For as long as she can remember, Nora has wanted to be a teacher. Growing up in Herborn, Germany, she set her sights on a career in education from elementary school onward. This passion led her to pursue state exams in teaching—a qualification similar to a master’s degree but even more specialized—at Justus Liebig University Giessen. Along the way, she gained valuable experience through teaching English as a foreign language and history. Nora also obtained internships teaching English, private tutoring, and, most notably, working with Ukrainian refugees at her former secondary school, helping them learn German.
It was through a friend back home in Germany that Nora first heard about the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) program. The opportunity to teach abroad while immersing herself in a different culture intrigued her. When she learned she could be placed at the University of Notre Dame, she was thrilled. On campus, Nora teaches a beginning-level 4-credit German class with eight students. She finds it deeply rewarding to see them progress, particularly when they engage with aspects of German culture that pique their interest. Interestingly, her time in the U.S. has also shifted her own perspective on culture. “Germans tend to say they don’t have a culture,” she notes, “but coming to Notre Dame makes me realize I do have a culture.”
While she enjoys teaching, being a native speaker presents its own set of challenges—especially when explaining German grammar. “It can be difficult to break it down because I never had to learn it the way my students do,” she admits. Despite this, she remains dedicated to making the language accessible and engaging.
Looking ahead, Nora plans to apply for a teacher-in-training program after her FLTA experience. She’s also considering teaching at a German school in Boston, though another option is to return to Germany and work full-time as a teacher there. For her students—and language learners in general—Nora offers simple yet powerful advice: “Stay interested. Whenever you lose interest in a language, you stop learning it. Talk to native speakers. Have fun.” She also encourages stepping outside of one’s comfort zone, saying, “If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
Nora’s favorite word in her native language is “Feierabend,” which literally translates to “celebration evening.”. It also refers to the end of the workday. “I think it is a nice way of seeing how Germans cherish the time off work,” she says. To Nora, German is a language worth learning—not just for its grammar and structure, but for its cultural significance. It’s also worth mentioning that German is the 3rd most spoken language in Indiana, which is just another fantastic reason to start learning the language!
Nora feels that Germany is sometimes overshadowed by Spain, Italy, and France when it comes to what Americans know about Europe, but emphasizes, “(Germany) is very important and has a lot to offer.” For now, she’s embracing her time at Notre Dame, enjoying both teaching and learning from her students—one German class at a time.
About the CSLC
The Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures (CSLC) aims to support language learners at ND by facilitating meaningful experiences with linguistic acquisition and exchange—both in our campus community and abroad. We believe that access to the world's languages and cultures allows us to seek out new perspectives, to value the diversity of the world's cultures, and to embody global citizenship.