Die Kaffeestube Teil 2 - virtual Kaffeeklatsch in Germany and Austria

[cheaspicks]

Chat for those living in a German-speaking country, or anyone else who is interested.

cake how horrible for you . My last post wasn't very clear: I agree with you and Linzer that a change of teacher at primary school shouldn't be a problem. Maybe it's an expectation thing. If I knew that dd would be moved up next summer I would get used to the idea (and tell myself I can prepare her for it as well).

Plus kids experience things on a completely different timescale, don't they? After a month with a new teacher they can probably barely remember what it was like with the old one, whereas the parents have maybe managed a handful of short chats with the new teacher in that time.

Multiple x-post.

ploom glad it went well. Of course you're right about dd not caring about the tights. Oh well, when in Rome...

admylin

admylin I was glad to get that year over with, but I have had a fantastic experience with my next set of parents (last year). They were so helpful, supportive and kind. So I've had a good experience too....

ploom so happy for you and your ds!!!!!!

cheas I also thought tights, leggins and whatever is fine as long she likes it and has enough comfort to play, jump, climb etc. I love those dresses who could be either worn as a dress or as a long-shirt and look good over trousers or with tights.

admylin how about standing there for a while when you're the last and others come and instead of lining up behind you or asking you if you're the last one they just go ahead of you

cake Helllloooooo

I am just doing a bit of catching up on the thread from when I was away - cake I have heaps and heaps of baby stuff which I haven't got around to passing on in any way yet and am definitely not having any more babies ... I wonder how much it would cost to post a parcel internally within Germany if there is anything you'd like? I've even still got the bouncy chair (bought new for DC3 but a basic one, no bells and whistles or automatic rocking or anything as my older 2 never liked that kind anyway). If your baby runs the risk of being wrapped in an old t-shirt due to your shopping in Germany aversion just let me know :) I have more boy clothing than girl, because I did get rid of some girl stuff before we moved (I was pregnant when we moved but knew DC2 was a boy) but have some things for both genders and of course a lot of things are neutral.

My kids only went back to school and KiGa today, and I appear to have been very lax in re-stocking for autumn, although I bought all DD's stationary well in advance I omitted to buy new current size sport shoes for either child, and when I got out the rain trousers to take in for DS1 to keep at Kindergarten I discovered they are size 104cm (he's 118cm tall and wears size 122cm clothes...) Ooops! The only bigger pair we have are bright pink... I've missed the supermarket rain wear too, Tchibo and Aldi and Lidl have all already done their offers while we were away I believe..

world usually if I'm in the queue with quite alot of shopping and someone is behind me with 1 or 2 items I let them in front of me! Mostly that shocks them to be offered but I'm never in such a hurry that I can't do one good deed now and then!

cake glad you got a nice class after that one or it could have put you off teaching altogether.

cheaspicks what did you mean with being moved up and where would the more boisterous kids and the difficulty of transitioning come in? Tell us more about your worries, please

Gosh you've all been busy :) well I'm going to go at a complete tangent and just say hello and I think I am all sorted for the dress I'm wearing to the wedding. But I might need new shoes :)

Dinner last night at the ILs was mostly meat. :o There was pork kebabs, chicken (for me), steaks, more pork steaks - all for BBQing. There were some tomatoes (cooked, with lots of oil and then covered in Parmesan) and some cucumber salad (equal volume of cucumber and dressing I think).
Of course it was lovely and they were very excited to see us.

Best bit of the whole evening was FIL's sister (older and more amusing/mad than FIL) who told me I am the "gute Hoffnung" I replied with something along the lines of "ah danke... also kein Druck" because it was just us; everyone else was clearing the table.

Nutella that's so funny, I feel a bit like that too with my ILs as BIL and SIL don't seem to be getting any nearer to kids :)

English I would love to take you up on your offer, if possible! We are definitely in the market for a bouncy chair... we have been given quite a few newborn items from friends (all boys stuff, poor baby girl! :) ) but if you had any in the next size (I'm thinking 0 to 3 months stuff or even 3 to 6) I would definitely take them off your hands! PM me if you're interested, if you're not too far I could pick them up?

admylin that awful letter nearly did put me off teaching, but luckily I'm made of stern stuff! I was 2 weeks into my first ever teaching position and that was what I was dealing with . But I got over it....

admylin ha ha ha I do that too. And the same reactions, usually a

Speaking of tights and wrapping up warm at kindergarden. I can see a kindergarden playground from my kitchen window and all the tots are out playing and have got hats on and winter coats already. However the erzieherin is in a vest top with a cardi tied around her waist! What those toddlers are going to wear when it gets really cold I do not know - double hats maybe?

admylin I'm betting on full on knitted jumpsuits with a balaclava hat and then when they go out they can put on coat, boots, gloves and a hat :)

although I've just taken the dog for a leg stretch and seen a teenage girl in a vet top and leggings... made me think of the kindergarten girls in tights and t-shirts

at teenage girl in tights and vest equivalent :)

DS1 wore his "playcoat" (thin shower proof coat) over 1 short sleeved T shirt and jogging bottoms to Kindergarten today, including while playing out - he did have a wooley hat though (a Lightning McQueen one :) ) No negative comments were made... but he also had to do Turnen in his bare feet ... I supplied newly purchased indoor trainers when I picked him up - too late!

Ploom Great news on your DS's first day!

admylin Surely you realise it's irresponsible to send a small child outside without a hat in September?

DD2 said she was the only child in short sleeves in her class today.

Oh yes big YAY for Ploom 's DS's first day :) :) I am getting mixed up by trying to flick back and catch up, by negotiating with DH over my doing a teaching course we'd have to pay ?350 for and he'd have to look after the kids for 5 full Saturdays for, and also having my 2 younger DC in the room, though they are playing together a portion of my attention is needed every 30 seconds or so... :)

Ohh English what sort of teaching course is that? I'm thinking about doing something so I could teach kids more (seems practical if I can then do it where my (evtl) kids are..)

And yes Ploom awww your DS's first day of school! Really cute FB pic! Were you a very proud mummy? :o

Nutella its actually European Certificate in Language Teaching to Adults - I did CTEFLA about 15 years ago but the organisation I did it through seems to have disappeared and I only have a photocopied certificate as I am Schlampig and lost the original years ago :( Actually I blame my parents who got BIL to chuck out all the stuff of mine still "stored" at theirs,a couple of years ago when they had building work done, assuming I wouldn't care about things I hadn't touched in 10+ years :)

I'm afraid I want to teach kids less not more - I have QTS and did 5 years secondary school teaching in the UK, have been a childminder and taught Grundschule 1 day a week here in an Aktive Schule for a couple of years... but I find I rather resent putting my own kids into longer hours of child care (which I had to do as my kids are in the state system of morning only school but due to my poor German I can only be employed by private schools, which usually do longer days) and spending that time with other people's kids. Teaching adults in more of an office environment is my long term aim, I'd like to work for (or be self employed and have a contract with) a bigger company to teach Business English I think... I'm jaded by the discipline side of teaching kids I think! I have been doing a bit of VHS teaching for a couple of years now but that's hardly a way to make a living!

DD was in kiga without a hat today because we went on my bike and I forgot to put one in her rucksack [ironic ].

EnglishWoman a friend of mine teaches English at a big co with no teaching qualifications. I don't know how exactly she got into it, but she started with one or two groups (or possibly individuals) and just got more and more. She's able to charge them a lot more than she was getting at Berlitz/would get at the VHS. She was the same friend who was at the international school before, except they told her she couldn't continue to work there without a teaching qualification.

Nutella I teach English at a local kiga and am planning to ask some of the others where they don't already offer English lessons. I also have no teaching qualification, but with lots of experience of teaching adults I found it relatively straightforward to plan lessons and just adjusted to the kids' needs and preferences as I went along. If you ever find yourself in a similar teaching situation I'd be happy to email you my lesson plans for inspiration!

world no real worry atm. DD started kiga at 2.3, but most of her class started part way through the year as they turned 2. The kiga has five rooms which the classes move through each year before they start school. The oldest group is called the Vorschulgruppe and they do lots of activities focussed on preparing the kids for school. DD will have to move out of her group at some point otherwise she will miss this Vorschuljahr - most of her current class will start school a year later.

I'm not sure the kids in the next group are that much more boisterous (they always seemed to be so last year when dd was in the smallest class, but she probably seems boisterous to the new kids now), but DD is so small for her age and doesn't cope with other kids pushing her around very well (but better now after a year at kiga).

English I'm interested in how you managed to find a job at a Grundschule?

I'm a qualified-in-the-UK teacher and at the moment have just taught in international schools in Germany, but I'd love to get into the German system so I can get a job a bit nearer home (currently almost an hour to Köln each way).

Can you get your UK qualification recognised over here? I have one further problem in that I don't have QTS as I did my first year over here where they couldn't sign me off for QTS.

I'd love any tips on how to go about changing my qualification to a German-recognised one. I'm planning to cross the not-being-fluent bridge when I come to it!

:)

cake I couldn't work at a "normal" Grundschule (but I think only due to the native speaker fluency clause, I think it is possible to get UK QTS recognised) but private schools have more leeway - they were keen I have QTS though, otherwise I couldn't have been left in charge without a German qualified teacher there too (I was often the only adult there except a retired KiGa teacher who came in to help or the admin lady who was also a parent). It was a tiny start up Eltern initiative school with only 14 students at some points, never more than18 the whole time I was there, and they were constantly lurching between financial crises the whole time I was involved. I am not sure how you would get around not having QTS though if you didn't do an NQT year in the UK... I actually didn't do a PGCE but did the GTP route, and one of the governors (who had been doing his research via google) made a fuss about the fact I didn't have a PGCE (I'm not sure he knew what one was, he had just seen it written somewhere and wanted to see a certificate), but was overruled.

cheaspicks I see, now I get it. I think you are right and she'll be fine. Is there a possibility she'll stay with her group and start school with them or is this something you would not support?

cake how long you think it will take you to get on top of the German fluency thing?

ploom what has your ds been saying so far about his Einschulung?

Cake, I think teacher requirements vary from Land to Land and you need to check with the relevant authority as to what they require from a foreign-qualified teacher. Can you do an internet course in German? I was looking at teaching German via the verbal planet website. You can pick your tutor and time of day on the website and I think you teach/learn via skype. It's quite difficult to learn from your OH.

There is a frost here most mornings now and the leaves are turning brown but it's still really warm in the afternoons (25+) so the chances of persuading my kids to even put a cardi on are slim to none. I would be so frowned upon in Germany/Austria!

Glad ds had a lovely first day at school ploom!
Hello to everyone else!