Beneficial hours for the college
This year’s study day at BBS Alice Salomon took place on Tuesday, 25.03.25. A large majority of the teaching staff decided to focus on teacher health.
A dedicated preparation team quickly came together and prepared the day with great enthusiasm and attention to detail. The top-class external speaker Jimmy Little was brought in, the Stadthalle in Linz was booked and the best catering was provided on the day. And so the staff spent an inspiring and energetic 7.5 hours with Jimmy Little, who gave numerous exercises and impulses for getting through the day-to-day life of a teacher in a healthy way.
Mr. Little, who was born in Los Angeles but has lived in Germany for many years, is a certified trainer for the German Sports Federation, an education lecturer at the German Sport University in Cologne and also works for the Institute for Teacher Health in Mainz. He believes that 4 pillars are important for a healthy lifestyle:
- Movement
- Healthy diet
- Sleep hygiene
- Relaxation
From an evolutionary point of view, our bodies are not designed to sit all day. This is why movement-oriented teaching, which not only keeps the body fit but also supplies the brain with oxygen, is so important.
On the subject of healthy eating, Mr. Little also made a comparison with his home country, the USA, and pointed out the harmful effects of fast food with impressive images. The college learned breathing techniques that lead to rapid relaxation in stressful situations, and numerous physical exercises were performed that are simple but effective and lead to a healthier lifestyle.
The whole day was designed to be sustainable, which means that we were given extensive material to anchor the exercises in everyday life.
Jimmy Little is highly recommended as a lecturer. However, if you want to work with him, you have to hurry, because unfortunately he is retiring next year.
A huge thank you to the preparation team: Martin Schäfer, Theresa Raabe, Ulrike Köhler-Raithelhuber, Iradet Bajrami, Anne Gasper, Kerstin Heil and Doris Schulte-Schwering. The day would not have been possible without you.
Text: Doris Schulte-Schwering
Photos: Jutta Döring