The smell of freshly baked pretzels permeates the halls of the high school as traditional German music echoes throughout the classroom walls. Students eagerly toss and twist dough into the perfect shapes, as their lesson on Oktoberfest comes to life. This brand-new ‘Exploring World Languages & Cultures’ course is merging hands-on learning with real-world experiences from countries all over the world.
Co-taught by Melissa Appleman and Jon Gerlach, The Exploring World Languages & Cultures course offers a glimpse into the diverse languages spoken around the world and the cultures with which they are associated. From one corner of the globe to the other, students immerse themselves quarterly in the rich cultural aspects of the German, Italian, Arabic, and Portuguese-speaking world.
“What I’ve enjoyed most about teaching this course is the opportunity to share and discuss personal experiences related to culture. Culture is deeply important to me, and I believe that learning a language alone is not enough to truly understand the people who speak it. This course is so rewarding because it shifts the focus from simply acquiring a language to exploring how culture shapes identity and perspective. And beyond that, culture is simply fun to engage with. It brings energy, curiosity, and connection into the classroom. Furthermore, having a co-teacher as wonderful, knowledgeable, and passionate as Melissa makes it all the more enjoyable,” said Gerlach.
The co-taught course is broken up into individual sections per quarter. Mr. Gerlach teaches German and Arabic in quarters one and three, while Mrs. Appleman teaches Italian and Portuguese in quarters two and four.
“I love that this course gives us the opportunity to celebrate diverse cultures and expose our students to new ideas. Every day we share in a cultural exchange where we share perspectives and make connections between our own cultures and the cultures of the world. Our theme for our department this year is "more than words," meaning that our content goes far beyond vocabulary lists and grammatical structures. We get to share meals, absorb breathtaking cathedrals, sing, dance, play traditional games, and so much more. Beyond all this, I get to be a lifelong learner and continue to learn and grow from Jon Gerlach's wealth of knowledge, expertise and creativity,” said Appleman.
In addition to hands-on learning, the class provides additional opportunities to hear from students and community members from a myriad of other backgrounds, including Ukrainian, Chinese, Greek and more. It truly is a great opportunity to highlight the rich, ethnic diversity within our own community. Mrs. Appleman and Mr. Gerlach impart their passion for cultures and languages with the goal of igniting a spark of curiosity to experience the diverse and valuable cultures around the world. Each with their own specialty, Appleman and Gerlach are overjoyed to share their first-hand knowledge and experience with the students on a multitude of topics.
“Our biggest goal for this course is to awaken students to the wonderful offerings different backgrounds present. While we can only offer a limited insight into each culture, we can light a spark that fuels a student's desire to travel, connect with people of diverse backgrounds, and become more well-rounded people,” said Appleman.
From cuisine to composers, artists to inventors, athletes to entertainers, students sample many flavors of the culture, allowing them to form connections with other worldly perspectives. On any given day, a student finds themselves preparing pretzels for Oktoberfest, learning to play Scopa, reading the original Arabian Nights, dancing their way through Carnaval and much more.
“Whereas a traditional language class tends to focus on acquiring the skills necessary to communicate, this class focuses more on the understanding of culture as it pertains to the identity of those who speak the language. Things like food, music, traditions, and festivals are what truly make up culture and having the ability to teach about these things is essential. Additionally, giving the students this opportunity to get a taste of cultures from all across the world as opposed to one specific group is instrumental in developing a larger and more comprehensive understanding of the world,” said Gerlach.
We are excited to continue celebrating the many great cultures that make Maine-Endwell special, and thank our dedicated teachers, Mrs. Appleman and Mr. Gerlach for sharing their knowledge and expertise with the next generation.