I wanted to go to bed about an hour and a half ago, but something has been weighing heavily on my heart and mind for the past few days. I discovered that Calvin, my alma mater, is considering cutting the German major. The German department would still exist, but would be so much less than it is without the major, and my heart breaks at the thought of it. My gratitude for the German department and for Calvin is indescribable, so I felt I needed to write to the president. The following is my letter. If it's on your heart, I ask you to pray for the decision makers at Calvin to change their minds, and maybe even for you to write an email or letter to the president as well.
"Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:19.
Dear President LeRoy,
A few days ago, I found out through some fellow German department graduates that Calvin was considering eliminating the German major. I find this to be incredibly saddening. Without Calvin's German major, I have no idea where I would be.
The same day I found out about the potential future of the German department, I happened to receive the Spark magazine. I opened it up, coincidentally, to the article titled "Through Their Own Eyes: Students reflect on global experiences." Allow me to reflect on mine.
I've always known I wanted to be a teacher, but it wasn't until I took German in high school that I discovered a deep passion for the German language and culture and knew I wanted to teach it. When it came time to look at colleges, I didn't know where to start. I received a large amount of mail from various colleges, but what I was mainly looking for, was a school that offered German as a major. I had never heard of Calvin until I received a mailer--my family is not Dutch, CRC, or from West Michigan. I grew up in public schools and never had a desire to go to a Christian school. After looking into Calvin because of the German major, I was drawn to the aesthetics on the campus, the friendly people I had met at Fridays at Calvin, the opportunities available as a student. But most of all, I was drawn to the German department.
After beginning my studies at Calvin, I made some wonderful, lifelong friends, some of which I would not have made without the German department and German major that created our connection. My German classes were fun and challenging, and the professors were brilliant, cultured, and incredibly personable. I took full advantage of the study abroad opportunities. First, traveling around Germany in 2009 on the German Interim (which just celebrated its 40th anniversary). In the fall of 2010, I studied abroad in Vienna, Austria, which is a program through Central College but partnered with Calvin. These trips abroad brought my studies to life and gave me real-life experiences to bring into my classroom. All of this possible through my studies at Calvin.
Yes, I could have studied abroad in any of the German-speaking countries through another college or university, if Calvin did not have a German major. But the people I met and experiences I had would have been extremely different. The one experience I've had--arguably my most life-changing experience--could not have come about from any other university or college but Calvin College, and would not have been even an idea without the German major. Last year, I spent the year in Winterthur, Switzerland. There, I interned at a small, but quickly growing, private school. My year in Switzerland was not from a grant or scholarship, nor was it through an organization. My year in Switzerland was made possible by Dr. David Smith, because he personally knows the people who started the school. Near the end of my studies, I asked if he knew of opportunities abroad, because I was itching for more experience in those countries and he connected me with the school. If I were to describe to you all the things I learned, amazing people I met and became friends with, and experiences I was blessed to have there, it would take up a novel. That year in Switzerland is invaluable to me, and was only possible because of my decision to go to Calvin, which was largely because of the German major offered.
As a Fulbright Scholar and former Wheaton in Europe director and Central America Study Abroad director, there is no doubt in my mind that you understand the value and importance of language programs and study abroad opportunities.
German is an important language, as the most spoken language in the EU, and is growing in popularity in the US. I am one of two German teachers in my high school (Columbia, SC), and our program is booming and nowhere near extinction, but eliminating the German major at Calvin stunts the learning and potential experiences for so many high-school German students who wish to continue their German studies after high school. Please don't extinguish the possibilities for so many more future students.
Thank you for your time.
Blessings,
Jessica Tucker
Class of 2012
