THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Toby has always been at their beck and call, ever ready to teach them juggling, dancing, singing and to even make sweet pancakes and special coffee for them. And there is Anisha, a bundle of energy and joy, running around with numerous chores and helping them.
This pair has been the soul of the summer camp for kids which has been going on since April at Goethe-Zentrum Max Mueller Bhavan in the city. While Toby (Tobias Hartmann), a 28-year-old German, has been in the city for the last five months, Anisha (Anisha Netto) has just completed her Plus II from Arya Central School.
Goethe-Zentrum is the branch of the Goethe Institute, the worldwide language and cultural institution for promoting the study of German language and encouraging cultural exchange.
``They are just like us. When they are there, it is so much fun,’’ said Sumitha, a Class X student of Carmel GHSS. The other 45 students who are part of the camp too would have the same opinion, according to Sudha Pradeep, head of the language department at the Centre.
Sudha shared: ``Toby has great energy. He has been instrumental in bringing German to the city. And Anisha is so full of energy and enthusiasm. The two have been very much involved with the sessions and are selfless. When Toby was away for a few days, the children missed him a lot.’’
The summer camp, being held at the tastefully-laid out Centre located along the University Road, has been innovative in many respects - with German language classes, theatre workshops, children’s films, music, Bavarian dance, digital photography, games and painting lessons by experts, including German trainers. Instead of making them sit through theoretical language teaching sessions, the summer camp imparts a basic level of knowledge in German through activities and games.
The pair dance, sing, act and play with the children. ``For me, it is a sort of internship since I am planning to take up teaching once I go back to Germany next week,’’ said Toby. In between, he finds time to be at the German bakery located on the institute campus itself.
For Anisha, the stint as a volunteer has been overwhelming. ``The shift from being a student to a teacher has been a new experience. I could easily look at them through the eyes of a child,’’ said Anisha, who is the daughter of Nalini Netto, State Chief Electoral Officer, and Desmond Netto, ADGP, Crime Branch.
``I love children a lot and I think teaching comes naturally to me,’’ she said. Anisha has learnt German and is planning to continue learning the next level of the language at the institute itself. Toby is popular among the kids mainly because of his juggling skills.
``Also, the children were very excited to learn the dances, like cha-cha-cha and the waltz. They even learnt to sing, especially the songs with yodeling,’’ he said.
Since the camp is to wind up on Tuesday with a students’ fair, Toby and Anisha, along with the other faculty here, are busy with preparations for the programmes to be staged by children. On that evening, they all will go up the stage to present items like dance, skit, pantomime and songs, all in German.
``The skit will have fairy tales. While the younger children will be presenting the original version of the tales, the senior group will present their own versions of the story,’’ said Sudha.
Express News Service
First Published : 18 May 2009 10:51:59 AM IST
Last Updated : 18 May 2009 11:04:05 AM IST
