My Fulbright Life
Transcript For: Current FulbrighterTimothy Beaucage in Germany.
July 18, 2008
Current Fulbrighter Timothy Beaucage discuss his experience as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Germany.
Timothy Beaucage
Schuyler: Hi. Welcome to My Fulbright Life. I’m
Schuyler Allen, your host, and today I’m joined by Timothy Beaucage who’s going
to tell us a little bit about his time in Germany as a Fulbrighter. Timothy,
thank you for joining us today.
Timothy: No problem.
Schuyler: So Timothy, you were in Germany
as an English Teaching Assistant. Where in Germany were you?
Timothy: I was located in Tostedt,
Germany which is a town
outside the city of Hamburg, in between Hamburg and Bremen in
Niedersachsen in Northern
Germany.
Schuyler: And had you ever been to Germany
before becoming an English Teaching Assistant there?
Timothy: Yes I was. I was a Congress-Bundestag
Youth Exchange student in highschool and I ended up living in Stendal for 1
month for a language training course and then my permanent host family was
located in Berlin.
Schuyler: Oh ok, so you were comfortable
speaking German then, I take it.
Timothy: Oh yes.
Schuyler: Ok. And what was the town like where
you were living?
Timothy: It was relatively small although I
was fortunate enough to have had experiences living in both big cities, because
of where I’d study and because of growing up in very, very, very rural America
in the middle of nowhere. So it kind of was a great medium for me and it was
perfect for my experience because I had a small town atmosphere and then could
hop on a train which was 5 minutes away from where I lived and could be in Hamburg or Bremen
within a half an hour. So I had a lot to do if I was bored.
Schuyler: That’s great. Just out of curiosity,
what was a typical day in your life like? How did you prepare lesson plans and
what was the size of your classes and that sort of thing?
Timothy: Well, a typical day… it depends on
the teachers actually, and this is something that most teaching assistants will
experience, it depended on what the teacher was looking for and what the
subject matter was. So I would have to go home and prepare according to their
wishes, or sometimes they just gave me a free hand and said, “Think of something
fun and interesting to teach them about American culture and life,” and so I
would do research, look through my materials, and plan lessons like that in the
evening. That was my typical life.
Schuyler: Right. During the day… and what was
the most successful thing that you came up with?
Timothy: The most successful thing that I came
up with? I don’t know, I think the best part of my experience teaching was when
they gave me a free hand. I think some of the teachers really just stepped back
and said, “Here, just do what you want, talk about something that interests
you, that you think the students will be interested in, and let them have fun
learning English.” So the most fun that
I had was learning about and teaching about American culture, the American way
of life, the American dream and so I did several different lessons on American
government, political systems and of course the primary election- that was a
huge topic this year.
Schuyler: And, I’m sure it was interesting for
the students.
Timothy: Oh yeah.
Schuyler: What was the typical class size that
you taught?
Timothy: The typical class size… well, it was
different for each age group. I taught classes, I taught Year 5 through Year 13
because I was at a gymnasium and they-
Schuyler: Do you want to explain what a
gymnasium is for the uninitiated listening?
Timothy: Yeah, there are different types of
school systems in Germany,
there are Hauptschule, there are Realschule, there are Gesamtschule and then
there are Gymnasiums. And basically, they’re just different levels of
education. Some students who don’t qualify for realschule will stay in the
hauptschule and then go on to do vocational training. Some will go to
realschule until the 10th grade and get a certain diploma then and
go on to vocational training. And the other students who end up succeeding will
continue on to a gymnasium which is like our high school. But in my state they
had 13 years and then they take their abitur, which is there final exam, and
that allows them to then go to university if they wish. So I taught at a
gymnasium and I taught all age groups.
Schuyler: Wow.
Timothy: So the younger age groups were much
bigger classes and that tens to be very typical of gymnasiums, when you get
there, the younger age groups are full. There’s 30-35 students in a class, but
as you get to the older groups they start dwindling because some of them get
transferred out to lower schools or they drop out or they go to vocational
school.
Schuyler: Interesting. And did you have a
preference for any age group you taught, or comfort zone, in terms of the size
of the class or anything?
Timothy: I definitely preferred, I would have
to say grade 11 through 13 just because most of the things I liked to discuss,
they were a little more in depth, required a little bit more critical thinking,
which the younger students haven’t really been exposed to. And with the younger
age groups you really do have to focus on basic English, and basic grammar and
they, even within their own native language, have not yet learned how to do
summaries for example, or to do complicated essays or analysis. So that was
something I had to keep in mind when I was teaching.
Schuyler: Interesting. So, I have a little sense
of what your daily life is like, but what did you do as far as the community
outreach component of your program? And
what did you do in the evenings?
Timothy: Well, that was one of my favorite
parts actually. The community outreach
really kind of enhanced my experiences. I really… from my experiences as an
exchange student, I knew that from the get-go I needed to get out there and
meet people my age and get involved and do different activities. So as soon as,
actually my first week there I ended up chaperoning a class trip and met some
one who was a university student. She introduced me to a local Samba, Brazilian
drum group,
Schuyler: Wow.
Timothy: Yeah, it was started in the town to
fight against intolerance because that was one of the issues that that town
faced, discrimination and racism, and things like this, so that group I joined
and played with them all over northern Germany, and I also did hip hop classes,
and I taught hip hop classes in Hamburg and then I also did the Meet Us program
with US Consulate in Hamburg. So I would go to different cities all across Northern Germany for the Consulate and give speeches for
them. So those were some of the things that I did on my program.
Schuyler: Wow. Wow. How was it teaching a hip
hop class?
Timothy: Oh the teaching was awesome. I
actually originally started this because I wanted to do something physical and
find a way to meet other people so I found a school in Hamburg and signed up
and it was relatively cheap, and I just went and started taking classes, and
through that I met different choreographers who asked me to dance with them and
they asked me to be their substitute at different classes and then I ended up
giving workshops on African step dance which was something that I did when I
was in college. So it was a lot of fun.
Schuyler: It sounds amazing. Would you say that
that was probably one of the highlights of your program?
Timothy: That was definitely. And the Meet Us
program. I also did America
at Your Library, which are two different programs through the consulate. And
they really helped me to talk and prepare, to learn about my own country and
talk to different groups of students. I was at universities in Hanover and all over and
I talked to different groups about the environment and the American dream and
it was pretty wonderful. And they paid for it all as well, so you get a little
stipend and I get to travel so that was really helpful for me. I got to see a
lot of Germany.
Schuyler: Well, I’m curious now. Tell me more
about the Meet Us Program and the American Library.
Timothy: Well, the Meet Us program was started
to basically bring “real life” Americans to the German community. So any
American living in Germany could sign up through the Consulate’s website and
contact them and they will send you emails saying, “Hey does anyone want to
volunteer to come speak about such and such a topic at this place?” And if you
have time, you volunteer and they’ll choose you. And you do kind of a test run
and they’ll have someone that will be there with you, guiding you. And then
after that, if you do a good job, they’ll ask you to come back. And I did about
13 different programs with that. And America at Your Library I did a very fun
environmental awareness program for younger students, 5th and 6th
grade students all across northern Germany and I read The Lorax and planted seeds
with them, and I did a lot of lectures on the American political system and the
primaries as well; that was a big topic at universities and at different high
schools.
Schuyler: It sounds completely amazing. I’m just
curious, while you were there, certainly it sounds like you were very
integrated into your community, having been there before, and then you know,
having some sense of what to expect when you got there, but did you face any
challenges while you were there and how did you address them and overcome them?
Timothy: I definitely faced challenges. I
recall my experiences as an exchange student, and one of the things is that you
really are, as an American or as an exchange teacher or student or researcher
or whatever you are, you really are looked at when you are asked to speak with
groups of students or professors or teachers as a representative for the
country no matter how much you want to believe that you’re not. People look at
you and kind of put you in that position. They also aim all these stereotypes
and negative criticisms, also the positives, at you and they expect you to be
able to answer them to help explain them and to clear the air basically. And so
that was one of the things that I learned and enjoyed dealing with the most,
although it was a challenge it was something that really made me grow as a
person and helped me to better understand talking about stereotypes and what
they mean and how they come about, and how you can get students and people to
kind of realize that they themselves also generalize and stereotype, and how to
better tolerate one another and understand one another. And that was one of the
best things and one of the biggest challenges as well.
Schuyler: Wow, amazing that they kind of wrapped
up into each other. So that said, what advice would you offer to any candidates
applying for the 2009-2010 cycle of the Fulbright US Student Program?
Timothy: As far as the actual application
goes, get started early enough. I was kind of rushed into it. I found out about
the program last minute because they had just put in a new Fulbright director
at my university. So again, get in touch as soon as you can with that person
who will help you figure out what you want to do because there are so many options
with the program, and I only, unfortunately, had enough time to apply to be a
teaching assistant although I would have loved to have tried to do the
research. And I only had a few weeks to get my application together.
Schuyler: Wow!
Timothy: Luckily it worked out well. The
hardest part about the application is editing yourself and really kind of
condensing all of those experiences and things you want to say, to number one
sound sincere, and number two get it down to the required character limit. That
was the biggest challenge for me.
As far as when you get
abroad, like I said before, it really is a matter of, every opportunity, every
time someone invites you somewhere, be sincere, and say yes, you know, if you
can do it and commit to it. Because in Germany, as in many other cultures,
they look for that commitment and take it very seriously. But once you get
through those doors and take those opportunities, you will meet tons of people,
other opportunities will open up for you, and it will make your experience so
much better. And it will help you learn the language better, the culture. You
will have tons and tons of friends who will last for a lifetime. Or at least I
hope so!
Schuyler: I want to go!
So, now that you’re
back, what skills have you gained from this experience that you hope to apply
to the next academic or professional phase of your life?
Timothy: Well I’ve definitely gained skills in
organizing and speaking. I’ve had many opportunities where, you know, you stand
in front of a group of people and they’re expecting you to teach them
something. And I wasn’t trained as a teacher, so it was a bit nerve racking my
first few weeks because I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t know whether
or not I’d be able to do that, to really follow through and bring them
something useful because I’m not an English language teacher or a professional
about US political systems or anything like that. So I really learned how to
communicate with people. I discussed before about stereotypes, and the
questions, you will get asked tough questions while you’re there. I really
learned how to communicate with people and how to try to open people’s eyes,
and get them to think about things in a different way. And I think that was the
best thing that I learned out of the experience and that I can apply throughout
the rest of my life, really communication between cultures and promoting
understanding and tolerance.
Schuyler: Absolutely. And what are you thinking
about doing next?
Timothy: I would love to… I don’t know, it’s
kind of confusing, this is the hard part! Cause I’m back in America now and I’ve applied to… because
Fulbright also offers internships, many internships, so I applied to one
through UNESCO in Paris, France and I’m supposed to be
hearing back from them sometime today or this week. So I’m crossing my fingers
on that one. And then also because of all the work I did with the Meet Us
program, I was asked to be an intern there, but there’s a complicated
application process which I missed, but they’re trying to work around it for
me. So, either that or I’m going to go to grad school! And study. So we’ll see
what happens.
Schuyler: Timothy, thank you so much for your
time today and your enthusiasm and great responses. Look to hear yourself on
iTunes soon.
Timothy: OK, great. Thanks so much.
Schuyler: Thank you.
Timothy: And good luck to all the applicants.
Schuyler: Thanks. Bye
Timothy: Bye.
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