German as a Foreign Language in Chicago
The number of German immigrants settling in Chicago since the beginning of the 19th century has been traditionally high and Americans with German ancestry once were even the largest ethnic group in this city (1900). Considering these statistics, the number of Chicago children studying German as a foreign language is disappointingly small. According to an overview of Chicago Public Schools there are only 13 active German programs in the city schools:
Amundsen High School
Corliss High School
Jones College Prep High School
Julian High School
Kenwood Academy High School
Lane Tech High School
Lincoln Park High School
Mather High School
Northside College Prep High School
Robeson High School
Roosevelt High School
Lemoyne Elementary School
LaSalle Language Academy

These programs are taught by an estimated 20 or so German teachers, most of them active members of the Northern Illinois Chapter of the Association of American Teachers of German (AATG).

Waldorfschule
DANK School South
DANK School North
DANK School Fox Valley
DANK School Northern Sub
German School-Wheaton
Donauschwaben Wochenendschule
University of Chicago Lab School

But the numbers of Americans studying German are, compared with the other European languages, relatively low, and there is probably more than one reason why this should be the case:

- the late start; only in exceptional cases do American students take up a foreign language in Grade 3 (as is often the case in Europe). If at all, foreign language teaching begins no sooner than in Grade 8 or 9.
- the school curriculum; foreign languages are electives, they are not required to study at university.
- the teacher training; students majoring in German at universities do not necessarily become German teachers.


It is a fact, however, that those who study German – or any other foreign language – will profit academically. Experience with language learning influences success in other school subjects. ‘Kinder lernen Deutsch’ is a program sponsored by the Department of Germanic Studies at UIC in cooperation with the AATG and the Goethe Institut. This program is an innovative way to spark interest in German early on and will convince people: Why German is 4 U