Rick Herrick>
508-693-8065
Peter, Claudia, and Mila (seven months) Hunsaker from Berlin, Germany are visiting Lee and Jamie for five weeks this summer. Claudia is on a fourteen month maternity leave from her job with the state of Brandenburg. Peter teaches sixth grade at the Berlin Cosmopolitan School, a private, international school from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
In speaking with Peter, I was interested in the different approaches to education between the two countries. He began with a focus on similarities. “Kids are kids. In Germany, sixth grade boys play the same video games. The main difference is that they collect soccer cards. You find good and bad teachers in Germany, and varying class sizes.”
Differences do exist, however. For one thing, the federal German government has no role in education with the result that there are sixteen state systems with differing policies, standards, and procedures. German schools also have a greater focus on language training. Graduates from Peter’s school leave with fluency in German, English, and Spanish.
German students are also separated into two groups, college preparatory and trade/professional, after the fourth or sixth grade depending on the German state. This tracking decision is made by teachers based on a student’s grade point average. The tracking system makes good sense to Peter, but “It occurs far too early in a student’s career. I would like to see the decision made after the tenth grade.”
It was reassuring to learn that German schools have their problems too. It was also fun to meet Peter’s attractive wife Claudia and their precious seven-month-old daughter Mila. I left the Hunsaker home thinking that Germany’s gain is certainly our loss.
Fifteen-year-old Tommy Skeen, son of Laura and Peter Skeen of Roanoke, Va., has also traveled to far off places. Tommy recently returned from Philmont, a Boy Scout ranch in Cimarron, N.M.
While at Philmont, Tommy, along with eight other scouts and three guides, embarked on a 12-day hike, which spanned 90 miles and took them to altitudes that frequently exceeded 12,000 feet. Tommy loved the amazing vistas of the Rockies, the varied wildlife that crossed their paths (elk, black bear, mule deer, and mountain lions), and the challenges of hiking along rugged terrain and rock climbing.
But the most fun was had near the summit of Mount Baldy. There the group came upon two deep patches of snow. Tommy will never forget his snowball fight in the middle of June. In addition to a life-changing experience, the trip helped Tommy earn merit badges toward his goal of becoming an Eagle Scout. I was impressed to learn that he is very close to achieving this prestigious honor. We wish him well.
Finally, Carol Traenkle recently returned to East Chop after traveling with the Heritage Chorale, a chorus of 45 mixed voices, to Prague and Vienna. While there, the group performed four concerts at Roman Catholic churches and concert halls, receiving a standing ovation in St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Vienna when they concluded the service with a rousing spiritual. Carol especially enjoyed the opportunity to relate to her fellow chorus members as tourists and their travel to two of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
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