Natalie Olsen: Birth of a Concept at the Deutsche Schule Washington

Birth of a Concept at the Deutsche Schule Washington

Natalie Olsen

The 1977-1978 DSW Yearbook shows Counselor Natalie Olsen with history and German teacher,Peter Zahn, and some eleventh graders.

In the Spring of 1974 I entered the Administration Office of the DSW on Logan Drive. Asking to meet with the School s Director, I was Breckwoldt s office. He received and implement a Counseling and ushered into Horst my offer to design Guidance program for the school with considerable interest. After two hours of questions and explanations concerning program philosophy, goals, objective and services to be provided, Mr. Breckwoldt allowed that a counseling program could be beneficial to the DSW. Being the visionary he was, Horst Breckwoldt saw the inherent potential of the counseling and guidance function as a bridge between the American and German educational environments.

I was hired in August of 1974 for two hours per week. I spent an additional 35 hours each week at the school devoted to observation, conversations with faculty, parents and students, as well as counseling graduating 12th and 13th graders on college and university admissions. Applications and recommendations had to be written. Communication with the institutions of higher learning in which our students were interested had to be established. Our curriculum requirements, student preparation and school philosophy were foreign to most American institutions.

As a Fulbright Fellowship recipient, graduate student at the University of Heidelberg and Teaching Assistant at Heidelberg imagine that s Helmholtz Gymnasium, little did those experiences would play I a significant role many years later. Knowledge of the German educational system, fluency in German and a master s degree in Guidance & Counseling combined with years of teaching and counseling experience proved to be the right qualifications for the task I undertook.

A Counseling and Guidance program was designed based upon the needs of the students and school community. Once accepted by the Director and the Vorstand, the program was ready to be implemented. That process was not always easy. Klassenlehrer had to be convinced that a counselor could be a helpmate and resource to them in working through various social and learning problems in their classes. Orientation programs were designed for faculty and parents. I went to every Klassenabend, taking that

opportunity to explain to parents the services of the counseling program. They were encouraged to call or visit. Meetings with groups of students were held daily. An active program of individual and group counseling progressed rapidly. Each semester new programs were added. College and university admissions counseling was paramount. Peer counseling, and mediation techniques for conflict resolution were popular. The influx of students at various grade levels gave class rise to a buddy system member was coupled with program. A current the newcomer to aid him/her in acclimating to a new school and in many instances, a new country.

In 1976 support for the program came from an unexpected source. The Sekretariet der Standigen Kultusministerkonferenz was pressuring the DSW to institute the Oberstufenreform and establish a Real- schulzweig. Both necessitated academic and career path counseling. Consequently I traveled to Germany to gather information and meet with administrators, educators, academic counselors, and school psychologists. Three weeks were spent visiting Gymnasien, Realschulen, Fachoberschulen, Berufs- and Handelsschulen as well as speaking with school officials and counselors in Hamburg, Bonn, and Munich. Arrangements were made with the Arbeitsamt and numerous educational institutions to send, on a continuum, books, pamphlets and materials to the DSW library. Upon returning to the DSW, a plan of ongoing parent and student informational meetings was organized.

Director Breckwoldt was committed to building a bridge between the DSW and its host country. To broaden the social and cultural horizons of our students, the Counselor and Director established contacts with area private schools and organized mutual social and athletic events. Meeting our student s needs was fundamental to the and guidance program. In conjunction counseling with the Schulermitverwaltung, parents and faculty, social events were planned, extracurricular activities were expanded and athletic teams were organized. This was an exciting, dynamic period.

During my third year at the DSW counseling and guidance function was tailored for grades one through four and subsequently implemented. By April 1977 a comprehensive program existed for grades one through thirteen. The Counseling Office maintained an open door policy with availability, and confidentiality as cornerstones of the accessibility, program. As the DSW s first each student counselor, optimize I was committed to his/her potential. helping While individual and group counseling played a pivotal role in this process, it was important to create opportunities for students to develop their talents, leadership abilities, self understanding and to establish educational and career goals. This could only be accomplished by working closely with the entire DSW community to establish programs which included academic, social, cultural and athletic activities. The creation of a DSW counseling and guidance program would not have been possible without the cooperation and involvement of Director Breckwoldt. The German Ambassador and Mrs. von Staden, Dr. Barbara Fuchs and The Friends of the German School, Dr. Inge Enzinger and the Elternbeirat, as well as the Vorstand lent their support and efforts to the program. The students enthusiastically embraced and used the counseling function. It was a joy and special privilege to work with them.

Interview in the Washington Journal 116: 19, 13 (May 9, 1975) with Ms. Natalie Olsen, who was German School Counselor from 1974-1977. Above an excerpt from the official Record Book (1972-1976) of the German School.