Kristen Graham | Living her American dream

The 10th graders sitting in neat rows in front of Solveigh Vogt had no idea, but teaching them about German nouns in a Fort Washington classroom is pretty much a high point in her life.

"To become a teacher in the U.S. was on my wish list for life," she said later, breaking into a smile. "And now I am here."

Vogt arrived at Upper Dublin High School by way of the Fulbright Teacher Exchange program, which placed her at the Montgomery County school for a year. Upper Dublin teacher Rob Albert is taking her place at a school in the small town of Ohrdruf, in central Germany. They will each return home after the school year.

Vogt grew up in East Germany, a good student with little hope she would ever fulfill her dream. "In my youth, we did not have the chance to travel, except to Communist countries," she said. "But I always loved the English language, and I always wanted to speak it and to go to America someday."

She became an English teacher after university, but her skills were not valued until after reunification in 1990, when many students began to study the language. Once Communist rule was lifted, Vogt, 46, began to travel widely, taking trips to America and Canada.

Last year, she applied for the Fulbright and became one of six German Fulbright fellows, the only one from the former East Germany.

So far, she's enchanted. Slightly overwhelmed, but enchanted.

Much is different about Upper Dublin - schedule, size. "I was very proud of myself when I found my way to the office for the first time - it's so big," she said of the 1,700-student, maze-like school. "In Germany, my school has about 350 students."

Technology is practically nonexistent in her school, Gymnasium Gleichense. And for Vogt, who is used to entering grades meticulously, by hand, in an old-fashioned grade book, it was a little daunting to learn a computerized grade system and use e-mail for work. "What was overwhelming is the totally different school system," she said. "So much new information. This school, all schools in the U.S., have to care for students with special needs."

This is an area particularly close to her heart, as her son is deaf, and her family had to move to another town so Peter, now 25, could go to a special school.

Mostly, though, things are similar - her students are hard workers, and compare well with those she left behind in Germany. "They are pretty good at German," she said of her Upper Dublin classes. "They concentrate, they work hard. They are nice students."

Eva Morrison, foreign language supervisor, has high praise for Vogt. "We really lucked out with her," she said. "She's terrific."

On a recent day, Vogt - who conducts her classes almost entirely in German - was cheerful, energetic, and firm with her sophomore class, moving around the room, helping with shaky pronunciation, laughing along with a student who called her "Herr Vogt" instead of "Frau Vogt."

Her students had lots of questions for their new teacher: Does she miss her family? (Very much.) How does she like Upper Dublin? (Lots.)

In fact, so far she's found just one downside to America - the difficulties getting a driver's license.

Adjusting to living abroad was smoothed by the work of Vogt's exchange partner, Albert, who made her living arrangements. (She's living in a room in his grandmother's Hatboro home, complete with delicious meals and delightful company, she said.)

She's about to buy a car and plans on exploring the region every weekend. Her husband just came for a short visit. He will return with their son for Christmas.

"I want to go to Amish country," she said. "I will go to Philadelphia and look at the historic sights."

But mostly, though, she wants to spend her time making her colleagues and her students proud. "I take it very seriously - I really want to contribute to the culture, to make my kids aware of the differences," she said.

Her teaching partner, Albert, teaches English to fifth, eighth and eleventh graders in Germany. Like Vogt, he's making the best of his year away from home, and adjusting to a new life.

"Everyday life is quite different, and does take some getting used to," Albert said in an e-mail. "After driving a car every day for the past five years, I am now riding my bike everywhere."

In her corner classroom decorated with flags and posters, Vogt said she wasn't going to waste a minute of her year at Upper Dublin.

"I love the U.S., its history. I always tell my students at home that I want to live what I teach - I want to learn more about this country, the people, the culture." And now, she said, stepping into the hallway of a crowded, colorful American high school to welcome her next class, she is.

"School Link," a Philly.com feature, highlights stories of excellence in schools throughout the Philadelphia region and is published in The Inquirer on Wednesday. We are especially looking for stories that can feature multimedia: photo, video, audio. Send your ideas to Kristen Graham at kgraham@phillynews.com.EndText