We all have our idols, heroes and role models. Sometimes they are people in our family or friends and sometimes they are strangers, who are just familiar to us because of their fame. A lot of times these strangers are our heroes for their looks or their talents. I have been a fan of Cornelia Funke ever since I read Inkheart. I love her imaginative young adult books and have read quite a few of them. I admire Funke's talent to bring stories to life and fill my head with vivid images that stay with me way after I am done reading her books. (After reading Reckless I can still see Jacob's world and whenever I listen to Peter Fox's Das Zweite Gesicht oder Ich deine Steine, Du Steine, as this was my soundtrack during the book.)

After finding Funke's facebook page for her trilogy Reckless I sent her a message online. I didn't really think I was going to hear anything back from her, but I just wanted to leave a little note, telling her how much I enjoy her books. Little did I know that this little note would not only be answered 5 minutes later, but would also open up a wonderful opportunity not only for me but also for my students.

Mrs. Funke offered to send autographs for my students as well as a signed book to PAMS. She even offered to personalize the autographed cars with the studens' names which I though was going to be a really great surprise for my students. In all of my German classes I collected the names of the students who had read Conelia Funke's books and send them to her office via e-mail. What we got back was just plain amazing. Not only did we get back 48 personalized autographs and one signed book, we got about 10 signed books (in German and English), about 30 more bookmarks with her signature and 2 audiobooks! I was down right stunned when I opened the package.

As a Thank you, the students helped me to film a video to send back to Frau Funke (which is being edited at the moment) and every student signed the Shirt on the picture above.

I would have never thought that my one little message to Frau funke would lead me to receive all this for my students and me. The generosity Frau Funke has shown is amazing and really knocked me off my feet. Today, Frau Funke you have made a German teacher and her students very happy. Thank you for giving our school some of your greatest stories. Today you are my hero!

German American Day has been signed into law in 1987 by then president Ronald Reagan.

"Few people have blended so completely into the multicultural tapestry of American society and yet have made such singular economic, political, social, scientific, and cultural contributions to the growth and success of these United States as have Americans of German extraction."

-President Ronald Reagan, 1987

In my classes we celebrated German American Day with a Scavenger Hunt and by making posters ahead of time. But we're obviously not the only ones celebrating....

How did you celebrate German American Day? Did you wear the colors of the German flag? Did you eat some German food?

The article "Why Germany Has It So Good - and Why America Is Going Down the Drain" by Terrence McNally gives a short summary about the privileges of living in Germany before plunging in to an interview with Thomas Geoghegan. Author Thomas Geoghegan speaks about his latest book Were You Born On the Wrong Continent in which he makes the case that life in a social democracy, especially Germany, is more livable than in the U.S.

Six weeks vacation, better job security, higher economical success. Sounds good? Read the article and find out more about Goeghegan, his book and Germany.