A Great Program

I volunteered with the Excellence Center for the whole month of March and had a wonderful experience. We started every day (Mon-Thrs) at the Center with a family breakfast around 1000. After that, I taught English to my students, one-on-one, either in-person or online. As a teacher, you are allowed to shape your teaching style and the learning environment as you see fit to help your student learn. For adult students I would bounce between classroom instruction and walking through the city reviewing vocabulary and practicing basic English grammar. One of my students was about eight years old, and they learned better with more engaging methods, such as board games and football.

Most days I also received German lessons from one of the Center’s teachers, along with one other student. We would split out time between the classroom and walking about the city, which was more engaging than the German lessons I had in school.

My daily schedule varied wildly, with some days being seven hours long, while others were just about two hours, depending on the number of students that day. Once your lessons are done, you have the freedom to explore the city on your own. I’d often have lunch in a local park, weather permitting, or go for a walk along the river.

On the weekends, I explored the local area, to include Leipzig and Dresden, taking in the history of this part of the country. This also gave me ample opportunity to practice my German in the real world.

Overall, the work was very rewarding. I’d highly recommend the Excellent Center to anyone who enjoys teaching.