After a six-year pause since the pandemic, the German exchange program is now back at Godwin. Organized by Godwin German teacher Joe Ungerleider, the program now allows students from the United States and Germany alike to be in each other’s shoes for a few weeks.
Some of our participating Godwin students will be with German host families for a short period of time to immerse themselves in German culture and lifestyle in the summer of 2026. Likewise, when German students were in the United States, they experienced what the typical American high school experience is like. Along with engaging in the typical high school life, German students got to go rafting in the James River. Activities like these provide students with long-lasting and unforgettable memories.
Ungerleider states that, especially now, in times of international strife, it is more valuable than ever to experience other cultures and have open minds. Many important values can be learned from German schools as well. One key difference in values is how much the students are trusted and the responsibilities placed upon them.
German students have shorter school days, with 20-minute breaks scattered throughout the day. The students are allowed to go anywhere on campus grounds and are expected to come to class on time. Students can utilize this to get food outside or breathe some fresh air. It’s a lot better for mental health to get out of the building. However, as beneficial as it would be, there is a maturity that comes with these expectations, and Ungerleider mentioned that it would be difficult to implement similar policies in the U.S. due to not being able to trust students to come back to class. This change in schedules Godwin students will face in Germany might be an opportunity to learn responsibility and maturity.
However, this isn’t Ungerleider’s first year experiencing an exchange program. In fact, when he lived in Germany for a year, he was living with a host family and attending school there. This experience, along with his inspiration from a prior Godwin teacher, led him to bring the program back. He hopes that every kid participating in the program, whether from Germany or the US, can benefit from it. Additionally, the program brings benefits for him and teachers in Germany as well. One of his favorite parts of the program was hosting a German teacher in his home, exposing him to many new experiences.
Now, Godwin students are looking forward to when they get to travel to Germany. Godwin Senior Matthew Coughenour stated that he is most excited about seeing how the student life is in Germany, and he believes that this will be a great opportunity for him to explore other cultures.
Also, the program allows students to apply their current knowledge in Germany. For example, Coughenour wishes to use his skills from German class when he goes to Germany and meets new people, in hopes that this will help erase the language barrier. Although he has not done much preparation for the trip, he hopes it will be an amazing learning experience.
As the students are getting ready to travel to Germany, it becomes clearer that this isn’t just a trip—it’s a much-needed bridge between two halves of the world. They will trade familiar hallways and homes for new memories, building maturity and open-mindedness, traits that are increasingly valuable in today’s world. Small steps like these will give them a wider lens on what it means to be part of the global melting pot of cultures.
