many students find school boring or don't go to school,
• 20:50
  um, because they don't like it. But in my eyes, you should, like, get to experience the full American school life as a German.
• 21:00
  Um, because they have different classes you can take.
• 21:02
  I think it's very, very interesting what they do in those different classes.
• 21:06
  And I'm also going to take very many things that I learned here with me in Germany.
• 21:11
  Um, so yeah, be excited for this school and learning new people.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER1: Great.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER5: What I loved about the exchange is that you got to see the many different people and how they think about different topics,
• 21:26
  and so you got to see many different, um, perspectives on topics and that really is something I
• 21:36
  enjoyed.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER1: Thank you all so much. This was so interesting to hear you reflect on the experience that you're having,
• 21:43
  what you will take forward with you. And I am excited for all of you to find out what more is going to happen and the rest of your exchange.
• 21:55
  Remember that you can find links to all episodes of Inside the OSD and submit topic ideas on our website at
• 22:02
  OregonSD.org/Podcast. You can find this podcast anywhere you can find podcasts.
• 22:10
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• 22:16
  We'll see you next time on Inside the OSD, where it's all about the kids.