A year at Gymnasium

Last year I returned to full-time school teaching after over a decade pursuing other projects, such as translating, university lecturing and in-house company training. Here's a short account of my experience. Applying through the Kultus-ministerium, I was offered a post as “Aushilfslehrer” for one year at the Hallertau Gymnasium Wolnzach. The school’s some 1120 pupils come from an expansive rural catchment area, spanning northernmost Oberbayern. Having subbed a few odd lessons there the previous year, I already knew my way around the place. English only I felt immediately at home in the school, especially with Year 11. Work at this level is all topic based: one week we’d be debating the causes of global warming and the following week we’d be arguing the pros and cons of capital punishment. I particularly enjoyed teaching the art and literature part of the course, in which we studied the superb“The Secret Life of Bees”, read and wrote poetry together, and also discovered the delights of Banksy’s guerrilla art. Feeding back, pupils seemed to appreciate the wide opportunity to speak in these classes. Some even said that having the lesson all in English felt just like being in England. Others, perhaps justifiably, made the point that that certain aspects, such as grammar, needed explaining in German too. Unbearable masses The 14-15 year age group, however, were a little more difficult to teach. Whilst charming as individuals, they were, at times, quite unbearable “en masse” (soon confirmed to me by even their parents!). And although most were dab hands at gap-filling exercises, they’d fall to pieces when required to put together a grammatically correct sentence in free speech or writing. This problem prevailed throughout the school but, given the “gang mentality” of so many 9th year pupils, was perhaps my greatest challenge in the middle school. Crowded house Halfway through the year we became a “Seminarschule”, welcoming 14 young, predominantly female, and rather pretty, trainees. Unfortunately the school’s already seriously overcrowded staffroom, and overstretched facilities (some 80 colleagues competing for just three photocopiers and one coffee machine!) virtually capitulated under the extra pressure. Endless tests Although I happily resigned myself to endless queues for coffee and photocopies, the testing and marking load was something different all together. With each class doing three to four Schulaufgaben a year, plus a steady flow of Stegreif-aufgaben, and constant oral grading, testing has to be the greatest bugbear of every Gymnasium teacher.	Virtually every single weekend was spent hunched over marking or setting assessment tests. Everything, however, went on hold when our first child was born early December. Goodbye stunts From then it was life in the fast track, racing home every middday to entertain Matilda, before locking myself away till bedtime to prepare lessons and the mark those never-ending tests. Before I knew it the Abistreich (the jokes final-year pupils play on the rest of the school) had come round, with all the teachers being marched into the main hall (revamped as a Roman Olympic arena). There we were coerced into performing assorted crowd-pleasing stunts, like catwalk modelling and chariot racing. Having just been served free beer and brezels by Dirndl-dressed Schülerinnen, all I can remember was sheepishly whipping a much older female colleague pulling me on a skateboard for a chariot, and veering off into the crowd at the last bend. Elton John duo In a more sober moment, several weeks later at the Schulfest, I found myself casting all caution to the wind. Duetting with a Referendarin I karaoked around on stage to Elton John and Kiki Dee at the school’s very own “Sucht den Superstar” contest. At least though I didn’t have to stand up in front of the pupils in class again: my time was up. Mixed feelings Stepping onto the stage on the final day to receive my goodbye present – a white rose – I had mixed feelings. Sad, on the one hand, to be leaving such a friendly and supportive bunch of colleagues. And sure I would also miss the daily banter with the pupils. Yet as from the introduction of G8 in the forthcoming school year the school would allow only those with the Zweites Staatsexamen to teach the Studienstufe.. This included Year 11, which I had enjoyed so much. Unequal opportunities It seems a shame denying eldest pupils access to a native speaker, just because this teacher's home qualifications don’t match German requirements. And whatever happened to equal work opportunities throughout Europe? The prospect of relegation to the lower school just to keep my post did not appeal. Recommend experience More and more Grammar Schools in Germany are recruiting teachers with qualifications from other countries (P.G.C.E., in my case). And although “Aushilfe” teacher pay lags well behind the earnings of permanent staff, I’d heartily recommend the experience to anyone curious about what makes a German Secondary School tick. Who knows, if you play your cards right you may even be entrusted with the Studienstufe. But just mind how you go on the beer and brezels on leavers’ day. Read the full article published in the Weekly Telegraph More Howe reports

Last year I returned to full-time school teaching after over a decade pursuing other projects, such as translating, university lecturing and in-house company training. Here's a short account of my experience.

Applying through the Kultus-ministerium, I was offered a post as “Aushilfslehrer” for one year at the Hallertau Gymnasium Wolnzach. The school’s some 1120 pupils come from an expansive rural catchment area, spanning northernmost Oberbayern. Having subbed a few odd lessons there the previous year, I already knew my way around the place.

English only
I felt immediately at home in the school, especially with Year 11. Work at this level is all topic based: one week we’d be debating the causes of global warming and the following week we’d be arguing the pros and cons of capital punishment. I particularly enjoyed teaching the art and literature part of the course, in which we studied the superb“The Secret Life of Bees”, read and wrote poetry together, and also discovered the delights of Banksy’s guerrilla art.

Feeding back, pupils seemed to appreciate the wide opportunity to speak in these classes. Some even said that having the lesson all in English felt just like being in England. Others, perhaps justifiably, made the point that that certain aspects, such as grammar, needed explaining in German too.

Unbearable masses
The 14-15 year age group, however, were a little more difficult to teach. Whilst charming as individuals, they were, at times, quite unbearable “en masse” (soon confirmed to me by even their parents!). And although most were dab hands at gap-filling exercises, they’d fall to pieces when required to put together a grammatically correct sentence in free speech or writing. This problem prevailed throughout the school but, given the “gang mentality” of so many 9th year pupils, was perhaps my greatest challenge in the middle school.

Crowded house
Halfway through the year we became a “Seminarschule”, welcoming 14 young, predominantly female, and rather pretty, trainees. Unfortunately the school’s already seriously overcrowded staffroom, and overstretched facilities (some 80 colleagues competing for just three photocopiers and one coffee machine!) virtually capitulated under the extra pressure.

Endless tests
Although I happily resigned myself to endless queues for coffee and photocopies, the testing and marking load was something different all together. With each class doing three to four Schulaufgaben a year, plus a steady flow of Stegreif-aufgaben, and constant oral grading, testing has to be the greatest bugbear of every Gymnasium teacher.

Virtually every single weekend was spent hunched over marking or setting assessment tests. Everything, however, went on hold when our first child was born early December.

Goodbye stunts
From then it was life in the fast track, racing home every middday to entertain Matilda, before locking myself away till bedtime to prepare lessons and the mark those never-ending tests.

Before I knew it the Abistreich (the jokes final-year pupils play on the rest of the school) had come round, with all the teachers being marched into the main hall (revamped as a Roman Olympic arena). There we were coerced into performing assorted crowd-pleasing stunts, like catwalk modelling and chariot racing.

Having just been served free beer and brezels by Dirndl-dressed Schülerinnen, all I can remember was sheepishly whipping a much older female colleague pulling me on a skateboard for a chariot, and veering off into the crowd at the last bend.

Elton John duo
In a more sober moment, several weeks later at the Schulfest, I found myself casting all caution to the wind. Duetting with a Referendarin I karaoked around on stage to Elton John and Kiki Dee at the school’s very own “Sucht den Superstar” contest. At least though I didn’t have to stand up in front of the pupils in class again: my time was up.

Mixed feelings
Stepping onto the stage on the final day to receive my goodbye present – a white rose – I had mixed feelings. Sad, on the one hand, to be leaving such a friendly and supportive bunch of colleagues. And sure I would also miss the daily banter with the pupils. Yet as from the introduction of G8 in the forthcoming school year the school would allow only those with the Zweites Staatsexamen to teach the Studienstufe.. This included Year 11, which I had enjoyed so much.

Unequal opportunities
It seems a shame denying eldest pupils access to a native speaker, just because this teacher's home qualifications don’t match German requirements. And whatever happened to equal work opportunities throughout Europe? The prospect of relegation to the lower school just to keep my post did not appeal.

Recommend experience
More and more Grammar Schools in Germany are recruiting teachers with qualifications from other countries (P.G.C.E., in my case). And although “Aushilfe” teacher pay lags well behind the earnings of permanent staff, I’d heartily recommend the experience to anyone curious about what makes a German Secondary School tick.

Who knows, if you play your cards right you may even be entrusted with the Studienstufe. But just mind how you go on the beer and brezels on leavers’ day.

Read the full article published in the Weekly Telegraph
More Howe reports

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A year at Gymnasium

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