Meet 7-week German Immersion Student: Kimberly Barnhart
Hometown: Barnard, Vermont
Program: 7-week Immersion
Current: Academic Dean and French Teacher, The Sharon Academy, Sharon, VT
What surprised you about your experience at the German School?
I was surprised by how quickly we learned and how much all the activities fed into that learning. For example, I frequently found myself hearing and using vocabulary and sentence structures from my grammar or literature course in my clubs and activities. I had known that full immersion would have a huge impact on how quickly I learned, but I had not realized what a domino effect it would be.
Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?
I had studied in the French school’s graduate program one summer years ago, but had not experienced the undergraduate levels. My son and I had been talking about how fun it would be to learn German together, so we decided to give it a try.
Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury. How are you currently using or planning to use the language you studied in your daily life (job, personal, research, etc.)?
I’m so pleased that I am able to hold conversations in German. I’ve discovered that there are a lot of German speakers in my life, which I had not realized before. I’m talking to people regularly in German and am continuing my German studies independently in my daily life. I would like to get back to the German school next summer with the eventual goal of being able to offer German classes at the school where I currently teach.
What makes the German School a unique environment to learn the language?
Every aspect of your daily life is in the target language: classes, clubs, meals, movies, table tennis, everything! The professors eat with the students at mealtimes, and everyone is happily chattering away in German.
By week two, even Level 1 students were holding their own at the dinner table. I was in Level 2, and by the end of the first week, I found I was even dreaming in German. The full immersion makes a huge difference to your progression.
What advice would you give someone wanting to attend the German School?
Throwing oneself into the Language Pledge® is a key component to learning at the German School. When you don’t know the exact way to say what you want to say, try to say it anyway. There are usually ways to talk around the topic to get at what you are trying to say. That struggle is part of the learning. Plus, everyone around you understands the struggle and will help!
If you’ve had other language learning opportunities, how would you compare them to your experience at Middlebury?
I think you learn more at Middlebury than you do trying to immerse yourself in the language in a European country, which I did in French.
Middlebury was more of an immersion for me than studying in France.
So many Europeans speak English that they often switch to English at the first sign you are struggling in their language, so you lose the advantage of muddling through.
Describe your typical day at Middlebury.
I would get up around 7 to have breakfast and review anything I needed for my classes. I had three classes between 9 am and 1 pm every weekday. After class, we had our lunchtime. The bilinguals would bring around the daily newsletter, which we would often read together and discuss. After lunch I did my homework for the next day, checking in with my professors at their office hours, if needed. If I finished early enough, I would hang out to watch soccer games or play table tennis in the living room of one of the dorms. Daily clubs started around 4 pm on most days, and I was engaged in a number of these. I joined the Theater Club, so as the summer progressed, much of my club involvement gave way to play rehearsals. (Theater club takes a LOT of time!) Dinner was around 7 pm. After dinner, I’d hang out with friends or walk into town. On the weekends, there were a variety of activities available, including movies, excursions to a local lake, a brunch discussion group, and so on.
Applications for the German School’s 7-week immersion, German for Singers, and Graduate Programs open on November 1. Gather your materials today!