Friday, July 29, 2016

Tales of a Teacher: Barbara Schmenk

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by Sarah Forbes. This is the second of two Centre for Teaching Excellence Teaching Stories that are being featured in the Daily Bulletin this week.

Barbara Schmenk has always wanted to be a teacher. In her 22 years of teaching experience, she has taught at secondary schools and universities in Germany, as well as at the University of Waterloo. “I find that Canadian universities are the perfect blend of research and teaching,” says Schmenk. Her research focuses on language education and linguistics, areas that she draws upon when she teaches courses like Language Culture and Identity. “Language use is tied so much to culture,” says Schmenk. “When you learn a new language, it allows you to explore so many new worlds.” In order to do so, Schmenk advocates for learning through exchanges, and immersing oneself not only in new languages but in new cultures.

In the joint German Studies MA program that her department pioneered with the University of Mannheim, students spend one year at each university, allowing German students to immerse themselves in Canadian culture, and Canadian students to experience Germany from the inside. This program, which began in 2011, is the only Canadian-German joint degree program in German Studies, formed from the longest running Canadian-German exchange. Students in this program work in both countries (they receive work permits as needed), thereby gaining an abundance of intercultural experience that prepares them for careers in almost any field.

Schmenk admits that one of the hardest parts of her job is recruiting students to study languages. “They tend not to realize how many careers a German major can prepare you for,” she says. But studying another language, she says, helps develop important “soft skills” such as interpersonal skills and creative problem-solving. Such skills are invaluable for any student.

Confidence, says Schmenk, is another skill that students develop while studying languages. “Often they come into the classroom convinced that they are simply ‘not good’ at learning languages. Watching them go on to mature and succeed is one of my favourite parts of teaching.” Fabienne Hargreeves, a former student, agrees: “Professor Schmenk is one of the best instructors I've had for a variety of reasons,” she said. ”Not only does she ensure that the material is engaging for students, but she also ensures active participation in developing the new language for students. She is incredibly empathetic and understanding, and therefore creates a positive and safe learning environment for all students. She genuinely cares about the success of each student and supports them in every way she can.”

Keeping it in the family at Alumni event

Alumni Family Day took place on Saturday, July 23 at the recently revitalized BMO Field in Toronto. The day was a great success with over 500 alumni, family and friends cheering on Toronto FC as they took on D.C. United. Along with the soccer game, the festivities included a pre-game reception with networking opportunities, face-painting, music, prize winnings and a meet-and-greet with retired TFC player Steven Caldwell.

In addition, 20 lucky guests had the opportunity to tour BMO field, and learn about its revitalization led by Waterloo alumnus Bob Hunter (BSc ’76). Another 20 guests had the incredible experience of participating in a private autograph signing with Toronto FC midfielder Daniel Lovitz.

Our alumni and friends took home some great alumni and TFC prizes from the event. The lucky winners were:

• Anna Verma (BAS '95), who won four tickets to a future Toronto FC game;
• Robert Ewaschuk, who won a team signed Toronto FC ball;
• Andrew Li (BMath '06), who won a team signed Toronto FC jersey; and
• Edmund Sta Maria (BMath '97) who won an Alumni summer swag bag

The most exciting prize of the night was a new Pebble watch. Alumnus Pam Rosario (BMath '88) was the lucky winner of our draw.

"We’d like to thank Waterloo Engineering Alumnus and Pebble Founder, Eric Migicovsky, for donating the Pebble watch for our alumni event," says a statement from Alumni Relations. "Pebble is a leader in the connected wearables space. Well before the world had heard of Apple or Samsung watches, Pebble had built the market. We encourage Waterloo alumni to look up the Pebble story and support this great alumni company."

To see photos from the day, check out the UWaterloo Alumni Facebook page and the UWaterloo Alumni Twitter page using #UWFamilyDay.

"Special thanks to BMO for supporting this event," says a note from Alumni Relations. "We hope to see you next year!"

Long weekend closures and other notes

If there's a better way to start a holiday weekend than with a payday, I don't want to know about it.

That's right, today is payday for those employees on the monthly payroll, and leads into the long weekend, with Monday, August 1 as the annual Civic Holiday, observed in most provinces and territories across the country.

The University, by and large, will be closed on Monday. For example:

All Retail Services locations will be closed for the holiday.

All Food Services units are closed for the holiday unless otherwise specified on their website. 

The Physical Activities Complex and Columbia Icefield will be open on Saturday, July 30 but will be closed on Sunday, July 31 and Monday, August 1.

As always, the Student Life Centre's Turnkey Desk remains open 24 hours a day, and UW Police are available at extension 22222 or 519-888-4911 off-campus.

An exception is the Library: the Davis Centre will be open 24 hours on Monday, while the Dana Porter Library will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Hours for all branches can be found on the Library's website.

Have a wonderful long weekend, and see you in August!