National German Week (October 3-9) commemmorates the anniversary of Unification Day, when East Berlin rejoined West Berlin in 1990. Midlo celebrated the week by asking a series of trivia questions over the announcements. Winners received gummy bear treats from their German teachers.

Unification Day, October 3, is considered a national holiday in Germany; many people take the day off work to attend public celebrations. Midlothian’s two German teachers, Frau Böer and Herr Tibbett, have included lessons about the historical significance of the event in their classes. 

In Frau Böer’s years of teaching, she has fallen in love with the promising and enriched community of Midlo High, saying “The students are a part of a very privileged community that lives up to their potential and they’re aware of that. I love seeing students take advantage of their education and create a better environment for themselves.” Frau Böer sees teaching as a privilege and an opportunity to make a difference in young people’s lives and watch them grow up.

“Everybody takes German for interesting reasons, but I would say my favorite thing about teaching German would be the students,” Herr Tibbett observes. Since the class is small, he notices that his students are comfortable and communicate better than in large class settings. In his first year at Midlo, Herr Tibbett approaches the new experience with happy energy: “Midlo is fantastic! It’s the first school I’ve been to that has lots of positivity. I’ve never received so much energy from my students like I have at Midlo.” Herr Tibbett’s favorite topic regarding German culture is the history of Germany. He says, “not everybody realizes Germany is a younger country than America, and it’s undergone so many changes in the last century.”

Happy German Week!