This article is from page 26 of the 2011-07-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 26 JPG
THE young students and teachers from the Mol an Óige primary school in Ennistymon last week paid tribute to two German trainee students who have lived and worked in the town for free for the past 10 months.
German students Anika Fuchs and Johanna Hohn have spent the last 10 months in Ennistymon, immersing themselves both in the life of the school and in the workings of rural Ireland.
Both women have also been a huge help to the school, which is the fastest growing school in the county.
“They have been absolutely invaluable this year. This is the first time that we have had volunteer teachers from abroad and we are really happy with the way that it turned out. It was a big boost for the school this year,” said Sinead Barrett of the Mol an Óige school.
“Both girls had some experience before they came but I think they have both learned a massive amount while they were here. The girls were facilitated to come here by Léargas, who were able to fund a host families for the girls – which was a great way of helping them settle in and to learn more about the area.”
As well as immersing themselves in the school and the local area, the trip also allowed the girls to learn more about the Steiner method of education.
“I really wanted to work with children and to improve my English at the same time. The kids are lovely here so it was a good experience,” said Johanna.
“I live near Berlin so it was a big difference coming to the west of Ireland. But I really liked it here – I got to know the Irish culture very well and the landscape, so it was a really good experience. My time here was great and now what I want to do is study social studies back in Germany and work with children.”
Both girls say they have enjoyed their time in Ennistymon and will be returning to Clare again in the future.
“It is my dream to become a German and English teacher so I thought it was a good idea for me to come over and work in a school and get some good training,” said Anika.
“It was very nice here. I love the countryside in Clare and Ennistymon is a really nice town. The school has been very good. At first it was a little difficult, I had to get used to how things work at a Steiner school, but I love being here with the students and the teachers.”