[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
Perhaps you might not speak German, but there is a group at Wellesley’s Council on Aging that does. The dedicated Germanophiles meet each week at the Tolles Parsons Center to speak, read, write, and translate German under the instruction of German native and COA volunteer Gerda Plouffe.
Sitting around a large table, Gerda and seven participants read compositions that they had written about the seasons. After translating each one from German to English, Gerda gave the German language learners tips on how to improve the grammar and word choice in their writing.
Gerda soon turned the class’s attention to a collection of stories regarding ethics, revolutions, people, and politics entitled “Die Erde bleibt noch lange jung” by Johannes Mario Simmel. As the members of the group took turns reading and translating the passages they read aloud, Gerda was preparing questions about the passage to test the participants’ comprehension.
“Ausgezeichnet!” she cheered when one of the seniors perfectly answered her comprehension questions.
The German speakers continued their read-aloud for the remainder of the hour-and-fifteen-minute class, sometimes pausing to discuss the meaning of words and the history of some of the names mentioned in the text.
“What kind of people learn German at this age?” participant John Kehoe asked, laughing. Kehoe, who had learned German in high school, lost much of his knowledge of the language over the years and decided to pick it up again when the Council on Aging began offering it.
Other participants were inspired to join the intermediate class because their families have roots in Germany, or because they wanted to broaden their knowledge of German history and culture. Although the participants bring different levels of German to the class, Gerda ensures that it is educational and enjoyable for each class member.
The class, which meets Tuesday mornings, is just one of the many educational classes offered at the Tolles Parsons Center. The Council on Aging hosts various educational programs each month for COA members to join, such as knitting classes, an illustrated lecture series on the history of Wellesley, world religion classes, and mindfulness courses.
