Tuesday 26 November 2019

The Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD) State Work Service



Living away from home

The girls tended to live in barracks and were often sent to different parts of the country even though other barracks might be nearer to their home. This made them rely on each other more and they developed a sense of camaraderie. They had some fun. They also gained a sense of duty. They received some training in the jobs mentioned below.    

Find out what you can about what life was like in the barracks. Pretend you are a young German woman living there. Write home about life in the barracks.

The type of work  

The organisation was originally for men and helped to keep them employed in the 1930s but was extended to young women as war broke out. It included useful training towards their later war work – Kriegsdienst – war work.
Work included:
·         Working on farms
·         Looking after the children and the home whilst the farmer’s wife got on with farm work.
·          Learning first aid.
·         Operating telephone exchanges.
·         Delivering post
Which of these jobs appeals to you most and why? Imagine you are a German girl writing to a friend about the work you are doing.

Exceptions

Girls were excused RAD if:
·         They found a job that was the equivalent of the RAD.  This is what Hani did in becoming the housekeeper at Schellberg Street.
·         They had attended a school that taught domestic duties such as the Piloty School in Nuremberg. They would only have to six months RAD instead of a year. At this school they learnt the art of scrubbing floors.
·         They had to take over the role of a father or brother who lost their life in the war. Twin sisters in The House on Schellberg Street had to take over their father’s business when he died suddenly.      
Imagine you have one of the reasons for not completing RAD. Write a formal letter to the RAD bureau explaining why you think you should be exempt. Outline exactly what you have been doing.  

Wednesday 6 November 2019

A Waldorf School Education



·           

    
The First Waldorf School in Stuttgart
      

T      This opened 1919
·         By 1924 it had twelve year groups
·         The children of workers at the Waldorf-Astoria Cigarette Company came in response to the initiative of founders Emil and Berta Molt.
·         When Hani joined the school in 1931 it had several classes in each year group.   
·         Steiner wanted the school to be in the direction of independence of the economic, governmental and cultural realms.
Discuss with other in your groups why such a school needed to exist in those days in Germany and why Hani’s parents wanted her to join it. Report your conclusion to the rest of your class.

Educational principles in the Waldorf School

Steiner insisted on the following for his schools:  
1.      The school should be open to all children;
2.      It should be coeducational;
3.      It should that it be a unified twelve-year school;
4.      The teachers, those individuals actually in contact with the children, should have primary control over the pedagogy of the school, with a minimum of interference from the state or from economic sources.
Discuss in your groups how this compares with your school. Are the differences important? You may need some help with number 4.  Talk to your teachers.  

The Waldorf School Day

The Waldorf school day is divided up into three main parts: head, heart, and hands. The Head lesson is also referred to as the Main Lesson and is done first thing in the morning. After a break, the Heart subjects follow. Heart subjects include drawing and painting, drama, foreign languages, music, and so on. The afternoon is reserved for Hands. This is PE, dance, handwork (knitting, woodworking, etc.), gardening, and other physical activities.   

Were your primary school days like this? Can you rearrange your present school timetable according to this? Does it fit?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?