Christine Venus-Michel has been running the Geretsrieder Realschule since this school year. In an interview with our newspaper, she talks about independent learning and her “baby”.
Geretsried - You can tell right away in conversation: The learning islands are Christine Venus-Michel's "Baby".
Five years ago, the Wolfratshauser set up the modern learning system as vice-principal at the Geretsried state secondary school together with principal Christian Zingler and committed colleagues.
The fact that the now 58-year-old applied for the position as headmistress last year was primarily due to the fact that she wanted to continue what she saw as an extremely successful model.
As the new rector, she can now do that too.
Ms. Venus-Michel, your predecessor, Christian Zingler, walked very quietly - probably also due to the corona - without a farewell party. What made him decide to leave the Geretsried secondary school after six years?
Venus-Michel:
Mr. Zingler is married in Regensburg.
He was tired of all the driving and long-distance relationships.
When he got the chance to switch to the state secondary school and seminar school in Burglengenfeld in Upper Palatinate as rector, he took it.
At his new school, as with us, independent learning is encouraged.
Mr. Zingler supported the learning islands with all the fibers.
Can you briefly explain the principle behind this type of lesson?
Venus-Michel:
In the learning islands, the different requirements and needs of the individual students are dealt with individually. You can move freely in the architecturally appealing rooms, in which there are group tables and cushions, as long as you adhere to the set rules. They learn independently, at their own pace, often in a team. If necessary, they are supported by the teacher; the teacher is only a learning companion. As a result, key qualifications such as independence, teamwork and structured work are required and promoted. The children are gradually introduced to this type of learning from the fifth grade onwards. The learning workshop for the seventh to ninth grades and the learning space in the 10th grade are the continuation of the learning islands.
So away from frontal teaching, towards independent acquisition of knowledge?
Venus-Michel:
Exactly.
Everyone always calls to Finland.
This is exactly what is done there: the teacher responds to the children individually.
On the part of the students, teachers and parents, however, it takes trust and the courage to let go.
In our digitized world, we can no longer apply the pedagogy from 50 years ago.
Young people have to learn to get information from the net and to evaluate it critically.
Employers are calling for self-employed young people.
In distance teaching during the pandemic, did it prove useful that the students were already familiar with independent learning?
Venus-Michel:
Definitely.
Digitized learning in particular needs to be interlinked with independence.
But now all, with very few exceptions, who would have preferred to continue homeschooling, are happy about the face-to-face lessons.
You have also repeatedly initiated projects at the school in front of the learning islands.
Venus-Michel:
Yes, since I started teaching mathematics and Protestant religion at secondary school in 2001, I have always thought innovatively.
Social issues are very important to me, which is why I, together with the whole school family, set up the Africa House with our aid projects for Africa.
I support everything that can be done for people and gain social competence.
Do you have the college on your side?
Venus-Michel:
Yes. But I also believe that everyone does what they like best - whether in the sporting, musical or technical field. We have a common foundation and a common house. Everyone can furnish their room however they want. That's why I'm always open to suggestions. Just as we work with the students, I also want us to work in the college.
An anonymous letter was sent to our newspaper during the summer vacation. It claims that the reputation of the Realschule has suffered in recent years. The number of pupils has declined, teachers have applied to other schools. The learning islands are also criticized. The chairman of the parents' council was unable to confirm the allegations when asked. You work very well with the school management, she says. What do you think?
Venus-Michel:
There are many parents, students and teachers who take the learning islands and our educational innovations extremely positively. As it is possible, thank God, in a democratic society, a few express themselves critically. However, I do not fully understand how one cannot advocate support towards self-employment and this in view of all the discussions about a modern school system, especially recently. The development of our student numbers in the past 15 years from around 800 to 650 currently corresponds to demographic change. A representative reference value that invalidates the above assertion is the number of fifth graders, which has remained fairly constant at around 100 in the years since the learning island. The fluctuation of teachers at our school is completely within limits. One main reason isthat the teachers cannot find affordable housing here and go back to their home regions. But I don't want to deny that where something new is tried, there are always dissatisfied people.
You have been teaching on a construction site for years. It will definitely last for another five years. Isn't that a bit annoying?
Venus-Michel:
No, not at all.
On the one hand, the work runs as smoothly as possible, so that neither students nor us teachers suffer from noise or dirt in school.
On the other hand, I am very grateful to the District Office for providing us with such a high-quality, refurbished school with modern specialist rooms for tens of millions of euros.
Regardless of the measure involved, you talk to us and respond to us.
I graduated from high school in 1982 at the neighboring grammar school.
That's why I personally find it very exciting that there are still a few relics from back then and that something contemporary is emerging at the same time.
The secondary school and the school center are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. What actions are planned?
Venus-Michel:
There will be smaller campaigns over the school year.
On the first day of school, for example, we had a student from the very beginning, Beate Paulerberg, here.
She was sitting next to a new fifth grader and the two were talking.
Paulerberg talked about their first day of school, which took place in an outsourced building in the Isarau clubhouse, but only for the girls.
The boys were in the Evangelical parish hall of the Petruskirche.
There will be a ceremony for the anniversary at the end of the school year together with high school, secondary school and middle school, if Corona allows it.
Tanja Lühr
By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Wolfratshausen-Geretsried newsletter.
