Home
Faculty Profile: Community, Defined: Barb Miceli on Teaching, Coaching, and Shaping the German Exchange
By Jill Perry Balzano
Barb Miceli remembers a Burr and Burton of a different time: “When I started teaching at Burr and Burton, I think we had around 375 students. And just one classroom building—the Seminary Building was it.
“The theater had just been built. So I remember when the old gym was where the theater is, because my father was doing shows and concerts there. He was the music teacher. So that had just been built. The locker rooms were where the music rooms are now.
“There are so many changes that have happened just around campus. The [lower] turf field used to be the softball field.
“Because it was smaller, everybody knew everybody.”
It was the mid-1990s, and like so many other elements of American society, Burr and Burton was forging deeper global connections. At a time when the International Program was becoming more robust and student exchanges were growing, Miceli brought with her the spirit of international learning and travel that would help to shape the next 30 plus years of language learning and international connection at Burr and Burton.
In college at Vassar, Miceli had majored in German and minored in French. She recalls wanting to take that learning to the next level, “I wanted to live in a German-speaking country so I could just speak the language.” After graduation, she and future husband Dave Miceli, also a Vassar grad, found work at a school in Austria to live and be immersed in a new culture and language.
Returning to the United States, Miceli was not exactly sure what she would do: “I thought I might go into business, then after college . . . I was like, what am I going to do with this? I had done a lot of coaching through high school and college, and I loved the coaching.”
“And so that's when I thought, well, maybe if I love coaching, I would like teaching.”
Miceli began teaching at Burr and Burton in the fall of 1994, and though at the start her role was part-time and a bit of a patchwork, it wasn’t long before she was fully immersed with students and the community. At first, Miceli taught German 3 in tandem with full-time language teacher and German Exchange leader Dagny St. John and also taught, at intervals, 9th grade English, wellness, dance, and a hands-on elective called Crafts and Cooking. Miceli also coached after school, and in the evenings would assist her father, longtime Burr and Burton music director John Sanders, with choreography for the musicals. She reflects, “I would teach during the day, coach field hockey after school, and then we would have rehearsals from 7:00 to 9:00PM.”
And Miceli’s deep commitment to the Burr and Burton community didn’t end when her own family began; if anything it became even deeper. She recalls her children with her on the sidelines at games, on trips, and stopping for snacks in her classroom: “Our kids were always around Burr and Burton. I think we stopped with Nick (Miceli ’22), my younger son, at school on the way home from the hospital. just stopped at school on the way home.”
When her children became students at Burr and Burton, Miceli describes an even richer experience: “It was truly special. When your children are there as students, it's like a whole new level of amazing at the school. Experiencing firsthand just how many different opportunities there are and how much each teacher gives them—how each teacher cares about every single kid.”
“Our son Johnny (Miceli ’20) always thought he was not a math kid, and then he came to Burr and Burton and Megan Gault said, ‘you can be a math kid!’ and he really found the confidence to enjoy math.”
I ask Miceli if there’s a philosophy that underpins her multifaceted interactions with students as a teacher, coach, advisor, and trip leader: “I think it comes down to understanding that kids are coming from different places and meeting them where they are. [Educational experiences] should be fun, engaging, and students should be challenged. But at the end of the day, if they are kind human beings and can treat each other with respect, that goes a long way. So, it’s about both modeling that kindness and respect and also having that expectation and facilitating it with students.”
Miceli reflects that in 30 plus years, the changes in teaching German, and language teaching in general, are significant. The earlier practice of moving steadily through a text book with a vast number of vocabulary words to memorize has shifted: “It's a more holistic approach with less covered over the course of a semester, but more depth to the language learning as a whole.”
“The focus now is really on whether a native speaker can understand you so you can really communicate. That’s what’s going to push language learning forward—breaking through whatever’s holding you back from speaking, having real conversations, and learning through that process.”
And the German Exchange provides the experience to truly amplify all the in-class learning: “The Exchange becomes the ultimate test of how prepared students are to use the language in context.”
“I love when we go over and the kids are willing to push through and to keep trying the German. It feels like, okay, we're doing something right when they're willing to speak it in real life.”
Interview: Leading the German Exchange
How did you first become involved with the German exchange?
The program started in the early 1980s. I went once in the late ’90s, when Dagny St. John was the main teacher, as a chaperone. In 2006 I took over completely, and I’ve been leading it ever since.
The program started in the early 1980s. I went once in the late ’90s, when Dagny St. John was the main teacher, as a chaperone. In 2006 I took over completely, and I’ve been leading it ever since.
What does it take to run the program?
It’s a year-round project. In the spring I start matching students with German partners, organizing schedules, and planning the Germans’ visit here in the fall. By November, I’m booking flights and organizing our trip abroad. It’s everything from host family coordination to youth hostels in Boston and New York, bus reservations, tours, passports—the whole package. Some days I joke that I'm part travel agent, part tour guide, part matchmaker.
It’s a year-round project. In the spring I start matching students with German partners, organizing schedules, and planning the Germans’ visit here in the fall. By November, I’m booking flights and organizing our trip abroad. It’s everything from host family coordination to youth hostels in Boston and New York, bus reservations, tours, passports—the whole package. Some days I joke that I'm part travel agent, part tour guide, part matchmaker.
What changes have you noticed since you began?
Social media has changed the experience. It used to be that students exchanged letters, maybe one or two before the trip. Now they’re all connected before they even arrive, which makes the transition so much smoother.
Social media has changed the experience. It used to be that students exchanged letters, maybe one or two before the trip. Now they’re all connected before they even arrive, which makes the transition so much smoother.
How is the trip structured for BBA students?
We spend just over three weeks in Germany. We start in Koblenz, adjusting to the time zone and exploring—boat rides on the Rhine, hiking up to a medieval castle. Then it’s two weeks with host families in Stuttgart, attending school with their partners. We finish in Munich with a mix of cultural and historical visits—bike tours, Dachau, Neuschwanstein Castle. It’s a blend of immersion, history, and travel.
We spend just over three weeks in Germany. We start in Koblenz, adjusting to the time zone and exploring—boat rides on the Rhine, hiking up to a medieval castle. Then it’s two weeks with host families in Stuttgart, attending school with their partners. We finish in Munich with a mix of cultural and historical visits—bike tours, Dachau, Neuschwanstein Castle. It’s a blend of immersion, history, and travel.
What size are the groups?
Usually 16 to 20 students. One year we had 25—that was a lot. Eighteen feels about right.
Usually 16 to 20 students. One year we had 25—that was a lot. Eighteen feels about right.
Tell us a little about the partner school in Stuttgart.
It’s called Wirtemberg Gymnasium, a public school that also serves elite athletes competing nationally and internationally. They get flexibility and tutoring to accommodate training and competition schedules. The school is about the same size as BBA, but it runs grades 5 through 12. In Germany, sports are through clubs, not schools, so when their students come here, they love seeing how athletics build community at BBA.
It’s called Wirtemberg Gymnasium, a public school that also serves elite athletes competing nationally and internationally. They get flexibility and tutoring to accommodate training and competition schedules. The school is about the same size as BBA, but it runs grades 5 through 12. In Germany, sports are through clubs, not schools, so when their students come here, they love seeing how athletics build community at BBA.
Are there academic or historical connections, too?
Absolutely. When students stand in a church built in the 1200s or visit the site of the Dachau concentration camp, it makes history real. We need to prepare them before visiting sites like Dachau—it’s intense and shocking. But those moments are transformative. And sometimes it’s as simple as trying a food they’d only heard about in class—it all clicks into place when they experience it firsthand.
Absolutely. When students stand in a church built in the 1200s or visit the site of the Dachau concentration camp, it makes history real. We need to prepare them before visiting sites like Dachau—it’s intense and shocking. But those moments are transformative. And sometimes it’s as simple as trying a food they’d only heard about in class—it all clicks into place when they experience it firsthand.
The program has been running for over 40 years. How has it endured?
It’s evolved—three weeks instead of four, summer instead of spring, different leaders on both sides. But the commitment has always been there. My German colleague, Lars Köhler, and I have now led about 10 exchanges together. He’s bringing in younger teachers, and I know when I retire, others will carry it forward. It may not look exactly the same, but it will remain life-changing.
It’s evolved—three weeks instead of four, summer instead of spring, different leaders on both sides. But the commitment has always been there. My German colleague, Lars Köhler, and I have now led about 10 exchanges together. He’s bringing in younger teachers, and I know when I retire, others will carry it forward. It may not look exactly the same, but it will remain life-changing.
What do students gain from the experience?
They consistently describe it as life-changing. For many, it’s their first time traveling without family. They learn to adapt, to live in someone else’s home, and to see the world from another perspective. The friendships they make are real and lasting. One student from my very first exchange in 2006 was incredibly homesick at first, but he persevered and really fell in love with Germany; he later majored in German, and now lives there. Stories like that really show the impact on students.
They consistently describe it as life-changing. For many, it’s their first time traveling without family. They learn to adapt, to live in someone else’s home, and to see the world from another perspective. The friendships they make are real and lasting. One student from my very first exchange in 2006 was incredibly homesick at first, but he persevered and really fell in love with Germany; he later majored in German, and now lives there. Stories like that really show the impact on students.
Do students sometimes stay longer than the short-term exchange?
Yes. Some German students come back for a semester or a year. One of them even became a teaching intern in my German 1 class. And sometimes the connections become generational—parents who went on the exchange now send their children. We’ve even had a marriage come out of the program! Those long-term ties show how deep and lasting the exchange really is.
Yes. Some German students come back for a semester or a year. One of them even became a teaching intern in my German 1 class. And sometimes the connections become generational—parents who went on the exchange now send their children. We’ve even had a marriage come out of the program! Those long-term ties show how deep and lasting the exchange really is.
What’s important that we have not discussed?
The support from the Rowland Family has been huge over the years. The Rowland Travel Grants make it possible for students who otherwise couldn’t afford the trip to participate. In 2014, Dave and I also had the chance to do a Rowland Sabbatical, traveling with our kids for seven weeks through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. That changed my teaching, too—I could finally say I’d stood in the places I taught about.
The support from the Rowland Family has been huge over the years. The Rowland Travel Grants make it possible for students who otherwise couldn’t afford the trip to participate. In 2014, Dave and I also had the chance to do a Rowland Sabbatical, traveling with our kids for seven weeks through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. That changed my teaching, too—I could finally say I’d stood in the places I taught about.
Ready to take the next step?
Contact Us
Quicklinks & Resources
Burr and Burton Academy does not discriminate against any person or group on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), ancestry, national origin, place of birth, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, political affiliation or marital status in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities. Any person having inquiries concerning the school's compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title IX, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or other federal or state nondiscrimination laws or regulations is directed to The Headmaster's Office, Burr and Burton Academy, Manchester, VT 05254. Burr and Burton complies with all applicable state and federal nondiscrimination statutes, including the Vermont Public Accommodations Act (9 V.S.A. Chapter 139), the Vermont Fair Employment Practices Act (21 V.S.A. Chapter 5, Subchapter 6) and Vermont State Board of Education rules 2226.6 and 2229.1.