In this new series, we are shining the spotlight on some of the wonderful staff around our school! This week, we are focussing on Miss Fugmann, one of our Language Assistants.
Could you start by telling us a bit about yourself and your role here at KEHS?
I am 25 years old and from a small town in Germany called Idar-Oberstein. I am currently enrolled at the Justus Liebig University of Giessen where I am getting my teaching degree in English and Philosophy for Secondary Schools. As part of my studies, I decided to work abroad, so I applied for the language assistance programme.
At the school, I work in the languages department as a German Assistant. I have speaking sessions with students throughout the week, in which I mainly focus on their pronunciation and grammar when speaking. Additionally, I make an effort to promote their cultural knowledge of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland alike. Whenever I can, I try to join school trips with other departments and take part in extracurricular activities such as the German Film Club on Mondays.
What were your first impressions of the school?
One of the biggest differences is the fact that this is an all-girls school, which I had to get used to at first. These types of schools rarely exist in Germany and I do not know any where I am from. Students at KEHS also appear to be more confident in chemistry, physics, biology, and maths than girls were at my school. Another difference is that the various departments have an assigned area within the school and some teachers even have their own classrooms. In Germany, it is more common for teachers to change classrooms rather than the students, which means I was taught in one specific classroom and merely had to change for the sciences. However, I enjoy the English system more as teachers can decorate their classrooms according to the subjects they teach, which I think is beneficial for students.
Moreover, it was odd seeing students wear school uniforms as we do not have a strict dress code in Germany. Although I learned about it in school it was very interesting to see one for the first time. The school building, the entire school grounds to be specific, are fascinating to me as well. School buildings in Germany are very often in an extremely bad state and seeing how well kept this one is really amazed me. It is very common for German schools to share a gym hall with other neighbouring schools and, therefore, I was stunned to see multiple sport grounds, a swimming hall and a performing arts centre all on the same school ground.
I also love the dedication to and appreciation for all the different art forms. So far, I have seen the junior and senior production and I also attended the Christmas concert and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. The way everything is executed so professionally and with so much attention to detail still fascinates me. Similarly, staff are very dedicated to their job as there is always someone planning trips or organising events. This was not the case at my school and I believe the students will benefit greatly from these experiences, including having the possibility to learn languages with native speakers.
What are your plans once you finish your placement here?
Once I finish, I will go back to Germany and finish my studies. Afterwards, I will start my 2-year teacher training programme. This entails working full-time at a school, having regular meetings with an assigned mentor, attending weekly seminars and being examined monthly. After this 2-year period, I will have my final exams and, hopefully, qualify as a teacher. I still do not know where exactly I will live once I am done with university, so I will see where life takes me.
Do you speak any other languages?
I learned French (6 years), Spanish (3 years), and Latin (1 year) in school. Unfortunately, I do not remember much of any of them, which I think is a shame. Since coming to KEHS, I started learning French again to understand my French colleagues, Emmanuelle and Julie, and it has improved greatly. Hopefully, by the end of this year, I will be able to use it again.
Do you have any hobbies?
In my free-time, I enjoy reading, which I very often do together with friends. I recently finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid and I loved it. I also try to spend as much time as possible with my friends here in England and whenever we can we travel. We have planned a trip to Edinburgh and I am really looking forward to it.
Stay tuned for further interviews!
