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Deutschklasse (German Class)
You've come to the right place to learn to speak German with adults of like mind, while immersing yourself in the German culture.
You can enter the level that best suits your knowledge of the German language:
To participate in the Deutschklasse, you are required to join the Phoenix Club ($75.00 per year for non students and $50.00 for full time students). There is a nominal fee for book purchase or rental. There are treats available at break time and donations are appreciated. You can enjoy a Christmas Party and "Year End" Party, just before summer break, where gourmet food is served at a fraction of the regular price. After all, we are a social group and enjoy practicing with the native German speakers when we have the chance.
Classes usually meet in the Pavilion Building (at the rear of the Phoenix Club property) at 7:00 PM on Thursdays. Attendees will be advised if the class is moved.
This is a setting for those over 14 years of age, although from 14 to 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. For children under the age of 14, may we suggest contacting the German American League for classes in your area at http://www.germanleague.us/
For further information please contact those listed below:
Robert and Kathy Campbell (714) 693-7148, email: german392-info@yahoo.com
Lee Widrig (949) 472-0991, email: widrig419@sbcglobal.net
A bit of History
German Class
since 1965 The Deutschklasse is continuing a tradition that began in 1965. At that time, the Phoenix Club had only one German teacher who taught the Beginner class for one hour on Wednesday, Intermediate for the second hour, and Advanced for two hours on Thursday. Today's Deutschklasse meets every Thursday for two hours. We have three teachers and the classes run simultaneously. Over 80 students are registered in German classes, and attendance averages 15 to 25 per class. Because students must be Phoenix Club members, the Deutschklasse brings in many new Club members every year. This year over 25 new class members joined the Phoenix Club. Members may start simply as German language students, but they soon find many fun activities, new friendships, and fine restaurants at the Phoenix Club. German class members range in age from 13 to senior citizens, and they demonstrate a mix of motivations ranging from travel-oriented language skills to the reading of German literature. Deutschklasse members have made many contributions as volunteers to the Phoenix Club. Class members can be seen on many club occasions working in the bratwurst and beer booths, assisting with ticket taking, and selling souvenirs. One class member has been handling parking for so long he has been dubbed, "Der Parkenmeister." Class members enjoy eating at the Phoenix Club restaurants. Some come for the delicious food. Others see patronizing club restaurants as a way to contribute to the club. Still others insist that a glass of good German beer helps them speak better German! An elected leadership team manages the Deutschklasse's operations and fun activities. This team consists of a Group Leader, Robert Campbell; Assistant Group Leader, Lee Widrig; Treasurer, Kathy Campbell; and Secretary, Lisa Jewett. Each member serves for one year. The class librarian, John Jewett, is responsible for the organization and checkout procedures for the extensive class library. The team plans and organizes the annual Christmas Party as well as the end-of-year Class Picnic. Any discussion of the German classes at the Phoenix Club would not be complete without mentioning our dear friend and long-time teacher, Margo Walters, who passed away in 2009. She taught German classes at the Phoenix Club for many years and was an integral part of Club life. Students will always remember the little poems she composed for class, the jokes she loved passing around, the small craft items she constructed, and her joy in teaching German. Margo will always be in our hearts and memories. Susan Navarro Josewski, a native of Munich, Germany, teaches our Beginner class. Her class is a mix of communication, culture, and grammar, which provides students an introduction to the German language. For the last Christmas party the class had a lot of fun learning and performing a song, which she and the class referred to as "a beginner lesson in a song." Students especially enjoy Susan's anecdotes about her upbringing in Germany. Susan feels that learning German should be fun as well as educational. She truly appreciates all growth and development in her students' German studies and thoroughly enjoys the personal connections with her students and their families. Aside from teaching the Beginner class here at the Phoenix Club, Susan is involved in the German community of Southern California as a delegate and board member for the GASA (German-American School Association) and member of the DAV (German-American League). Beth Dieckhoff teaches our Intermediate class. Beth and several students usually find time before class to meet for dinner at the Bierstube, where they and students from other levels sit together and get to know each other better. Beth attempts to make the class as communicative as possible, beginning with a “Spruch des Tages,” or “saying of the day,” which the students translate and discuss. She also presents material that the students can use to better understand and communicate in German when traveling in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The group especially enjoys the class festivities such as the Deutschklasse Christmas party where they get a chance to create and perform a skit. These are light comedies that use both English and German in a brief plot line. There is a role created for every student who would like to take part, and everyone has a good time contributing and rehearsing. The Intermediate class balances learning with pleasure so that students have a good time as they improve their language skills. Marianne Roberts teaches our Advanced class. It operates under the motto “Hauptsache, man sagt etwas auf Deutsch”, which means “The main thing is to say something in German.” In practice, this motto reminds the class that it is less important to speak perfectly and more important to just say something in German. This motto is designed to reduce stress and get people to enjoy speaking German. Class members share answers, ideas, and conversation with a partner or a small group. Sometimes they play games, read poems, write essays, or practice dialogs and songs. But the important thing is to keep speaking German. To aid sentence construction, the class spends time on grammar as well. But the goal is always German communication. Class contribution to entertainment at events such as the Christmas party and the June picnic is in the form of one or more songs, selected mainly for cultural worth. Students sang a traditional German song, as well as a translated Elvis number, for this year’s June picnic. Students have expressed great interest in hearing Marianne's experiences at the Goethe Institute where she has taken several classes. German language instruction has changed much over the last fifty years, but students' goals remain the same: to learn the German language and appreciate German culture. The students’ reasons for learning German are as varied as their ages. Many have German parents; others have traveled in Germany and Austria and fallen in love with the countries, the people and their traditions; still others have German friends with whom they would like to speak the language. Other students enjoy singing in the German Choir here. One student wishes to read Faust in the original German, and another wants to read German mathematical texts. The Prinzengarde offers yet another student a reason to enjoy German. Students in the Deutschklasse look forward to many more years of German language instruction at the Phoenix Club. We are all grateful for the support given to us by the Phoenix Club. |
