From the English corner…

During fall break some faculty members of our BNS1-English department were invited to Stuttgart to spend the morning at the American Highschool on Panzer Kaserne. The school is home to about 800 students and prides itself with many awards and trophies won in music and sports competitions. We were very impressed by the size of the school’s music auditorium and their fitness facilities. Also there were archery and marksmanship’s set ups integrated in the classroom to train and teach the students. We especially liked this typical American style of organizing classrooms: the students move from classroom to classroom while teachers have their assigned rooms that are decorated and equipped by the teacher. This difference alone seems to account for the relaxed atmosphere around the entire school compound. In the classrooms we noticed students using tablets as well as paper worksheets. What impressed us as well was the way inclusion was practiced at Stuttgart High School: a special education teacher was available at all times to help the students with their needs. Another relaxing factor and help to make a school day run more smoothly is the substitute teacher system. The substitutes are academically skilled and paid on a daily basis, and are hired by the school to ensure students are not left unattended and instructed while their regular teacher is out sick.

All in all, it was a great opportunity for us to visit there and we were welcomed warmly. For us Stuttgart High School is proof what reliable and resourceful federal funding can do to ensure effective and relaxed learning and teaching.

Doris Dunlap, October 2024