Lessons Learned from Great Educators

I was tagged by Shelly Terrell in her wonderful challenge to write about our most inspirational educators.

German was my first foreign language. I studied it for 5 years before other languages came along. These days, however, it's all about English. At school, out of 21 classes that I teach per week only two are German. I write my blog in English, I google in English, I tweet in English, I sometimes communicate with other German teachers in English. However, the most inspirational educators who have deeply influenced me belong to the German side of my education.

Mr. Kazimir Sviben was my primary school German teacher. It was him who opened the door to the amazing world of foreign languages. He was one of the first multitaskers and lifelong learners I have ever met and he always encouraged us to pursue our dreams. His teaching instilled a love of languages in his students, many of whom became language teachers later on.

Professor Viktor Zmegac, my German Literature professor, is one of the most prominent Germanists in Croatia. This learned and versatile scholar is also a very quiet and modest man who has always been enthusiastic about sharing his profound knowledge of literature and music history with his students. His new book Masters of European Music, published earlier this year, carries a dedication to his wife who he loves as much as he did on the first day, immeasurably. This simple yet very powerful statement of love by a 78-year-old scholar shows the true greatness of an extraordinary man.