During breaks, the language class is often quieter than during class. Why? Everyone is checking their phones, reading and replying to messages, or playing games. Ms. Grünwald often stays in the classroom. There is no teachers’ lounge, so she’s brought snacks from home; sometimes she uses this time to prepare for the next class or finish up what she was working on.
When she’s typing on her laptop, that doesn’t stop the students from talking to her. Only a few walk away. She can see that out of the corner of her eye. “I just need a minute,” says one student, and starts talking right away. She’s nervous and has probably been practicing these sentences for a long time. “Over the weekend I was in Chemnitz visiting a friend. She’s also taking the B2 exam, and 12 out of 16 passed. They memorized dialogues, and we always have to respond spontaneously.”
A statement like that probably only drives German teachers up the wall, or maybe just Ms. Grünwald. Without missing a beat, she replies, “B2 Beruf focuses on spontaneity. And when we do dialogues, you’d rather do something else anyway. Remember Friday? Everyone was supposed to speak on different topics. But you’d rather write vocabulary words, and so did your classmates. That’s why I stayed standing at your table, to get something going.”
A statement as pointless as a goiter. While it was true, it accomplishes nothing when accusations fly back and forth. The frustration on both sides is palpable. And Ms. Grünwald, still seething with anger and at a loss, searches for the right words. It would have been better to take a break, be unreachable for a while, and then simply come back after 15 minutes and get right back to it.
Hours later, Ms. Grünwald is still mulling it over and searching for questions that could have resolved the whole thing. Questions are always better than accusations. Both start with an “f” sound, yet they’re so different.
But what good is memorization? Can you memorize a team meeting? What’s the difference between school and adult education? Which method suits whom? Sometimes Ms. Grünwald can’t see the forest for the trees.
Rosa Hauch
ANSPRECHBAR
Wir sind ANSPRECHBAR – für ein besseres Miteinander! Wir bringen Menschen ins Gespräch – unabhängig von Sprache, Kultur, Alter, Geldbeutel oder sozialer Stellung – bei kreativen Workshops, Ausstellungen und in einem Interview-Magazin mit einfühlsamen Porträts. Seid dabei und lasst uns gemeinsam Brücken bauen!
Zeitraum
01-12.2025
Projektbeteiligte
Yvonn Spauschus (Projektleitung)
Yulia Vishnichenko · Moussa Mbarek · Nadine Wölk · Rosa Brockelt · Bela Álvarez (Workshopleitung)
Rosa Hauch · Birthe Mühlhoff (Moderation und Dokumentation)
Kooperationspartner:innen
JugendKunstschule Dresden – Standort Passage, Omse e.V., Malteser Hilfsdienste e.V., Montagscafé am Staatsschauspiel Dresden sowie Umweltzentrum Dresden – ABC Tische, Internationale Gärten Dresden e.V, Uniwerk e.V. (Pirna), Buntes Meißen Bündnis Zivilcourage e.V. und viele mehr
Gefördert durch
Das Projekt wird gefördert durch die Heidehof Stiftung GmbH und das Staatsministerium für Soziales und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt. Diese Maßnahme wird mitfinanziert mit Steuermitteln auf Grundlage des vom Sächsischen Landtag beschlossenen Haushaltes im Rahmen des Landesprogrammes Integrative Maßnahmen.
