New Principal: Every smile counts in this school

Created: 11/26/2022, 9:09 am

By: Guido Verstegen

She is the new principal of the Gröbenzell Ährenfeld School: Michaela Wimmer.

Even as a schoolgirl, she admired her teacher Mrs. Fischer, who always wore red lipstick.

© Weber

The Gröbenzell Ährenfeld School has had a new principal since this school year: Michaela Wimmer.

The 49-year-old sees her new job as an absolute stroke of luck.

Gröbenzell – In an interview, she explains why it is so important in these times that the school family sticks together.

She came to stay.

She bought the lamps in her office, hung the picture, brought the plant and the chairs with her.

"I'm spending most of my life here right now, so it has to be right," says Michaela Wimmer with a smile.

She wrote her dissertation on the subject of “Language in geometry lessons at primary school” and teaches the subjects of Catholic religion and sport at the Ährenfeld School.

In the Tagblatt interview, she reports on everyday school life in general - and the challenges posed by refugee children and Corona.

Every school has its own peculiarities, its special character.

Most recently you worked as deputy principal at a Munich elementary school – what is different in Gröbenzell?

You work much more closely with the community here.

I never saw the mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter.

The mayor of Gröbenzell, Martin Schäfer, has already been there twice because of the upcoming redesign of the playground.

Whether it's a computer problem or financial issues, we have contacts in the community.

It's nice when you have direct contact and aren't a number with a ticket that you have to open electronically.

Why did you choose the Ährenfeld School?

Well, I drove here, looked at the school building and my closest employees and said to myself: really, really great – you can definitely work well there!

You don't choose the students and the teachers, they are assigned to you.

And so I've been incredibly lucky.

Everyone in the college helps each other – I really appreciate that.

What does that mean specifically?

It's incredibly important that the chemistry between the teachers is right, that people like to go to the staff room and support each other.

For example, if there is an emergency like today: three teachers are sick – you have to help and cover for each other.

We have an emergency plan for this, and it works.

We are also very lucky with the parents' council and support association: for example, the parents' council is organizing Advent singing at our school for the first time this year.

The association is now spending a lot of money to finance lecturers for the working groups, which otherwise could not take place due to the acute shortage of teachers.

What is particularly important to you?

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My motto is, I've been here for a year now, get to know everything and let things go as they are.

Then we'll see.

But it's important to me that everyone here at school is open with each other and that children and teachers always greet each other - I made that clear.

A friendly atmosphere ensures that you leave the school with a smile on your face.

If the weather is nice, we would like to have the parents with us at the obligatory costume day in the future.

If the weather is bad, we do it in our gym, unfortunately we don't have room for the parents.

You have around 270 students here, how many Ukrainian children are currently being taught?

Seven.

They are integrated into the classes and are also supported by our school social worker.

Corona could also cause us problems again soon, right?

If the whole thing doesn't pop up extremely again, we'll manage.

The most important thing for the children would be that you can get around teaching at home.

Because social contacts are so important and it's different whether the first and second graders learn cursive on site, for example, or only on the computer at home.

Your job has it all.

Why did you become a teacher?

In the second grade, I was enthusiastic about my teacher at the time: Ms. Fischer was my big idol because of the way she did it – I wanted to be just like her.

As a teacher, she was very strict, but very sympathetic.

And she wore - that's really funny when you look at me today - red lipstick and red fingernails.

The greatest wish

Michaela Wimmer (49) has been the new principal at Ährenfeldschule since August 1. "If my greatest wish is a clock for the gym - and I got it approved - then everything fits, right?" Michaela Wimmer is passionate and soul teacher and has not regretted her move to the Ährenfeldschule as Gudrun Beck's successor for a second.

The 49-year-old was born near Straubing.

De Naturfreundin lives with her husband and two sons (11 and 13 years old) in the neighboring district of Dachau.

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