I
t is always a great time to learn a language. The benefits include friendship, cultural knowledge, and the acquisition of the language itself. These are also the pleasures of the German language. Although it may look complex, and honestly weird, it is such a rewarding experience. I myself have made countless friends from German class, many of whom I am still in contact with today. One such person, Ryan Watrobski, has described German class and the German language as, “One of the only classes that I look forward to every day.” The first thing you notice about the room when you walk in are the three clowns, all in various positions. When I first walked into the room, I thought, “What is this? What have I gotten myself into?” That was when Frau Klann looked at and said, “Willkommen zu Deutschklasse!” I did not know what to think. I didn’t understand what she said, but it was very welcoming. It set the atmosphere for the class for the whole year and even years to come for me. The first thing that comes to mind when anyone mentions German class is schultüte. Schultüte is an annual tradition in “die Deutschland” where children are given a cone made of paper, plastic, or cardboard on the first day of school. Now, don’t judge a cone by what it’s made of. Admire it for what’s inside. Five types of cookies line the inside of the cone for us to eat. That is always the first thing that comes to mind when German class is mentioned. The tranquility of the schultüte will always be remembered by my fellow classmates and me. The next idea that comes to mind when anyone mentions German class is the holidays. The biggest one is Karneval. This is an annual holiday that occurs on the Monday before Aschermittwoch (Ash Wednesday). This is the biggest holiday in Germany, even today. It starts on the eleventh hour, the eleventh second, the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year. It is said to begin at this time because it brings luck to the people of Germany. It is also said that Karneval is a time for the people of Germany to break their rules and create new ones that can be cherished for the rest of the year. This is also the most cherished holiday for the students of Deutschklasse as well. At the end of it all, we get specially made donuts, and we get to make party masks at the end of it. The second holiday that comes to mind is, of course, Weihnachten mit dem Weihnachtsmann. Christmas will always be a very special holiday for everyone in the United States. But in Germany, it is even more celebrated and even more special. The last, but certainly not least, image that comes to my mind is Frau Klann. This teacher is so dedicated to her work, it is genuinely impressive. At the beginning of the year, she told me she had four Kahoots in total. By the end of the second week of February, she had 79 total. She also told me that it will be around 100 by the end of February. She makes presentations for us, videos for us, makes sure that we learn the culture of Germany as well as the language. She makes entire stories in German just to teach us the language. We even made masks in honor of Karneval and the fun it symbolizes. It is a treat to see her teach
ANOTHER DEAD LANGUAGE
BY JASHHVANTH TAMILSELVAN
18
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TH E ROYA L NEWS
