Category Archives: Fulbright Teacher Exchange

Family Rituals, Traditions and Education

Posted on December 29, 2017 by maryannniemczura

Nurtured in us at an early age was the love of God, family and the importance of education. We were also gifted piano lessons and practice was a given. We never questioned any of it but simply did as we … Continue reading →

Posted in education, education in Germany & the US, foreign languages, Fulbright Teacher Exchange, rituals | Tagged helping others, law, learning foreign languages, love of family, love of God, Manlius Pebble Hill School, music, music lessons, nursing, parents, peace, role models, singing | 16 Comments

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Posted on November 3, 2017 by maryannniemczura

Our family celebrates birthdays with a cake and candles and a Happy Birthday song, even after our loved ones are no longer with us. Today’s post is a remembrance of my Dad and also my Mom for rearing me … Continue reading →

Posted in birthdays, Fulbright Teacher Exchange, Fulbrights to Germany, Heidelberg, study in Germany, World Sunday Mass | Tagged "do not open until airborne" letter, Colorado, Fulbright Year, German phone booth, remembering Dad, studying in Heidelberg Germany, university system in Germany | 26 Comments

Berlin Revisited

Posted on January 2, 2016 by maryannniemczura

Our second Fulbright Year in Berlin began in July 1994. The Berlin Wall was now down(1989) and Germany had reunited in 1990. When we moved into our apartment in the Prenzlauer Berg area of the former East Berlin, new surprises … Continue reading →

Posted in Das Goldene Haus, Prenzlauer Berg, Pasteur Oberschule, Trümmerberg, New Year's Eve, Uncategorized | Tagged Berlin, cultural differences, Das Goldene Haus, Dirndl, Lederhosen, New Year's Eve in Germany, Prenzlauer Berg, Storkower Street | 8 Comments

Education – Then and Now

Posted on September 26, 2015 by maryannniemczura

The Principal of my mother’s high school in Massachusetts was also a teacher. What a novel idea for today’s schools. After being assigned a mandatory study hall in high school, my mother was dismayed until she discovered her Principal also … Continue reading →

Posted in challenges, education, Fulbright Teacher Exchange, Principals as teachers, schools in Germany, struggles, teacher certification, U. of Colorado, U. of Heidelberg, US schools, vocational education | Tagged apprenticeships, education, Fulbright Teaching in Germany, German Schools, independent learners, life challenges, Principals as teachers, problem solving, teacher certification, US schools, vocational education | Leave a comment

How Learning German Changed My Life

Posted on March 7, 2015 by maryannniemczura

What do you consider most important in your life? Looking back, was there a single turning point in your life which made you who you are today? Probably, like most of us, life’s most eventful moments come in a series … Continue reading →

Posted in children, college education, customs in Germany, education, family, family stories, Foreign Language Learning, Free German University Study for American students, Fulbright Teacher Exchange, German culture, German language, Germany, global citizens, languages, life lessons, Parents, schools in Germany, Teacher, University of Colorado at Boulder, vocational education in Germany, world languages | Tagged college education, Colorado, family, flexible, German language, Germany, learning, open-minded, opportunities in life, teaching, tolerance, university study, vocational education in Germany, world languages | 7 Comments

Free German University Study for American Students

Posted on February 21, 2015 by maryannniemczura

It’s that time of the year in our American school district for 6th graders and their parents to make decisions regarding which world language to study. I would like to offer reasons to study German. The emphasis these days is … Continue reading →

Posted in 6th grade registration for world languages, About the book, Colorado, education, Foreign Language Learning, Free German University Study for American students, Fulbright Teacher Exchange, Germany, languages, Massachusetts, parents, preparing world leaders, school, schools in Germany, Teaching, Teaching in Germany | Tagged arts, business, car manufacturer's internships in the US, careers in science, college loans, engineering, German language, German teaching, importance of learning German, jobs using German, literature, medicine, study abroad programs, university study | Leave a comment

Our Lives Were Forever Changed

Posted on February 7, 2015 by maryannniemczura

During the first Fulbright Teacher Exchange Year in 1990-91 when I taught English as a Second Language in Neresheim, our son, Thomas, turned seven in February. His younger sister, Emily, turned three at the beginning of the Fulbright year in … Continue reading →

Posted in birthday celebration, children, customs in Germany, education, family, Fulbright, Fulbright Teacher Exchange, Germany, Oscar Mayer, parents, schools in Germany, Teaching, Teaching in Germany, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Tagged culture in Germany, family, Fulbright Year, German kindergarten, German Schools, Koesingen, Oscar Mayer, remembering, rural towns and villages, teaching in Germany, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 6 Comments

1000 Pounds and 1000 Feet Tall

Posted on January 31, 2015 by maryannniemczura

Language development in children has always intrigued me. When my two children were young and learning to talk, they each had distinctive words for milk. One would ask for “muck” and the other would ask for “moke” rhyming with poke. … Continue reading →

Posted in children, education, Foreign Language Learning, Fulbright Teacher Exchange, kindergarten, languages, learning words, school, Swabian German, word meanings | Tagged elementary school, Fulbright in Germany, Germany, Language development in children, learning languages, Mother's Day, speaking, Young children | 3 Comments

Languages Reveal Cultures

Posted on January 17, 2015 by maryannniemczura

As a German language educator for some forty-eight years now, I am still intrigued with languages and words and recall as a young girl in Massachusetts how we used certain words for everyday things. When I was ten and moved … Continue reading →

Posted in children, Colorado, education, family, Foreign Language Learning, Fulbright Teacher Exchange, influences in life, languages, Massachusetts, parents, rural America, school, South, Sturbridge, Teaching, Teaching in Germany, Western Massachusetts | Tagged bag, childhood, childhood play. Massachusetts, Colorado, countries, cultures, education, family, foreign languages, Fulbrighter, Germany, poke, regional differences, remembering, rural towns and villages, sack, teaching, words | Leave a comment

5 Joys of having Hobbies

Posted on December 13, 2014 by maryannniemczura

-as an expression of love -as relaxation -as a diversion -as play -as a creative escape By definition, a hobby is an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation. My recollection of both … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent Wreath, Christmas Traditions, family, friends, Fulbright Teacher Exchange, Hobbies, life lessons, love, Nostalgia | Tagged Advent Calendar, Advent Wreath, Colorado, creativity, family, friends, handcrafted gifts, hobbies, holiday season, love, play | 4 Comments