Waltraud Steinmetz
German Language Teacher, RWTH Arts and Humanities Language Center
Host:
Tsinghua International Office
Short Term Stay:
June 2014
Ms. Steinmetz has been teaching generations of Tsinghua students in Aachen since the start of the Double Master Program in Mechanical Engineering in 2001. For many of these students, she became a trusted teacher and friend. This was the first time she visited Tsinghua herself. During her two week stay she met with Aachen Alumni of the years 2003 until 2013 – some of whom are now faculty at Tsinghua themselves – and gained firsthand experience on life and work on campus. She taught an intensive German class for the next Tsinghua students coming to Aachen and met with staff and faculty of the German Department to exchange views on teaching German as a foreign language.
Regarding my work as a German teacher this stay made me understand how important it is to feel well and welcome in a foreign environment. The necessity to help international students feel this way and support them in our language classes is, for me, the most important thing I learned during my stay – not only from a professional, but also from a personal perspective.
Waltraud Steinmetz