Rütli School
Encyclopedia
The Rütli School was a Hauptschule
in Neukölln
, one of Berlin's poorest neighbourhoods. The school made news in 2006 when teachers wrote a letter to the senate
office demanding the school be closed down, as they were no longer able to deal with violent youngsters.
The letter was made public and sparked a debate about the German school system, school violence and the integration of immigrant youngsters. In 2009, it was renamed the 1. Geimeinschaftsschule and converted to a type of Gesamtschule.
, the school building served as a barracks. In 1920, it started serving as a school again. In 1921 there were 1400 students at the school.
In the 1920s the Rütli school was famous for its progressive education. While most German schools still were single-sex institutions at that time, the Rütli school was co-educational. Students were allowed to participate in workshops and field-trips. The democratic teaching methods of the Rütli School were hailed by many educational scientists.
The Rütli School gave rise to a circle of resistance fighters in Nazi Germany. The most famous of these men was Hanno Günther. The Rütli School was closed down by the Nazis and served as a military hospital. In 1945 it was reopened.
In 2009 the "Campus Rütli" was founded, fusing together the Rütli School, the neighbouring Realschule and a primary school. A new nursery, a youth club, sports and leisure facilities, workshops and an advice centre were added.
. Ninety percent of the students today are of a non-German background. The school is in a period of reform which includes the introduction of new school programs, building of new facilities, and renovation of classrooms.
The school has three gyms, a school kitchen, four PC rooms, an arts-studio, a chemistry lab, a physics lab, a wood and metal shop, and a music room. It also has its own museum informing visitors about the school's past.
. In 2010-11 Hauptschulen were formally abolished in Berlin. They were merged with Realschulen and Gesamtschulen to form a new type of comprehensive school called Stadtteilschule in Hamburg and Sekundarschule in Berlin (see: Education in Berlin
).
education office demanding the school be closed down. The letter stated:
The letter sparked a debate about school violence and the integration of immigrants.
Some of the school's faculty "refused to enter their classrooms without a mobile phone they could use to call for help if they were threatened."
Reporters flocked to the school and filmed youngsters acting violent and throwing rocks. The public was shocked. Later it was revealed that the reporters had paid the youths to act out and even provided the stones.
Hauptschule
A Hauptschule is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling, which offers Lower Secondary Education according to the International Standard Classification of Education...
in Neukölln
Neukölln
Neukölln is the eighth borough of Berlin, located in the southeastern part of the city and was part of the former American sector under the Four-Power occupation of the city...
, one of Berlin's poorest neighbourhoods. The school made news in 2006 when teachers wrote a letter to the senate
Senate of Berlin
The Senate of Berlin is the executive body governing the city of Berlin, which at the same time is a state of Germany. According to the Constitution of Berlin the Senate consists of the Governing Mayor of Berlin and up to eight Senators appointed by the Governing Mayor, two of whom are appointed ...
office demanding the school be closed down, as they were no longer able to deal with violent youngsters.
The letter was made public and sparked a debate about the German school system, school violence and the integration of immigrant youngsters. In 2009, it was renamed the 1. Geimeinschaftsschule and converted to a type of Gesamtschule.
History of the Rütli school
The Rütli school was founded in 1909. During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the school building served as a barracks. In 1920, it started serving as a school again. In 1921 there were 1400 students at the school.
In the 1920s the Rütli school was famous for its progressive education. While most German schools still were single-sex institutions at that time, the Rütli school was co-educational. Students were allowed to participate in workshops and field-trips. The democratic teaching methods of the Rütli School were hailed by many educational scientists.
The Rütli School gave rise to a circle of resistance fighters in Nazi Germany. The most famous of these men was Hanno Günther. The Rütli School was closed down by the Nazis and served as a military hospital. In 1945 it was reopened.
In 2009 the "Campus Rütli" was founded, fusing together the Rütli School, the neighbouring Realschule and a primary school. A new nursery, a youth club, sports and leisure facilities, workshops and an advice centre were added.
Demographics at the time of the crisis
In 2005/2006 the Rütli School served 267 students. Eighty-three percent of its students were of a non-German background; eighty percent were Muslim. The different backgrounds posed a great pedagogical challenge for the teachers.The Rütli School today
In the school year 2009/2010, the Rütli School was integrated into a new school, the 1. Gemeinschaftsschule, along with several classes from a nearby elementary school and a RealschuleRealschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
. Ninety percent of the students today are of a non-German background. The school is in a period of reform which includes the introduction of new school programs, building of new facilities, and renovation of classrooms.
The school has three gyms, a school kitchen, four PC rooms, an arts-studio, a chemistry lab, a physics lab, a wood and metal shop, and a music room. It also has its own museum informing visitors about the school's past.
Pedagogic projects
The school has a number of pedagogic projects going on:- Boxing project: Rütli-students do have the opportunity to learn how to box. The school sees this as a way to instill values and leadership skills in the students.
- Project Rütli Wear: The students are given the opportunity to design their own t-shirts and sell them online.
- Project "Zurück in die Zukunft" ("Back to the Future"): The school has projects for dropouts, trying to integrate them into school life again.
- Cooperation with the Maxim-Gorki-TheaterMaxim-Gorki-TheaterThe Maxim Gorki Theatre is a theatre in Berlin-Mitte named after the Soviet writer, Maxim Gorky.-External links:* of the Maxim Gorki Theatre...
since 2007
Situation of Hauptschule in Berlin
The Rütli school was a so called HauptschuleHauptschule
A Hauptschule is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling, which offers Lower Secondary Education according to the International Standard Classification of Education...
. In 2010-11 Hauptschulen were formally abolished in Berlin. They were merged with Realschulen and Gesamtschulen to form a new type of comprehensive school called Stadtteilschule in Hamburg and Sekundarschule in Berlin (see: Education in Berlin
Education in Berlin
Education in Berlin covers the whole spectrum from kindergarten, primary education, secondary education, and higher education in Berlin. The German states are primarily responsible for the educational system in Germany.-Schooling in Berlin before 2010/2011:...
).
Debate about school violence
In 2006 teachers of the Rütli school wrote a letter to the SenateSenate of Berlin
The Senate of Berlin is the executive body governing the city of Berlin, which at the same time is a state of Germany. According to the Constitution of Berlin the Senate consists of the Governing Mayor of Berlin and up to eight Senators appointed by the Governing Mayor, two of whom are appointed ...
education office demanding the school be closed down. The letter stated:
- We must realize that the mood in some classes currently is marked by aggressiveness, disrespect, and ignorance towards adults … The tendency toward violence against property is growing … In most of the families of our students, they are the only ones getting up in the morning. For them, school is a stage and battleground for attention. The worst culprits become role models. Teachers were quoted saying that their students "turn up without pens or books. [...] They fight, they set off fireworks, they kick in doors. There’s no point in trying to teach. If you hang up a poster, they tear it down."
The letter sparked a debate about school violence and the integration of immigrants.
Some of the school's faculty "refused to enter their classrooms without a mobile phone they could use to call for help if they were threatened."
Reporters flocked to the school and filmed youngsters acting violent and throwing rocks. The public was shocked. Later it was revealed that the reporters had paid the youths to act out and even provided the stones.
Famous former pupils of the school
- Hanno Günther, resistance fighter against the Nazis
- Hildegard Jadamowitz, resistance fighter against the Nazis
- Horst Bosetzky, author
- Arno FunkeArno FunkeArno Funke , alias Dagobert, is a reformed German extortionist, now an author.-Life:An automotive and sign painter by trade, Funke was later medically examined at trial and said to have minor brain damage likely from the fumes from his workspace...
, reformed extortionist, now an author - Werner Steinbrink, member of the Herbert Baum Gruppe
Famous former teachers of the school
- Bruno Lindtner, member of the Social Democratic Party, member of the "Rote Kämpfer" resistance fighter against the Nazis
- Käthe Draeger, communist politician, psychologist and educationalist
- Wilhelm Wittbrodt, socialdemocratic politician, progressive educationalist
- Adolf Jensen, progressive educationalist, publicist, later a professor in Braunschweig
- Fritz Hoffmann, progressive educationalist
- Herbert Busse, communist, progressive educationalist
- Fritz LangeFritz LangeFritz Lange was a Minister for national education in the German Democratic Republic .- Biography :...
, communist publicist, politician - Friedrich Weigelt, member of the Social Democratic Party, unionist, publicist, journalist, progressive educationalist