Meet our teacher Christina!
Christina has been teaching classes with us for some time now and we finally found the time to ask her some questions!
You’ve also lived and worked in Estonia, Portugal, and Canada. What anecdotes stand out most in your memory?
In Canada, I taught several German courses at the University of Victoria. There, my colleague came up with an assignment based on a grammar topic where the students were supposed to give each other compliments. At first, that sounded very strange to me, since it’s much less common in Germany to just give people compliments out of the blue than it is in Canada. For example, I was constantly getting compliments on my colorful scarf—once even on my bike. Over time, though, I’ve come to appreciate it, and I’ve been trying to do it more myself in Berlin ever since.
And otherwise, I always find it fascinating to perceive my own quirks—the ones that come with growing up in Germany—much more clearly when I’m abroad. Whether it’s the craving for good bread (no white bread!!), hiking and walking as very popular activities, airing out the room (many windows abroad don’t have a tilt function), or getting a very honest answer to the question “How are you?”
Before you started working for Transmitter, you also taught abroad. What was it like teaching there?
Teaching abroad, both in Portugal and Canada, was really exciting! I taught at universities both times, and it was very interesting to see how the structures differed in some ways from those at German universities.
Fortunately, I had a lot of freedom to decide how to structure my classes. But of course, we prepared the students for exams, which I helped design and grade. That wasn’t my favorite part…
But the students were all very nice! What struck me was that the students in Portugal were much more used to lecture-style teaching, while the Canadian students were already more familiar with interactive formats.
How did you come up with the idea to study German as a foreign language?
When I was 22, I did an internship in public relations at the German Cultural Institute in Tallinn. In addition to events, they mainly offered German courses there, and I was allowed to sit in on classes with the teachers from time to time. I really enjoyed that, and since I love learning new languages myself, I thought it might be the perfect career for me.
When I saw that there was a suitable degree program in Berlin, my decision was pretty much made.
What challenges have you encountered in your work with children and adolescents?
When working with children and young people, motivation and concentration are major challenges. The children and young people I’ve worked with so far often have many issues on their minds—and some of them weigh heavily on them—due to fleeing their home countries, arriving in a new country, and finding their way here. That’s why I’m often just as amazed by how much willpower and perseverance they possess to learn this difficult language despite all that.
Do you have a favorite level in German as a Foreign Language (DaF) classes?
Hard to say—actually, every level has something to offer. But maybe I particularly like A2 because the participants’ progress—especially in speaking—becomes very visible there.
What activities or games do you like best in class?
Anything that involves movement (especially theater) and speaking. And activities where the participants can express themselves creatively. I love getting to know them even better that way.
And finally: are you currently learning a language yourself? Or which language would you like to learn?
I’d love to learn lots of languages (preferably all of them). Right now, I want to improve my Arabic and start learning French.
Thank you for your time.
