Politics, Business & Responsibility

“The Marburg Night Watchman”: An entertaining evening with Wilhelm “Willi” Stehling

Former Students & Alumni, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

Former Steinmühle teachers often return to their old workplace: to have coffee, chat, and see what’s changed. It’s rather rare for them to invite the forum to a reading as an author. Wilhelm Stehling, who has been retired since February 2014, did just that. He presented his book, *Die Marburger Nachtwächter* (The Marburg Night Watchmen), at the Steinmühle. The audience was thrilled.

“The hall was full—or what you’d call ‘full’ under the current restrictions,” reports Principal Björn Gemmer. The audience had a good time as “Willi” Stehling provided entertaining insights into the rough-and-tumble world of night watchmen. It’s a profession that’s often ridiculed, but in reality, the hardships involved are underestimated, and the job is associated with numerous anecdotes.

So anyone who wants to know more about the Marburg night watchmen—when they were active and what happened to them—will find the answers in Willi Stehling’s book, available from Büchner-Verlag. Perhaps while reading, some of you will recall not only Wilhelm Stehling’s classes in geography, physical education, and music, but also his Grade 5 choir, the brass band, swimming lessons, and much more.

20. August 2020

Career Guidance: The Geva Test Points the Way

News, Politics, Business & Responsibility, Surveys & Studies

For the third time, Steinmühle gave a graduating class the opportunity to assess their own abilities through the geva test before they were finally placed in advanced courses. The test requires students to work through a test booklet containing various tasks within four hours. A limited amount of time is allotted for each task. Once the results are evaluated, they reveal the students’ aptitudes and interests and suggest which careers might be suitable for them in the future. This is particularly helpful for students who do not yet have a specific career path in mind. “Our partnership with the geva Institute is a key component of our career guidance activities,” explained Dr. Claudia Röder, who also serves as the coordinator for school-based internships.

27. April 2020

Politics, Media, and the Rule of Law: A Labor Court Judge Shares Insights from His Practice

News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

During a politics and economics class, student Anton Schneider enthusiastically told his class, 9c, and his teacher, Eva Stelz, that his father, Michael Schneider, as part of his work as a labor court judge, had recently dealt with a case that touched on the topics of politics and media as well as the rule of law—two areas currently being covered in the 9th-grade Politics and Economics class! Anton suggested inviting his father to class so he could tell the class a little about the case and his work at the court.

No sooner said than done! Labor court judge Schneider visited the class a few days later and sparked enthusiasm and great interest with his compelling account, his professional expertise, and his open approach to the students’ questions. The students were able to put themselves in the situation described in the case and were also asked for their own opinions on it, allowing them to apply and expand upon the knowledge they had gained in class using a real-life case as an example.

The class and their teacher, Eva Stelz, were delighted that the expert’s visit had made for a hands-on political science lesson that the students will surely remember for a long time to come.
Eva Stelz

27. February 2020

Accessibility, Rewards, and Fun: Eye-Opening Moments at the Career Information Day

News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

Medicine, psychology, law enforcement, the German Armed Forces, and pilot training were the most popular disciplines and career fields at this year’s Career Information Day at Steinmühle, which was organized—as always—in collaboration with the Rotary Club Marburg-Schloss.

“We’ve been hosting this information event with the Steinmühle for over 15 years now,” said Hans-Heinrich Bähr with enthusiasm. He is in charge of Vocational Service for the Rotarians. He sees it as his mission to support young people in their search for a suitable career by providing them with data, facts, and personal advice. “People who are experienced in these professions are just the right people for this.” The fact that Steinmühle shares this same goal makes the collaboration a perfect fit. Dr. Claudia Röder was responsible for organizing the event for the first time. She recently became the coordinator of school internships. She views the Career Information Day as an integral part of career guidance. “Deciding on a future career or course of study has become more difficult. The Career Information Day is intended to help all students find their way,” said Principal Bernd Holly in his opening remarks.

It’s no coincidence that the motto of this event, organized throughout Hesse, is “Students Ask—Professionals Answer.” At the Steinmühle Forum, representatives from a wide variety of fields sat at tables ready to help 12th-grade students with their career choices. Many preconceptions about working conditions were dispelled or confirmed; earning potential was explored, and entry requirements were examined. The discussion also touched on job satisfaction in certain professions after working in them for an extended period, coping with routine, and the potential for enjoyment. “Did you sometimes have to write about things you found distasteful?” the journalist was asked, for example.

Three Q&A sessions

The students could choose three professions for a roundtable discussion with experts. In a session with a maximum of eight classmates, the students had 20 minutes to ask the expert questions. This was followed by two more sessions, each with a different professional.

In addition to the professions already mentioned, the following fields were represented at the event at the Steinmühle: law, architecture, dentistry, tax consulting/auditing, civil engineering, human resources, IT, finance (savings banks/banks), the German Red Cross (DRK) Nurses’ Association, the International Business School, physics, mechanical engineering, economics, business administration, politics, and business.

9. December 2019

Successfully passed the Entrepreneur’s License exam

Contests & Awards, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

During the 2018–19 school year, five E-Phase students at Steinmühle took advantage of the new opportunity to earn their Entrepreneur’s License. They have now received their certificates. Aline and Chantal Harder, Fynn Konnertz, Jonas Neirich, and Moses Walther rose to the challenge—pictured here with their teacher Erno Menzel and Principal Bernd Holly.

The Entrepreneur’s License is based on a program offered by the e-learning provider bit media in collaboration with the student learning platform LONA Education. The exam is administered by the Academy for Business and Logistics.

Knowledge was acquired in the following areas and successfully demonstrated through three corresponding exams:

Basic Economics
Basic Economics
Basic Business Management / The Business Plan
The students received the Entrepreneur’s Skills Certificate (ESC) Module C.

The Entrepreneur’s License is taught in several modules, each of which concludes with a certification exam. It is an internationally recognized business certification.

27. August 2019

Students Visit the Sparkasse: Interest Calculations in Practice

News, Politics, Business & Responsibility

As part of the math class for 7c, the topic of “interest calculations” was covered over the past few weeks. In this context, the students had many follow-up questions:

Why do interest rates exist, anyway? When did interest rates first come into existence? What is the current interest rate on savings and loans? Who sets the interest rates? Why are interest rates so low right now?

To find answers to these questions, the class reached out to Sparkasse Marburg-Biedenkopf. Jochen Schönleber, a member of the board of directors, invited Class 7c—along with their homeroom teacher, Lisa Braun, and their former math teacher, Eberhard Wieth—to visit the Sparkasse’s main branch. During the visit, he explained to the class the Sparkasse’s responsibilities and how it operates.

Questions presented as a quiz

In addition, the students asked several other questions during the visit: What was the largest loan the Sparkasse has ever granted? What happens if the Sparkasse cannot repay savings deposits? What other functions does the Sparkasse perform? Is it possible to do an internship at the Sparkasse?

Sparkasse employees Felix Müller and Julian Blöcher had prepared the students’ questions in the form of a quiz. The students took the quiz on their smartphones and learned a lot of new things in the process, including about interest rates, the European Central Bank’s (ECB) key interest rate, jobs at the Sparkasse, and more. “Numi,” the robot developed by the Sparkasse in collaboration with the University of Marburg, helped them along the way.

A final tour of the Sparkasse, with additional information provided by Deputy Branch Manager Kevin Kassner, rounded out the visit, which had been organized by Sparkasse employee Meike Stark.

28. February 2019

Students Visit Court: Here’s How a Trial Works

News, Politics, Business & Responsibility, Steinmühle on the Road

As part of the six-hour “Youth and Law” project, which ran over three weeks, Class 8c—taught by Steinmühlen teacher Dr. Claudia Röder—attended a court hearing at the Marburg Regional Court. The goal was to supplement the theoretical knowledge they had learned about court proceedings with real-life experience. After all, the media often convey certain ideas about what goes on in court. But is that really how it is?

The hearing concerned a juvenile criminal case involving assault. The group of students, whose field trip had been organized by Heike Schneider, a judge at the Regional Court, and Dr. Claudia Röder, was guided by Judge Thomas Rohner.

The students at Steinmühle found the discussion about whether the offense in question constituted minor or serious bodily injury particularly interesting. The parties to the trial also debated whether the male defendant should be sentenced under juvenile or adult criminal law. The arguments for and against were discussed at length, as they have a significant impact on the sentence.

Afterward, the very interested teenagers were given the opportunity to ask the judge and the prosecutor questions. At the end of the visit, Judge Heike Schneider showed the guests from Steinmühle the jury courtroom at the regional court and talked about her work.

7. February 2019