Be a good role model

This last semester I decided to take a course in beginning German. I have tried taking Spanish in the past, but failed to grasp enough to earn a C. This time I vowed I would try harder at German; turns out, I am picking this language up a lot faster than I did Spanish. For some reason, possibly due to reincarnation, or my German heritage, I was able to read German within the first two weeks of class! I guess even in our 40’s we can learn new languages, we just have to connect with the right one.
My son is in his second year of Spanish. Up to now he too was skating on thin ice. I watched him struggle to earn a C but I did not see him spend extra time on it. Coincidently, as I spend more and more time practicing German, my son’s Spanish grade is improving! Alex now has a solid B in Spanish. This reminds me that sometimes we tell our children to do things we ourselves can not do. But when we show our children what can be done, they follow our lead and achieve the goals we set for them.
I am enjoying German, but more importantly I am enjoying witnessing my child’s transformation as he starts to believe in himself more.

German trivia; The opera Faust is based on Goethe’s play also titled Faust, but only includes Part 1. To understand the full story pick up Goethe’s Faust, translated by Walter Kaufmann. This is best translation I have seen. It is easy to read yet retains the poetic nature of Goethe’s writing.

Sari

Author: sarij

I'm a writer, lifelong bibliophile ,and researcher. I hold a Bachelors in Humanities & History and a Master's in Humanities. When I'm not reading or talking about Shakespeare or history, you can usually find me in the garden discussing science or politics with my cat. View all posts by sarij