Two trainee teachers spend a month in Singapore

Last June, as a result of the excellent marks they had obtained on their course at the Zug Teacher Training College, students Simone Senn, 35, and Anna Lachenmeier 22, were able to spend a month teaching at the Swiss School in Singapore and returned with a wealth of experience, and not just on the educational front.
 
The Zug Teacher Training College is in partnership with the Swiss School in Singapore. It is here were primarily Swiss children are taught, though there are pupils of other nationalities, too.
 
As many as 290 pupils attend the school, rather appropriately in Swiss Club Road, and most of these are from expat families, who often stay in the former British colony just for a short while and then move on.
 
Teachers at the school are also mainly Swiss, though there are some native English speakers on the staff, too, most of whom are on three-year contracts.
 
Speaking about the pupils, Lachenmeier said, "We had to keep telling them to speak German, not English, exactly the opposite of what we have to do in Zug. Otherwise, in addition to English, Chinese, Tamil and Malay are widely spoken in Singapore."
 
As to the curriculum, this is much the same as in Zug. One main difference is that the Swiss School in Singapore is a private institution so there was less flexibility in the way things were taught, though the two students thought this also ensured more uniform standards.
 
With its tropical climate, meaning temperatures of around 33°C and 99% humidity, practising sport is quite a challenge and huge ventilators are used to blow cooler air into the gymnasium. Even walking around outside for a short period of time can be quite exhausting.
 
As to their accommodation, while Lachenmeier stayed with a host family, Senn rented a room.
 
Travelling by public transport also brought its challenges, as one never knows which bus stop one is at. Either one has to know what it looks like at the destination, or one simply has to count the number of stops until one gets there.
 
Naturally the two students also had the opportunity to see some of the sights of this city state such as Singapore Zoo and the fascinating Buddhist and Hindu temples. Of course they could not miss going to the enjoy the different cultures such as those one can experience of China Town, Little India and Arab Street, too.
 
On one occasion, at an open-air concert, Senn happened to walk by an old man who profferred his hand. It turned out she had been greeted by no other than the President of Singapore, Tony Tan Keng Yam.