By Rebecca Rittirsch
From November 2012 till February 2013 I did a voluntary placement as a German language assistant at Currie Community High School. My tasks where varied and very creative and exciting. I had a good balance between working as a teacher’s assistant in the class rooms and development work in the staff room.
I really enjoyed every day in the classes because each lesson with the pupils was a new and beautiful challenge for me. I usually taught pupils in small groups with different types of materials (worksheets, little white boards and also the board of the classroom). Very often we practiced speaking with role plays and conversations and I always helped them to improve their pronunciation. It was a great experience to see how the pupils got on with me. They accepted me as a proper member of the staff and were always friendly and motivated to work with me.
I also really appreciated my wonderful workmates. No matter how many questions I had or if there was any problem, I always found open ears and got good advice from them. They trusted in my language and also in my teaching skills. They always supported me in every way and made me feel very welcome. I’ve never had colleagues like that before. It was a pleasure to work with them and being a part of their team. If I had the possibility of another placement at Currie Community High School, I would do it immediately.
All in all I can say that this placement helped me a lot with choosing a career for my future. I’ve grown so much during my work in this school. I am more self confident now and I also became a stronger personality during my time in Edinburgh. My language skills definitely have improved and also my skills to work and to deal with people.
I really would recommend Currie Community High School to every student who wants to become a teacher or just to get wonderful work experience with a wide variety of people in a fantastic team.
I send all my best wishes for the future to my great colleagues of the language department and also to my lovely German classes - I had a fantastic time with all of you! Thank you a lot for everything!
