American Women's Club of Hamburg Currents Magazine January 2014 | Page 2

EDITORIAL

P r e s i d e n t ’s M e s s a g e
I can hardly believe that another year has gone by so quickly!
Looking back at 2013, we really accomplished a lot in that
time. We took a leap into the modern age with our new
digital version of Currents. Cat made huge improvements to
our website. We had a lot of successful events, including the
Independence Day Celebration together with The American
Club, our Celebration of Membership, Kara’s Books and
Bras Brunch, Thanksgiving, and our Christmas events. We
did a lot of recruiting, in places like US Citizen Services
Days at the US Consulate where we served coffee, and Open
House at the International School. I am pleased to say we
have recently increased membership by 30%. I also had the
chance to attend my first FAWCO conference in Cologne.
And best of all, I got to know a lot of you much better.
Overall, my experience as President this last year was a positive one, and as a result I have decided to run for
the position again in 2014. I feel that my work isn’t over and I would like to be active in seeing that some of
the exciting changes we are making in the club come to fruition. Our digitalization of Currents, and social
networking efforts, are progressing in an exciting way. We have cut a lot of unnecessary costs in our new budget,
while putting more focus on activities, and recently voted to reduce membership fees, breaking down some of the
barriers to membership in tough financial times. We hope to become more engaged in some philanthropic work.
We are also looking forward to organizing and hosting the next FAWCO Regional Conference in November
2014. Please email me if you would like to be part of the planning committee! This will be a wonderful
opportunity for us to find out what FAWCO is about, to meet women from all over Germany, Austria, and
possibly the Scandinavian countries, and to realize that we are part of a global organization that is working for us
as US Citizens, as well as for the rights and well-being of women and children around the world.
As we enter the New Year, I wish all of you health, peace, and prosperity. I look forward to sharing the next year
with you!
Love,Shawn

Message from the Content Editors
Do you remember the slogan “If you can read this thank a teacher?” It was seen across the States on bumper stickers
and tote bags. This month`s editors are proud to be among those lucky people who are teachers and in this edition of
Currents we hope you`ll enjoy reading about some more of us. Not all the articles are flattering but we hope you find
all of them interesting.
Whether you`re reading this electronically or by the good old fashioned way, with a piece of paper in your hands,
please spare a thought for Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz. He was Time magazine’s Man of the Millenium, the person
who perfected the printing press circa 1450 and so opened up the world of reading to everyone.
-Jenny M.
I am just reflecting on Jenny’s wise musings. Johannes Gutenberg has undeniably earned mankind’s eternal gratitude.
The written word in the 21st Century has electronically evolved; reading whether in books or on a Kindle or iPad,
still ultimately opens the doors to learning. Today students can undoubtedly acquire knowledge by going online to
Khan Academy, a remarkable website which covers just about every subject and vows to be completely free forever.
Harvard, MIT, Berkeley anyone? EdX, another incredible website, offers interactive online classes from the America’s
top universities.
However, don’t expect a teacher with forty plus years of experience to admit we are completely expendable. I believe
it is the relationships among teachers and students which cannot be completely replaced with technology and online
courses. Students can only be educated by a dedicated community of qualified and caring teachers who share a
classroom in the real vs. the virtual world. Hopefully this issue of Currents will shed light on what teachers have meant
to all of us, the good, the bad, and the…… beautiful.
-Pat F.
2

American Women‘s Club of Hamburg e.V.