German teacher Mrs. Silvia Doering-Hall was recognized and honored by the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Roland Herrmann, and was presented with the Outstanding Teacher Award 2011 at the school board meeting Aug. 23.
Initially, the director of the German-American Chamber of Commerce informed the General Consul about Mrs. Doering-Hall and her work; subsequently, the General requested additional information regarding her teaching technique. The Consul General, in honor of Mrs. Doering-Hall, created this specific award. The German Federal Republic will continue to give the award to deserving German teachers once a year.
“The effort and quality she puts into teaching German language and culture are highly commendable,” the General Consul said in the letter. “As an active participant in the life of the German community in McKinney, Mrs. Doering-Hall’s involvement goes beyond the confines of the McKinney High School campus and contributes to the diversity of the community.”
The German Consul commended Mrs. Doering-Hall for her dedication to her students’ learning. She provides product-focused and life-applicable activities and lessons that have authentic learning experiences for her students.
“I try to use projects that kind of imitate reality,” Mrs. Doering-Hall said. “For example, we role-play and pretend we are in Germany where [the students] have to order things in a café, and they have to act as if they were [really] there. Everything I try [with the students] relates to what’s going on in Germany today.”
In Germany, receiving an endowment for simply “doing your job” is unusual.
“Well, I come from a country where getting an award is very rare. It’s not like over here [in the U.S.]. It’s very unique, and very rare. So, it was very special.”
This is Mrs. Doering-Hall’s sixth year teaching German here. She has never received any teaching awards prior to this year’s Outstanding Teacher Award.
“I [was given] awards when I was in school, but there was no audience or [anything].” Mrs. Doering hall said, “You don’t make a big fuss about it.”
by Celina London
photos by Rachel Proctor
