Selina Seebauer will never forget this lesson in her life.
Because she has poor reception in her parents' house, she gave a lecture in English in the garden via video conference with a laptop and mobile phone - thickly wrapped up in snowfall.
Vierkirchen - Hardly any student has ever experienced a lesson like this:
Selina Seebauer (17) sat in a chair in a corner near the hedge at 8.15 a.m. in the garden of her parents' house in Vierkirchen.
In front of her laptop and cell phone, the snowflakes danced above her.
The prospective high school graduate, who is attending the 13th grade of the municipal technical college (FOS) for design in Munich-Giesing, gave a lecture in English in a thick winter jacket, hat, scarf and gloves via mobile phone and video link.
At the other end of the line, teacher Andrea Niedermair listened attentively.
The fact that the extremely unusual home lessons took place is due to the poor internet connection in the Seebauer's house.
According to Mayor Harald Dirlenbach, Vierkirchen is “95 percent supplied with fast Internet”, but “we hardly have a network in our house, only a bar is in the basement.
But you can't do a video conference with it, ”assures Selina Seebauer.
Telekom is responsible for connecting the Seebauers.
Despite registration, the mobile phone giant has not yet fully connected the family.
In addition, her father Christian Seebauer works as a freelance web designer, mother Conny and her 15-year-old sister do home office or homeschooling, which also puts a strain on the management.
The family only has sufficiently stable internet in the garden by the hedge.
The problem - besides the bad internet - from Selina was that the presentation with regard to this year's Abitur is an important part of what is known as short-time work “and a written presentation is not possible,” said the 17-year-old.
And Selina Seebauer didn't want to go to friends or classmates with a better internet connection, after all, she adheres to the prescribed contact rules, especially since her grandparents live in the house in Vierkirchen.
English teacher Andrea Niedermair finally came up with the idea of unusual “gardening”.
“As a teacher you have to be creative right now,” she says.
“I made jokes with my teacher, but then I went out,” adds Selina Seebauer.
Now it is the case that both teachers and pupils at the municipal college for design are “well equipped”, says Niedermair.
Much better than in many other schools.
"Headmaster Helmut Schmid organized it great," said Andrea Niedermair.
The FOS was provided with iPads and MacBooks via the city of Munich.
The school in turn lends the computers to teachers and pupils in need.
Communication takes place via the Microsoft Teams online platform, "and it runs smoothly," says teacher Niedermair.
Andrea Niedermair assessed the extraordinary lecture of her protégé in the snowstorm with the very good grade of two.
“I'm super satisfied with that,” says Selina, “because English is generally not my best subject.” In terms of toughening up, she would have deserved a straight top.
SELINA'S FATHER CRITISES PIAZOLO AND CSU UPPER BAVARIA
"It can't be that they don't even answer"
As creative and ultimately successful as the lesson for his daughter Selina outside in the garden in the snowstorm may have been, for father Christian Seebauer it can only have been a one-time thing.
Therefore, the father informed Bavaria's Minister of Education Michael Piazolo (Free Voters) and the CSU Upper Bavaria via email and Facebook of his daughter's report.
The reaction of the politicians was more than disappointing for the web designer.
The CSU did not answer at all until yesterday.
The minister also showed no reaction via Facebook.
The Ministry of Culture only sent “a text module” by email, according to Seebauer, that is, an automated standard letter without a signature.
It says succinctly: “We ask (...) for your understanding that we are currently unable to answer the enormous number of letters individually.
If you have any questions about the individual school situation of your child, please trust the respective teachers.
“I already know that Piazolo and the ministry have a lot to do, but it cannot be that they just leave students and parents out in the rain and don't even answer.” Zim
