Our mission statement
The Alice Salomon School is a place where stories are told. Here, twelve people tell how the mission statement is put into practice at the Alice Salomon School. Our mission statement is not gray theory, it is not based on abstract principles. Because you can’t logically derive and explain a mission statement, you have to experience it.
"Door to door with Alice"
My coach sits in the class next door There's a constant back and forth in our school corridor. Why is that? Well, on one side of the corridor are the doors to the teachers' classes, and on the other side we have our classrooms: BF 1. Both sides of the corridor work together. This is because the educators often come to our class, do various activities with us or help us with our learning. This is called "peer education". This peer education is good for BF 1, but also good for the nursery classes. This is because the teachers learn to work with young people, so they can combine work experience and class time. And we have our own learning coaches who accompany us throughout the school year.
"Standing on the podium for once"
At first I was envious of Sven: we are all good chefs in our HOGA class and are passionate about our profession. And then his classmate steps up and puts everyone else in the shade. He went to the DEHOGA state competition in Mainz and won first prize! You could really get jealous. Sven cooked a four-course menu according to the specifications of the strict judges, and the ladies and gentlemen must have really enjoyed it. He said that he naturally owed this success to his good training in the hotel and catering sector: the school and the castle hotel where he trained. But not only that. It wouldn't have worked without his talent and hard work. When he received the award, we celebrated extensively. Then it was like: "We have to be able to eat." Because the rest of us recognized without envy that he was the best this time: not just at school, but in the whole state of Rhineland-Palatinate. And it was worth an article and a photo in the newspaper.
"Refugees Welcome"
Finding keys, opening doors, getting people involvedThey are standing patiently in the corridor waiting for us. I am amazed: today there are many more refugees than expected, with whom we - some HEP students - want to take our first steps in the German language and culture. The room available to us is too small. So we start looking for an alternative room. A friendly teacher, who has a free period at the moment, quickly runs to the school office and comes back with a key: "We have a room for today. We have to improvise because the whole of Germany is taking in more refugees than originally expected. That's why the student council asked us if we, as "pedagogically experienced" pupils, would like to make the first contact with refugees until the school's special language teacher is available. We open up the free classroom, set up a circle of chairs and start with games to get to know each other. Initial contacts are made and the atmosphere is relaxed. The key to every contact is the language we pass on. It opens the door to new people and a foreign culture. It's actually quite simple: you just have to start doing it!
"Refugees Welcome"
Finding keys, opening doors, getting people involvedThey are standing patiently in the corridor waiting for us. I am amazed: today there are many more refugees than expected, with whom we - some HEP students - want to take our first steps in the German language and culture. The room available to us is too small. So we start looking for an alternative room. A friendly teacher, who has a free period at the moment, quickly runs to the school office and comes back with a key: "We have a room for today. We have to improvise because the whole of Germany is taking in more refugees than originally expected. That's why the student council asked us if we, as "pedagogically experienced" pupils, would like to make the first contact with refugees until the school's special language teacher is available. We open up the free classroom, set up a circle of chairs and start with games to get to know each other. Initial contacts are made and the atmosphere is relaxed. The key to every contact is the language we pass on. It opens the door to new people and a foreign culture. It's actually quite simple: you just have to start doing it!
"The discovery of slowness - or: Why the wardrobe is doing so well"
Taking care together. I am a cupboard. No, no, of course I'm not a cupboard. But I imagine what the cupboard we built in the BVJ could say about itself. What would it say? Let's listen: at first I was a plan. I was a drawing on the table. And I was a calculation on the blackboard. I felt really bored: "Hey, I'm not a pencil line or a chalk line! Can you hurry up? I want to be a cupboard, a real wooden thing!" But the teacher in the BVJ wood workshop kept his cool. The pupils discussed size and width, they made models out of paper, they wrote shopping lists. Then I lay on the pile as wood. I was getting all tingly: don't leave me lying around like this! I want to stand upright, open my doors and fulfill my purpose! But once again, the teacher and pupils didn't let themselves be disturbed. And then it got painful! I was sawn and drilled, grooved and screwed, stained and varnished. A difficult birth, I tell you, school hours long, days long. But now I'm standing here. Nothing can knock me down. Nothing jams and nothing groans in the hinges. So now I can stand in my place for years, stand my ground, so to speak, and do my job as a wardrobe. That's what I've learned: it only works with patience and spit. Sometimes it's quick, fast and hectic: what good can come of it? A wardrobe says thank you very much: thank you, girls and boys, for taking your time and doing it thoroughly.
"We are the professionals!"
It's the skill that counts. "Can I book you? I have a big family celebration coming up and I couldn't think of a better catering service." We had obviously impressed our guest. He had come to the school to do a study day on professional communication with the teachers. And then he realized: "The professionals at this school are us, the home economics students! We had prepared a healthy and sumptuous menu, including delicious things like cream of pumpkin soup, various leaf salads with two dressings, quiche lorraine and a sea buckthorn pumpkin cream for dessert. We prepared the dining room, set the tables and decorated them lovingly. "Quite a varied job, your job," the guest remarked respectfully. "I know schools where the pupils know a lot. But I've rarely been to a place where young people can do so much." And that's what matters in life, isn't it?
"My best teacher is myself"
Discovering learning opportunities and finding learning paths. I'm a student at vocational secondary school 2, but since last semester I've also been a math teacher. Math has always been my strength, whereas other students have big problems with it. That's why our school has MoMa, the "Modularized Mathematics" programme. Students can come here if they want to improve in a particular area. They then book the module on the subject, so to speak. And I help them to understand and practise the steps. The penny often drops for me when I approach things from a different angle and choose a new approach to the mathematical problem. And once I've had my first success, it's easier for me to stick with it and practise the steps until I've mastered them. I want to give my classmates this experience. The students decide for themselves when they feel fit enough to complete a particular module with a test. The school also wants to develop similar offers for other subjects and areas.
"I didn't even know what I could do"
Learning through teaching. A traveling exhibition about Anne Frank came to our school. The special thing about it was that we pupils were not just supposed to passively view the exhibition. No, we were able to train as exhibition guides in a workshop. I took part and learned a lot: information about the Nazi regime and the Second World War, but also methods for working with groups of pupils. Yes, and then I accompanied a school class through the exhibition six times, led discussions and carried out group work. I discovered a lot of new skills that I can put to good use in my social education training.
"I am my own best friend"
Finding your own pace and staying on track together Sometimes Mrs. Schäfer, who I look after in the retirement home, is a completely different person. Normally she is friendly and even-tempered, but recently she has suddenly changed. She is confused, can't find her room, doesn't want to be helped and looks at me very crossly. Sometimes she accuses me of stealing her money. When this happens, I don't feel well for days. I blame myself for not being able to guide Mrs. Schäfer calmly, kindly and firmly back on her way in such crises, like the experienced geriatric nurse Navid can. That makes me wonder whether I'm even suitable for this job. But I have learned to take care of myself first. Because if I'm unwell, I won't be able to help the residents in the retirement home. And it becomes increasingly difficult to do well in my final exams. I allow myself time out and have started doing yoga. My teachers think it's good and encourage me to do it. And since I've been paying more attention to myself, I'm finding it a bit easier again with Ms. Schäfer. I make eye contact and pay attention to every sign that helps me to help her.
"Write me a letter"
For human relationships without violence I shouted at Franziska. She hadn't even done anything wrong. Franziska lives in a group of disabled people that I look after as a trainee in curative education care (HEP). Franziska was really excited because she was allowed to go to a concert with Herbert Grönemeyer the next day. She talked about it non-stop and didn't even get to eat her dinner. Exasperated, I shouted at her to go to bed. And now I felt bad, I felt that I had gone way too far. When we talked about verbal violence in class, we came up with an amazing solution. We recalled situations in which we had hurt classmates, colleagues or residents with words. We learned to analyze this type of violence, to see through its patterns and to develop other possible courses of action for future situations. And then our teacher suggested that we write a letter to the person we had hurt. I wrote to Franziska, told her about the worries I had had that day and asked her to forgive me. I had made a start on how to behave better in a similar situation in future.
"Grass doesn't grow faster if you pull on it"
Nurturing the good shoots. My last day at the school, the champagne glasses are ringing, speeches are being made and the students have once again provided fantastic catering. My thoughts go back to my first day here. We were standing in the fine drizzle in the schoolyard, my eyes wandered briefly to the side across the school garden and the principal spoke a few encouraging, welcoming words. At the time, I had no idea that I would spend seven years at this school. The first year in BF 1 was turbulent and full of stumbling blocks, my goals were still completely unclear to me at that time. However, my motivation was that I was curious, I wanted to know things, I wanted to understand and be able to do things - in short: I wanted to grow. Did that come true? Actually, the school garden and the drizzle is a good image for what happened. What I wanted had to grow slowly, often not fast enough for me. And there were frustrating situations: "stunted growth". But the Alice Salomon School is an amazing creative dung bed. And sometimes there is the necessary fertilizer: advice from teachers who went through my strengths with me and looked for the right development steps and educational pathways. This is where the most diverse varieties come to maturity. That's how it worked out for me too. I started with vocational school 1 and today I am a state-recognized educator. I think you can toast to that.
"Email for you"
I decide how fast my teacher works. In our German lessons, each student works at their own pace. We are working on a scene from a 120-year-old novel in which two men have a duel. The husband shoots the wife's lover. First we acted out the scene from different angles in class: Re-enacting a "real duel", making up and acting out conversations between the men and family members and friends. Now we are writing essays in which we try to better understand one of the two duelists. Part One is a brief characterization of the man, Part Two is a fictional letter from this man about the duel and in Part Three of the essay we explore what expectations a distinguished man had to meet at the time. What did family, friends and colleagues expect? What rules were there for duels? How does the hero of the novel deal with these demands? Each student writes at their own pace and sends their drafts as an email to the teacher. The teacher replies and gives advice. A very quick classmate has already finished all three parts and is currently working on the teacher's suggestions. I first did some research on the Internet to get a better idea of "my" duelist, the husband. I came across real letters from the 19th century. That's why I've only just sent off part one of the essay. I'm looking forward to the email from my teacher. If my smartphone is flashing, it's not necessarily my girlfriend who texted...
Stories are conceivable that call other stories in the mission statement into question. At this school, you are allowed to doubt everything. You are allowed to make mistakes and turn them into learning opportunities. Contradictions and defeats can help us all move forward. This keeps everything in flux, everything in motion. Our mission statement is also never finished, never closed, but open. Open to you.
You can contribute to this mission statement by telling stories and sharing them with us.
Our values
Be guided by a humanistic view of humanity and take responsibility in school, work, society and the environment.
"Refugees welcome"
Finding keys, opening doors, bringing people into play
They stand patiently in the corridor and wait for us. I am amazed: today there are many more refugees than expected with whom we – some HEP students – want to take our first steps in the German language and culture.
The room available to us is too small. So we start looking for an alternative room. A friendly teacher, who has a free period at the moment, quickly runs to the school office and comes back with a key: “We have a room for today. We have to improvise because the whole of Germany is taking in more refugees than originally expected. That’s why the student council asked us if we, as “pedagogically experienced” pupils, would like to make the first contact with refugees until the school’s special language teacher is available. We open up the free classroom, set up a circle of chairs and start with games to get to know each other. Initial contacts are made and the atmosphere is relaxed. The key to every contact is the language we pass on. It opens the door to new people and a foreign culture. It’s actually quite simple: you just have to start doing it!
The Alice Salomon School wants to strengthen personal responsibility: Therefore, all members of the school community should have the opportunity to initiate their own actions for more humanity. This succeeds when as many people as possible feel responsible and support each other. School, work, society and the environment challenge us: Do you also want to take responsibility in one of these fields? Then take a look around to see where you are needed and who wants to get involved with you.
Be mindful of yourself and others.
"I am my own best friend"
Finding your own pace and staying on track together
Sometimes Mrs. Schäfer, who I look after in the retirement home, is a completely different person. Normally she is friendly and even-tempered, but recently she has suddenly changed. She is confused, can’t find her room, doesn’t want to be helped and looks at me very crossly. Sometimes she accuses me of stealing her money. When something like that happens, I don’t feel well for days. I blame myself for not being able to guide Mrs. Schäfer calmly, kindly and firmly back on her way in such crises, like the experienced geriatric nurse Navid can. That makes me wonder whether I’m even suitable for this job. But I have learned to take care of myself first. Because if I’m unwell, I won’t be able to help the residents in the retirement home. And it becomes increasingly difficult to do well in my final exams. I allow myself time out and have started doing yoga. My teachers think it’s good and encourage me to do it. And since I’ve been paying more attention to myself, I’m finding it a bit easier again with Ms. Schäfer. I make eye contact and pay attention to every sign that helps me to help her.
The Alice Salomon School wants to be a place where no one has to pretend to be perfect. Everyone has very specific strengths and weaknesses. That is why it is important to look after yourself and find your own rhythm. Only then can everyone lead a happy life and achieve something special. In a culture of mindfulness, we want to treat each other with care so that every member of the school community can find their own pace and sources of strength. Would you also like to become a mindful companion for yourself and others? Then have the courage to stand up for yourself and be attentive to the needs of others.
Act non-violently.
"Write me a letter"
For human relationships without violence
I shouted at Franziska. She hadn’t even done anything wrong. Franziska lives in a group of disabled people that I look after as a trainee in curative education care (HEP). Franziska was really excited because she was allowed to go to a concert with Herbert Grönemeyer the next day. She talked about it non-stop and didn’t even get to eat her dinner. Quite exasperated, I shouted at her to go to bed. And now I felt bad, I felt that I had gone way too far. When we talked about verbal violence in class, we came up with an amazing solution. We recalled situations in which we had hurt classmates, colleagues or residents with words. We learned to analyze this type of violence, to see through its patterns and to develop other possible courses of action for future situations. And then our teacher suggested that we write a letter to the person we had hurt. I wrote to Franziska, told her about the worries I had had that day and asked her to forgive me. I had made a start on how to behave better in a similar situation in future.
The Alice Salomon School wants to be a place without violence. This also applies to verbal violence. We have all experienced verbal violence at one time or another and have felt hurt and humiliated. The bad thing is that we have also learned to hurt others with words. We are all part of this big wolf game, we dish out to others what we ourselves have had to take. It is difficult to free ourselves from this wolf game and unlearn violence. But at this school, we want to practise thinking, talking and acting differently every day. As trainees, we also want to refrain from violence in the workplace, curb violence and unlearn it step by step. Do you also want to help ensure that our everyday lives are not determined by violence? Then start with yourself!
Live a culture of recognition.
"Standing on the podium for once"
Celebrate successes
At first I was envious of Sven: we are all good cooks in our HOGA class and are passionate about our profession. And then his classmate steps up and puts everyone else in the shade. He went to the DEHOGA state competition in Mainz and won first prize! You could really get jealous. Sven cooked a four-course menu according to the specifications of the strict judges, and the ladies and gentlemen must have really enjoyed it. He said that he naturally owed this success to his good training in the hotel and catering sector: the school and the castle hotel where he trained. But not only that. It wouldn’t have worked without his talent and hard work. When he received the award, we celebrated extensively. Then it was like: “We have to be able to eat.” Because the rest of us recognized without envy that he was the best this time: not just at school, but in the whole state of Rhineland-Palatinate. And it was worth an article and a photo in the newspaper.
The Alice Salomon School does not want to let any award fall by the wayside. We celebrate successes together and publicize them. Achievement should be worthwhile and hard work is rewarded. This inspires everyone and awakens the courage to do new things, because nothing is more successful than success. Do you also want to enter the competition and work persistently towards a goal? Then take courage and throw your hat into the ring!
Our learning
Clarify your goals and find your path.
"Grass doesn't grow faster if you pull on it"
Nurturing the good shoots
My last day at the school, the champagne glasses are ringing, speeches are being made and the students have once again provided fantastic catering. My thoughts go back to my first day here. We were standing in the fine drizzle in the schoolyard, my eyes wandered briefly to the side across the school garden and the principal spoke a few encouraging, welcoming words. At the time, I had no idea that I would spend seven years at this school. The first year in BF 1 was turbulent and full of stumbling blocks, my goals were still completely unclear to me at that time. However, my motivation was that I was curious, I wanted to know things, I wanted to understand and be able to do things – in short: I wanted to grow. Did that come true? Actually, the school garden and the drizzle is a good image for what happened. What I wanted had to grow slowly, often not fast enough for me. And there were frustrating situations: “stunted growth”. But the Alice Salomon School is an amazing creative dung bed. And sometimes there is the necessary fertilizer: advice from teachers who went through my strengths with me and looked for the right development steps and educational pathways. This is where the most diverse varieties come to maturity. That’s how it worked out for me too. I started with vocational school 1 and today I am a state-recognized educator. I think you can toast to that.
The Alice Salomon School aims to uncover and promote the good qualities in every member of the school community. Basically, everyone wants to learn; people are programmed to learn. But for some, this drive has been buried by their previous lives. This requires patient guidance, intensive counseling and individual support. Have you already discovered what’s inside you, what drives you and makes you blossom? If you haven’t found it yet, then join us in the search.
Focus on professional skills.
"We are the professionals!"
It all comes down to ability
“Can I book you? I have a big family celebration coming up and I couldn’t think of a better catering service.” We had obviously impressed our guest. He had come to the school to do a study day on professional communication with the teachers. And then he realized: “The professionals at this school are us, the home economics students! We had prepared a healthy and sumptuous menu, including delicious things like cream of pumpkin soup, various leaf salads with two dressings, quiche lorraine and a sea buckthorn pumpkin cream for dessert. We prepared the dining room, set the tables and decorated them lovingly. “Quite a varied job, your job,” the guest remarked respectfully. “I know schools where the pupils know a lot. But I’ve rarely been to a place where young people can do so much.” And that’s what matters in life, isn’t it?
The Alice Salomon School aims to help people find their way in the world of today and shape the world of tomorrow. This requires not only broad knowledge, but also a high level of ability. Anyone who completes a vocational qualification does not just pass an exam. They offer their professional skills to society, experience success at work and in their private lives and help our country move forward. Do you also want to expand your knowledge and apply your skills? Then become a professional in one of our apprenticeships!
Learn in a self-directed way.
"My best teacher is myself"
Discover learning opportunities and find learning paths
I’m a student at vocational high school 2, but since last semester I’ve also been a math teacher. Math has always been my strength, whereas other students have big problems with it. That’s why our school has MoMa, the “Modularized Mathematics” programme. Students can come here if they want to improve in a particular area. They then book the module for the subject, so to speak. And I help them to understand and practise the steps. Often the penny drops for me when I approach things from a different angle and choose a new approach to the mathematical problem. And once I’ve had my first success, it’s easier for me to stick with it and practise the steps until I’ve mastered them. I want to give my classmates this experience. The students decide for themselves when they feel fit enough to complete a particular module with a test. The school also wants to develop similar offers for other subjects and areas.
The Alice Salomon School wants to encourage new ways of learning: Here, everyone should be able to discover learning opportunities and find their own learning paths. The school supports this by offering opportunities to try out self-directed learning together. Would you also like to find out how you learn best? Then look for, use and develop opportunities to do so!
Discover your strengths, try them out and use them.
"I didn't even know what I could do"
Learning through teaching
A traveling exhibition about Anne Frank came to our school. The special thing about it was that we pupils were not just supposed to passively view the exhibition. No, we were able to train as exhibition guides in a workshop. I took part and learned a lot: information about the Nazi regime and the Second World War, but also methods for working with school groups. Yes, and then I accompanied a school class through the exhibition six times, led discussions and carried out group work. I discovered a lot of new skills that I can put to good use in my social education training.
The Alice Salomon School wants to be encouraging: it wants to offer scope to discover and try out your own strengths. Do you want to show what you’re made of? Then join in and get involved!
Take individual support seriously.
"Email for you"
I decide how fast my teacher works
In our German lessons, each student works at their own pace. We are working on a scene from a 120-year-old novel in which two men have a duel. The husband shoots the wife’s lover. First we acted out the scene from different angles in class: Re-enacting a “real duel”, making up and acting out conversations between the men and family members and friends. Now we are writing essays in which we try to better understand one of the two duelists. Part One is a brief characterization of the man, Part Two is a fictional letter from this man about the duel and in Part Three of the essay we explore what expectations a distinguished man had to meet at the time. What did family, friends and colleagues expect? What rules were there for duels? How does the hero of the novel deal with these demands? Each student writes at their own pace and sends their drafts as an email to the teacher. The teacher replies and gives advice. A very quick classmate has already finished all three parts and is currently working on the teacher’s suggestions. I first did some research on the Internet to get a better idea of “my” duelist, the husband. I came across real letters from the 19th century. That’s why I’ve only just sent off part one of the essay. I’m looking forward to the email from my teacher. If my smartphone is flashing, it’s not necessarily my girlfriend who texted…
The Alice Salomon School wants to support each pupil individually. That is why we experiment with different learning speeds and levels in the classroom. This is done through playful learning, individualized learning jobs and learning guidance (coaching). Take a look around and discover the possibilities!
Learn together with others and from others.
"Door to door with Alice"
My coach sits in the next class
There is a constant back and forth in our school corridor. Why is that? Well, on one side of the corridor are the doors to the nursery classes, and on the other side we have our classrooms: BF 1. Both sides of the corridor work together. This is because the educators often come to our class, do various activities with us or help us with our learning. This is called “peer education”. This peer education is good for BF 1, but also good for the nursery classes. This is because the teachers learn to work with young people, so they can combine work experience and class time. And we have our own learning coaches who accompany us throughout the school year.
The Alice Salomon School wants to make use of diversity: We want to create win-win situations in which different people benefit from each other. Diversity is not a problem, but a strength, an opportunity and an enrichment. Every individual is important for this school. Do you know of any combinations that could open up new opportunities? Then make them known and promote further learning partnerships.
Have the courage to be thorough.
"The discovery of slowness - or: Why the wardrobe is doing so well"
Working together to ensure care
I am a wardrobe. No, no, of course I’m not a wardrobe. But I imagine what the wardrobe we built in the BVJ could say about itself. What would it say? Let’s listen to it:
At first I was a plan. I was a drawing on the table. And I was a calculation on the blackboard. I felt really bored: “Hey, I’m not a pencil line or a chalk line! Can you hurry up? I want to be a cupboard, a real wooden thing!” But the teacher in the BVJ wood workshop kept his cool. The pupils discussed size and width, they made models out of paper, they wrote shopping lists. Then I lay on the pile as wood. I was getting all tingly: don’t leave me lying around like this! I want to stand upright, open my doors and fulfill my purpose! But once again, the teacher and pupils didn’t let themselves be disturbed. And then it got painful! I was sawn and drilled, grooved and screwed, stained and varnished. A difficult birth, I tell you, school hours long, days long. But now I’m standing here. Nothing can knock me down. Nothing jams and nothing groans in the hinges. So now I can stand in my place for years, stand my ground, so to speak, and do my job as a wardrobe. That’s what I’ve learned: it only works with patience and spit. Sometimes it’s quick, fast and hectic: what good can come of it? A wardrobe says thank you very much: thank you, girls and boys, for taking your time and doing it thoroughly.
The Alice Salomon School wants to encourage slowness and thoroughness. We want to counteract the trend towards superficiality and beautiful appearances. To achieve this, curricula and work plans need to be cleared out just as much as classrooms and staff rooms. We also want to focus on the essentials in school development, on what suits our school. Let’s become more thorough together every day! Do you want to help? Then have the courage to demand and practice thoroughness.