by Sarah Hsu

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American P.E. Teacher

     “Fishy, fishy – cross our pond!”
     As soon as they hear the phrase, a throng of first and second graders dash across the gym, dodging the ‘sharks’ in the middle, four kids with brightly colored sashes across their chests.
     This is just one of the many games students play as part of their curriculum for Danielle Robinson’s physical education class.
     Robinson, 27, teaches physical education to K-4th graders at John F. Kennedy School in Berlin.  Originally from Madison, Wisc., she came to Germany in fall 2006 to teach at the bilingual English and German school.
     “I’ve always loved sports,” she says.
     In addition, she attributes how she ended up in the teaching profession to positive role models during high school.
     “When I was a student, my teachers gave me a lot and pretty much made me who I am today,” she says.  “So without those positive role models in my life, I’m not sure I would be a teacher or which path I would have taken.”
     This is her first year teaching, which is a challenge in itself.  But on top of that, Robinson teaches in country where she doesn’t speak the language. “I would have to say the language barrier is probably the hardest part,” she says.
     It was really scary at first being in a foreign country all by herself, she said.  But she has adjusted, at least somewhat, to the culture and lifestyle of Berlin.
     She currently has a two-year contract with JFK, but she hopes to stay in Berlin much longer. “If I could live here forever, I would,” she says.
     It definitely takes a certain amount of patience to be a teacher, especially in a foreign country. “You just really have to have a passion for teaching,” she says.
     Her favorite part about teaching is that she gets to work with the kids and see their improvement over time.  She likes that the kids look up to her as a role model just as she looked up to her teachers as role models when she was younger.  The students look to her for moral support and encouragement, which she readily gives them.
     In addition, Robinson likes that she can be creative and fun in her teaching methods and with her students.  She explains that while the P.E. curriculum in the United States is very specific, it’s very flexible in Germany. This allows her to come up with cool ideas, like the fish and sharks game, to use as workouts for the kids, which is fun for them as well as for her.
     “I just want to make sure I can make a difference,” Robinson says. “If there’s a student or a child that needs extra help – whether it’s sport-related or self-esteem or just a social issue – I’d like to be there for them to watch them grow.”
     When she is not teaching, Robinson takes a German class, plays on an Embassy softball league, likes to hang out with friends at cafés, and just explore the city.