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3/11/1957 - Unbuttoning the Strait-Jacket: Giessen’s High Schools by David Binder

DB iocksrasse Unbuttoning The Strait jscket Giessen Germany Giessen Hish Schools March Ii INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS Mr alter S Roers Institute Current World Affairs Fifth Avenue NOT FOR PUBLICATION York New York Dear Rogers Four venerable somberly constructed schools stand Giessen Each distinctive character directo different Each individual providing youngsters superior intellectual ability crack hisher education From schools Liebi Schule there shines light penetrates other eeeveto mUrkiest corners It light known throughout Bundesrepublik honored deplored others The light comes director Li schule Wilhelm Floerke Chemist eolosist physicist author former City Council member Nazi builder youth iuostels editor science teachers periodical Dr Floerke these stands about humorous mighty Jaw wispy white His reminiscent Winston Churchill He wears halfrim lasses hering His being little chemistry student witty strong willed reformer radical His reforming instinct driven basic changes State educational system would alter grotesque final examinations He urged science teschers their laborator enough going world He proposed lower schools strengthene expanded children obtain better education Six years Dr Floerke proposed still snother rform ssian Ministry Education alled Auflockerung Oberstufe This translated loosening unbuning upper The unbuttoning pioneered Floerke couple other progressive Hesse school perhaps outstanding German school reform decade It signified breaking strait Jacket erman school students prisoner Centuries Briefly Auflo_kerung Allows students years school their major subjects concentrato Encourages reliance initiative homework unheard erman schools Emohasizes group class projects Subjects divided clSss subJects msjor subjects supple mentary A whole class instance takes erman religion history together Extra hours allowed student major subjects The supplementary subjects usually suggested faculty sciences balanced The Auflocke alters course schedule students spend period together subject instead changing subjects teachers every minutes Students participating Auflocke appear almost unanimously favor Most Liebigschule teachers Critics whose number outsid Lie bigschule about Floerke studentg specialize It mature enough university school level unreasonable Floerke reason developing tired spoonfeeding This system gives freedom Five hessian schools practicing Au__fl0cke including Dr Floerke Liebigschule Dr Ploerke became director school months after Allied bombs reduced monstrous rainbar We drain place Floerke The school begun school It became educational school after The present buildingwas constructed century It contains pupils teachers divided among classes classrooms Ika Gisssen schools short space classrooms least Yet school superier qualities excellent library large collection schoolroom mcience laboratories which would delight school namesake DB chemical product mineral metal specimans It tachers Dr Peter Petersen North German He lanky black haired history teacher carriage cowboy manner idealist talks about history Germany Here thins strong coffee weeks Prom I I wanted I business while taught Berlin I Hitler seriously But I You chane We clearly The As German I couldn fatherland I I Join The moment becomes soldier One erman We should We criminal regime In I learned first after efore I falsified history Today I think historians comprehend period before etersen cited recent teachers conference I astounded things Some still believe Hindenbur legend Ha We Germans always We enough heoes And always honored historians still haven Weimar epublic We Weimar Republic enough Petersen makes students learn truth Jectivity He shows source World War I legend Hindenburg memoirs shows copies ments which Hitler established Illegal He learn stupidities committed Versailles ationalism Wit sardonic teaches careful loaded words Raum Volk Erwin Glaum little unsure ability teacher superiogs Glaum graduate Uarmstadt Techalcal High School where speciallsed biology chemistry As participant Dr Floerke broadenios range special Glaum teaches social studies addition science This youtful bushy haired extrovert Eives energy other His Untersekunda 5rade class social studies daily report creht If student somethin important class fills The I visited class Glaum appointed three discussion automation Nearly group about 5eneral education versus early specialization problems workers their problem workers displaced machines The conclusion Science developed single cannot complete world specialize earlier After class Glaum described background Hitler Youth ehrmacht This generation learn discuss Glaum directs Arbeitsgemeinschaft Work Group chemistry afternoon Prtiipai0n group voluntary except students 0_ber_ stufe Join There Work Groups history music literature chemistrY DB There stigma attached Ar beitsgemeinschaft Grades based clsswork The afternoon sessions pleasure interest They In Glaum students doing experiments ioniza making silicates reducing coper sulfate producin minute school They mostly pairs Another Glaum activities ridin circuit Upper hesse science tscher conferences The teachers Volksschule Mitelschule about every weeks At these meetings Glaum direcs seminars chemistry teaching The project brainchild Floerke effort improve quality lower school science instruction The Liebigschule other teachers worthy mention Petersen Glaum Aloys EUscheid music teacher Nazi Germany teach pippin cheeks snowwhite thick glasses boundless energy His piece school orchestra Spain spring invitation Government Karl Holler chemist trsinin preference social studies teacher Glaum Holer prematurely We teach generation generation orders Alfons Mueller assistant director teaches French English addition administrative duties He thrown Giessen niversity because belonged Socialist student group His precise manner disguise sharp liberalism product working bckground The three other schools Giessen He derschule _ndraf_ Ludwig G_a_sium coeducational Classical school Ricr_da H_uc_h Schu_le girls Dissector Ricard Huch Schule Fraulein rmgard 2eussner daughter Marburg University professor She wears saintly smile Her nickname outside school motherly friend Fraulein Feussner reknowned piety However might piety refuse Join Nazi Party Thirties She stuck refusal continual trouble Party fanatics Frankfurt school system I lived under terror She girls school Like other schools damaged bombs Today OlO pupils classes classrooms Five additional rooms another school Ricarda Schule until class rooms built The girls school scheme contrast Au_1ockerung That means subjects dished daily classes This years grade through those stand Roughly girls The level instruction icarda Huch Liebigschule oreover there shortae ressive taching methods within bounds strict system For instance Reichert Quin sixth grade English class learninE complicatd languase honest pleasure The reason simple eichert utilizes girls still lively sense imaEinat believe ThQ I visited class played circus Engl What Reichert asked pigtailed blond I tobea It llriht The floor growled I growling Then lookin5 Reichert continued I I catch She pounced teacher DB The animal produ class giraffe eichert suggested giraffe might throat A doctor nurse promptly volunteered services English I bandage doctor gravelyo I nurseo All unrehearmed In upper classes elchert equally effective methods One class recently devotedits discussion palntin euhel Icarus W H Auden about paintin Muses Arts ichert native Giessen former Wehrmacht interpreter writes ccasional theatre music reviews lecture seris He wants write methods teachi Ellsh It ought Fraulein Maria Warner teaches geography history social studies Her UBterprima grade class working eninism latter subJect The girls slacks sweaters wheeling discussion freedom planned economy versus market economy They talked about nationalization capitalist holdings Russia deree paradise Workers Paradise comparative living standards Curtaln When Fraulein Werner asked question class answered through cussion geography class enjoyed discussion Fraulein Warner She smile quick sense humor A native Lgd Poland studied ancient University Cracow taught Pozna until World War IIo The Landgraf__ Ludwig ymnasium years Giessen oldest living school It smell might almost reeks Even present bulldiBg constructed looks older years The director Heinrich Klenk chicken either His large lghtbulb His circular brows above circular below having stanch Fremason Klenk forbiddn Nazis teach anything Latin Greek during Hitler Period Although nearly Wehrmacht battle Russia during He author books La Greek archeology Klenk classicist school classical The girls Ludwi Gymnasium study Greek years This tradition humanistic ymnasium upper school Klenk proudly Eduction through Form Asked whether contemplated changes school future Klenk When scboo I I reform I details fixing My modernize building I classes classrooms The L_udwig Gymnasium fashloned conservative modern ideas penetrsted musty chambers The grade class Greek taught Schwarz groups One pupil reads translates grammar loois words The teams compete against other Homer Sophocles other ancients I couldn their fluency beautiful languages Herr Schwarz devoted classicis mented tachinE technique Group forbidden Nazis because against Fuehrer principle What about Giessen school students Remembering intellectue elite I still impre their alertness enthusiasm their homawork ability press themselves Here their achers about DB3 Peter Petersen They capable unbiased criticism They mature their They haven enough respect aesthetic beauty still influenced their personal They Interested things themselves They marvel Albert SchweltZer wants Schweltzer Yet appealing The class conscious washed haven Heinrich Klenk The youngsters today ferent those Fruleln Elsa Adolph teacher Ricarda Huch Schule Their trouble themselVes nythlng They Alfons Mueller The students keyed nervous Some result Some become better thrashed I think nervousness times We dealing symptoms origins Certainly these students freer their parents They larger section society Just middle upper classes They liberty their professions More professions different their fathers The sensible attitude towards Army which drafting For example Klaus Grebe It necessity It check I among friends against Said Gerhard etter For Army Eives I excited about Their school spirit strong within walls school Their class stronger This encouraged assortment extra curricular class activities school newspaper sports hikes festivals trips upper classes Li bigschule Ludwig G_mn_asium reserved Stammtisch asmall tavern where twice month discuss class affairs Neither group exclusive The Liebigschule graduatin class turned Stammtlsch hilarious comedy Scene They threw farewell party themselves their teachers their final examinations The class operated producing marvelous including poems songs sketches about graduates their teachers Blades humor thrust directions One teacher described havin problem How I teach class without disturbing their sleep Another He maller He small couldn His larger But small His brain smaller There olenty bathe wounded Dr Flosrke looks scool spirit another angle He points schools supported City which school money State There never enough course We parents Floerke This which brings In marks student total OOC additional classroom materials We trying alum_ni interest school Floerke We could money TwoA ttempts startinE alumni association Liebigschule failed since Alumni interest Ludwig Gymnasium material otherwise stronger Giessen schools final examinations Abitur exercises Last January Obe graders waded through hours hours written exams The exams They ordeal hours Students examined subjects everything biology religion Those Abitur enter German university I exams Li gchule Teachers Students dressed occasion their wedding funeral suits There flowers examining board table Four teachers board The students groups facing faculty gathered watch From questions fired What philosophical principles derived quantum physics What religion British politics answered English What Bundesstaat state edersl public How Hitler become ichsfuehrer Whet basic principles chemistry The Oberimsner spirits I couldn A teacher remarked somewhat cynically serious business student grade Pretty determined before fsced firing squad Notso I listened final radln Dr Floe would alter ReifePrfu maturity He calls overdone In proposal hessian Ministry C ulture years suggested shortened three hours theStudents examined group individuals Apparently proposel Graduation eight after Abitur Liebigschule Some guests crowded school small auditorium It began There earnest speeches class teacher Junior class president representative parents Dr Floerae official Two poems recited schoo orchestra several renditions The finale Schubert Heroics Conductor Krum scheld glory His The music swelled sunshine streamed through windows heart lifted except thought The graduated represented Class begun school years before students The others fallen wayside knocked tough exams uirementso The percentage those never finish chool Germany It thing wrong these schools Dr Floerke bemoans They rigat decent education In recent article Giessener Anzeiger developd feelln furth percentage gradu based egative principle selection The improve situation suggests would curriculum schools little stiff strengthen lower scaools Isn injustice close percentage fallout Dr Floerke asked It certainly How about future erman schools Dr Floerke calls himself sceptical optimist states problenthis We teach students their develop their confidence reliance technicians technicians We allow enral education under specialization Ths German tends State I chane This resination pullin sleplngcap chngo Flo opponents I asked about He chuckle They world require lsses couple centuries Flork I repeat wears Glasses