Special things at Albert-Schweitzer- School Erkrath 1. The „Training room“ 2. Cooking lessons 3. Moped training 4. Medical service by students 5. Preparation of career choice 6. Project „Zuendstoff“ 7. Regional traditions

1. The Training room Basic concept There are many lessons in which only 30 minutes of the whole 45 there is normal teaching, the rest is quarrel between the teacher and some disturbing pupils. The idea of the Training room (TR) is based on this fact: from 20 pupils 17 want to learn in the lessons, and they have got a right to learn, but there are e.g. 3, who want to disturb because of different reasons, the result is: for these three pupils the teacher needs 90 % of his attention and power. So the idea is to keep the disturbances out of the teaching situation, the responsibility for disturbing is on the side of the pupils.

1. The Training room Basic concept II The reflexion about the disturbing situation is done in the Training room together with a Training room teacher. This teacher is not directly involved into the situation, she or he cannot be upset or personally attacked, she or he is a fair expert to speak with the pupil to clear the situation. The situation is described, the rules which have been broken are fixed and a plan how to avoid disturbing situations in the future. All that is written down in a plan, and after this plan the pupil can go back into the class.

1. The Training room Practical implementation I These rules are in every classroom: Basic rule: The teacher can do her/his lesson, the pupils can learn without being disturbed. Everybody has to respect that right. Single rules: 1. I listen if someone is talking. 2. I‘m respectful and kind to others. 3. I respect the property of other people. 4. I follow the instructions of the teachers. 5. My attention is the lesson and I participate actively.

1. The Training room Practical implementation II A student is breaking a rule (for example playing with the mobile phone or talking with the neighbour), she/he is asked: 1. What are you doing? 2. Which rule do you break? 3. Do you want to stay in the classroom with the decision no more violation of the rules? It is not allowed to discuss any violation in the classroom.

1. The Training room Practical implementation III If she/he says: I want to stay and follow the rules, the name is written on the board, if there is no more violation of the rules, there is no other consequence.

1. The Training room Practical implementation IV In the case of a second violation of the rules the pupil gets a red paper what went wrong in the lesson, and has to go immediately without any discussion to the Training room.

1. The Training room Practical implementation V In the Training room the student talks with the teacher about what went wrong and has to work on a plan how to avoid any violations of rules in the future.

2. Cooking lessons Theory: Recipes, organisation and planning a dish, shopping, healthy food, calories Practice: Distribution of work (slicing, cooking, frying), eating the dishes Cleaning kitchenware and putting away the used things

3. Moped training Moped training is preparation for the official driver‘s license for mopeds Theory: Preparing the official questionnaire of the driver‘s license test Practice: Driving exercises, following the traffic rules

4. Medical service by students Students of class 9 get a free first aid course with the possibility of having a training to become a school first-aid attendant. Pupils who are feeling sick or are injured are going to the school first aid room; there they are examined by one or two attendants, they decide what to do (the student should go back to lessons, home or to a doctor).

5. Preparation of career choice In the school program this part is very important, because resulting of the subdivision into three types of schools after primary school (the „lowest“ is the Hauptschule like the ASS) the chances of our students to get a good vocational training and job are smaller than for students of other types of secondary school.

5. Preparation of career choice Practise I We start early in class 7 with the family job day. The pupils accompany one member of their family to their work, they have to document their experiences in the subjects German and/or Economics.

5. Preparation of career choice Practise II In class 8 we work together with a center for vocational training, all students of class 8 are there for two weeks, they get to know three or four different fields of working (for example working with metal, wood, hairdressing and decorating walls).

5. Preparation of career choice Practise III In class 9 the students take part in the so called contrast practical training (two times two weeks), they should get an intensive impression of two different jobs. They can contact companies by their own or they get places out of a pool of jobs offered by school. In class 10 the students go for three weeks to an intensive practical training.

5. Preparation of career choice Other projects Cooperation school – economy Some of the regional craftsmen (for example electricians, a heating plumber or a shoemaker) come to school to do practical projects in different subjects like mathematics, technique or chemistry (for example building a talk back system or area calculation in a conservatory). In 2002 the Albert-Schweitzer-School got for this engagement a seal and in 2006 a special award for the cooperation school – economy.

6. Project „Zuendstoff“ Target group of this project: truants, which have got many absence lessons and are really tired of school Cooperation from different schools and the city of Erkrath These students are taken normally for one year out of their regular schools with the target to re- integrate them in school life Lessons are structured different: very practical, small groups, help of social workers

7. Regional traditions The ASS (Albert-Schweitzer-School) is taking part every year in the big carnival parade of Erkrath with an own waggon. A certain amount of students of the lower classes can drive on the waggon or are walking in the parade.