Not Just Cramming
06.03.2009 – At the day schools in Pullach, professional day care is also available
Text: Gerd Hartmann
Photos: Robert von Aufschnaiter
When the doors of the S-Bahn at Pullach station open, just before eight o’clock, a caravan takes form. Dozens of children and adolescents leave the train and come together in groups chatting and laughing. And then it is almost a parade along the street to their common destination: the day schools in Pullach.
One of the largest and most traditional of Bavaria’s private schools is located a stone’s throw from the city limits of Munich. 1,200 children and adolescents attend classes in the imposing building, a former Jesuit college, from the first grade to middle school diploma or the university entrance qualification, Abitur. An elementary school, a middle school and a high school teaching modern languages are all accommodated under one roof. And that’s not all. The facility also has its own kindergarten which provides care for the very smallest. No wonder that students come from all over the region. Big and small arrive from all over the city not just by S-Bahn but also on school buses which collect students along 11 different bus routes.
»If I get up later then I eat breakfast here,« mumbles Lukas,15, still uncommunicative and bites into his baguette sandwich filled with ham and lettuce. It is shortly after eight and he is standing next to the Dussmann kiosk in the school building. Ten minutes before school starts there is quite a tumult here. Lukas, hair carefully styled to stand to attention, hurries away. He obviously took the time to do his hair – despite sleeping in.
Till Schindler and his Dussmann Service team have been here since seven thirty to prepare everything necessary for breakfast and mid-morning snacks: various filled rolls and sandwiches, muffins and other sweet pastries – and fresh fruit, so that vitamins are not neglected. A large selection of hot and cold drinks complete the product range for the benefit of not only the students and teachers. »That’s for the little one,« says one mother and passes her child a vegetarian whole grain roll filled with avocado and tomato. »And two butter pretzels for me please.« It’s practical for the single mother to buy her packed lunch for the office here too.
Many of the parents whose children go to the day schools in Pullach are single parents or both at work. Because when school ends here, it doesn’t end. The children spend the whole day on the spacious campus directly adjacent to the woods. »We attract parents who are looking for professional afternoon care«, headmaster Ralf Grillmayer describes one of the reasons why parents choose this school. Following the Pisa study and the reduction of high school education to eight years, several state schools offer afternoon care but the pupil/staff ratio at the Pullach schools is distinctly better. Around 45 educational professionals are involved in leisure and learning activities. This sort of education has its price. Parents must pay schools fees of between 230 and 350 Euros per month, depending on the type of school. Lunch is included. Despite the fees, the waiting lists are long for all four educational facilities. There are usually two or three candidates for each place at the elementary school.
In Germany, the number of private pupils is on the increase. During the period from 1992 to 2006 there was a growth of almost fifty percent according to the federal bureau of statistics. 656,000 children and adolescents attend around 2,900 private schools across Germany. »It has to do with diminishing trust in state education in general,« headmaster Grillmayer explains the trend. Anxiety about over-dimensional groups and lack of social balance are the reasons. But Grillmayer feels that it is also the result of negative publicity. »The reputation of state schools has suffered unfairly.« However, he is of the opinion that schools must also provide moral and ethical education and that, in this respect, the private schools certainly have an advantage.
Teaching Christian Values
The day schools in Pullach are run by the Church and the archdiocese of Munich pays a substantial portion of the costs. Education is based on Christian principles and the Christian view of humanity and the world. The subject, ethics is not on the curriculum. All employees must belong to one of the Christian Churches and it is expected that pupils are christened. The large, round church on the school campus is not only the physical center of the school. Church services, communion and confirmation take place here – the school family as a parish. Former students have married here. »We demonstrate our principles through human interaction«, says Grillmayer. The teachers and educators invest a great deal of time and commitment in each individual student. Of course, this is only possible if the group sizes are manageable. The average number of students in the high school classes is 23.
The gong is struck for the main break. The yard is filled with voices and laughter. Many head for the shops next to the dining room. The Dussmann team is prepared. Noone needs to waste their precious break time standing in a queue. There are three service counters serving bread rolls, juice and other articles. Many students address the Dussmann employees by name. The contact is very personal and jokes are exchanged. »It is more appetizing when the atmosphere is good», laughs kitchen chef Schindler. Each day, the Dussmann team serves 300 to 500 customers from the shop outlets which are also open during leisure time in the afternoon.
»The catering here is a huge plus,« headmaster Ralf Grillmayer underlines a further benefit of his schools. »There is a high level of acceptance among the students.« Not only among students: Teachers also lunch each day in the spacious dining room whose high ceiling and wooden panelled walls are witness to the history of the building. Until the end of the 60s, Jesuits lived here. Around 1,100 meals are prepared in the school kitchen daily. From 11 o’clock onwards, diners can choose from a selection of meal components. In addition to the two or three main dishes – one of them vegetarian – there is a soup, a dessert and vitamin-rich side dishes. Whether it is vegetable-filled pasta, strogonoff or crudités – the mix is important,« explains Schindler. According to the Dussmann Cool Cooking philosophy, a holistic approach should be taken to nutrition. All meals are student-oriented and produced from whole foods and side dishes are prepared exclusively from organic products. Not only the vegetables carry the organic seal but also the salad oils. The cellars on the tables are filled with Himalayan natural salt. This year, the kitchen achieved organic certification. Presentation is an important part of food service and, as a service for smallest students who can’t yet read, all of the meals are presented in a display cabinet at the entrance. If a class goes on a trip, lunch packets are provided.
Hobby Groups and Sport During Leisure Time
After lunch, the students are free. Depending on their age, up to one and a half hours and, if possible, outside in the fresh air. There are unlimited opportunities for sports on the park-like school grounds which even include a small meadow.
In the gymnasium, students juggle balls, boys spring from the trampoline through a hoop like tigers and the girls ride unicycles, hand in hand. The hobby group circus arts practices amazing acrobatics. From archery to improvisation theater to gardening in the school garden, there are voluntary extra-curricular courses for a wide range of leisure interests. Those who prefer can retire quietly to small group rooms on the top floor.
At 3 o’clock, the campus calms down. Apart from the students of the high school at college level who have no further compulsory lessons, homework is done. The afternoon care staff who also supervised the leisure activities are always present. »We’re not just here to pass on information, we want to contribute to the course of students’ lives,« head of day care at the middle school, Alexander Hibsch describes the important role of afternoon care staff. Learning to be independent is part of this process. As students are together all day, the social commitment towards each other grows. Continual contact between school and parents is also an important element. In addition to the usual school report and at a different time, there is also a bi-annual report in which grades are replaced by an evaluation of social behavior and attitude to schoolwork.
Concerning meals, communication with parents is also important. The annual meeting of the catering committee is a forum for suggestions and feedback to the kitchen. This is where the seeds of the idea to go over to organic products were sown. And the Dussmann team proved that it is do-able without unreasonable additional cost or effort. This year, the annual meeting of the catering committee was cancelled. They had nothing to discuss.
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