When I first met Charlie Hartmann at the Lilicentre Open Day in June 2016, little did we think we would have a school up and running and certified by the Education Department of Lucerne by the end of August 2016.
But what is the HSK English School? Well, it is essentially about improving native English children`s literacy skills. However, the HSK is so much more than that- even Charlie and I did not realise this when we started on this project.
Looking back on what can only be described as our first successful 18 months, I can tell you, as the teacher, what I have come to understand what the school is about. It is about being part of a community and a family. Seeing the children finding their niche- a place where the can come and feel at ease, at home and understand their roots.
Witnessing children who, to begin with, refuse to talk, and then are more than willing to contribute to the class. Or the child who tells me they cannot write in English and then does not want to stop writing. Watching the children grow in confidence. At first, not daring to make a presentation in front of the class and by the end of the term, joining in fully and not giving a second thought about it.
Another important aspect is that the children learn from their peers and the younger ones aspire to be able to do what the older ones can. Whereas, the older ones learn to take responsibility to help the younger ones and it becomes a real team effort.
I see it as my job to motivate these amazing beings to learn English in a fun manner. Children who enjoy learning do well, which our test results confirm. These results are also put on the children`s Swiss School report as a separate subject from primary 3 onwards.
Personally, I feel it is an honour to be able to be these children`s teacher and be a part of helping them discover their potential and realise what they can achieve.
Come join our journey- we have classes for 4-6 year olds, for 7-8 year olds and for 9-11 year olds. Our website is: www.hsk-lucerne-english-school.ch
