More than a place of learning
The path leads past blazing sunflower fields, quiet villages, and green meadows to the small village, which is home to around 300 people. A Mark Brandenburg village situated between the glacial valleys of the Nuthe and Baruth. Right in the middle – painted lime green – is the primary school, which wants to be much more than just a place of learning. An after-school care center for the children, a space for discovery, a playground, a safe roof under which everyone can develop freely. A house from which you can wander out into the forest, lakes, and pastures to observe animals and plants. And a place to which you can return to sort, categorize, and learn to understand everything you have brought with you. This was Lucia’s own experience, and this is what she wants to pass on to “her” children.
And as of this school year, these are the girls and boys of a fourth grade. The young teacher is not afraid to take on this responsibility. Already during the previous school year, her first as a fully qualified teacher, she had to take over a sixth grade class from a sick colleague. “The water doesn't get warmer if you jump in later,” she says, raising her hands and laughing. She spoke with parents, wrote reports, organized the transition to secondary school, and taught a full schedule of lessons! “Not for the faint-hearted. You have to make so many decisions in a short span of time, interacting constantly. That requires energy and a strong voice.” And she has both. Not only in the gym but also during English lessons when she explains new vocabulary on the smart board as “Miss Stone”. Her eyes are sparkling. Her excitement is contagious. That’s how she manages to relate. With the children. And with the parents, whom she wants to involve much more in learning, just like other people in the children’s immediate environment.
Modern and digitized
She has taken quite a few ideas from the accompanying program of the country teacher scholarship, which is organized by the German Children and Youth Foundation (DKJS) and offers seminars on working with parents, on theater and forest education, as well as mindfulness in the teaching profession. The 26-year-old still benefits from the network that former and current scholarship holders have established to share their experiences.
Meanwhile, Steinmeyer has become a video ambassador promoting the work at countryside schools, which are in desperate need of well-qualified teachers. At a press conference, she sat next to the Minister of Education and argued that these schools have long been as modern and digitized as those elsewhere, despite their smaller size, which in turn is an advantage because people know each other better. She praises the sense of community, the proximity to nature, and the short distances, whether to the football club or the volunteer fire brigade. “When the children get their bicycle license at school, the police come to take the exam and immediately check whether the bikes are okay.” Many extracurricular places of learning are also right on the doorstep. “The Green Classroom of the State Garden Show in Beelitz, for example, or the game reserve in Glauer Valley,” she adds. And then there is also the mill in Luckenwalde, to which Lucia Steinmeyer always has a key.
The Brandenburg scholarship for country teachers amounts to 600 euros per month and is paid until the end of the remaining standard period of study. Students commit to teaching at an assigned program school for at least the duration of their scholarships. The scholarship is intended to enable them to focus on their studies. In addition, they receive an extensive accompanying program that includes educational seminars, supports networking locally and in their future district, organizes meetings with other scholarship holders, and helps with specific concerns.
Further information:
https://mbjs.brandenburg.de/
Lucia Steinmeyer studied sports and English at the University of Potsdam and now teaches at the elementary school in Zülichendorf.
This text (in german language) was published in the university magazine Portal - Zwei 2024 „Europa“ (PDF).