Many teachers are retiring. But there are also some who are extending their working lives and are further ahead of the class. A headmistress in the Salzland district shows that this is still possible at 70.
Sachsendorf (dpa/sa) – The letters full of admiration confirm Helga Frenzel. She is the best teacher, math is fun is in it. Helga Frenzel sits upright on a chair in the staff room. She looks focused and yet a little strict as a teacher through her glasses. The 70-year-old could have done what pensioners usually do for a long time – but she made a different decision.
Helga Frenzel continues to go to school. Completely voluntarily and gladly. “I’ve been a teacher for 51 years now, and I’ve never had the feeling that you have to go to school now.” She knows that some acquaintances react with incomprehension.
She understands the life plans of many who are looking forward to retirement. But she wants to continue working herself, says the special education teacher, who taught at a special needs school in Schönebeck until the last day before she retired. It was clear to her that there was still a lot to pass on. It doesn’t end just because the date of birth specifies it. Her age is on the ID card, says the 70-year-old, but she doesn’t feel that way herself. And: Her career aspirations were always clear. Being a teacher is not just a job for her, but a calling. Her principle is: “What would be fun for me as a student”. Projects and application, incentive and motivation are important.
According to the Ministry of Education, Helga Frenzel is currently one of 61 teachers who are extending their working lives. Not all do it full-time. That is why there are arithmetic 48.9 full-time positions. In addition, 59 former teachers were hired again on a temporary basis, which corresponds to around 23 full-time positions. And that with currently around 14,300 teachers in active state service, which are already far too few.
The active retirees are not a solution to the problem of the teacher shortage, but they are a building block. A few months ago, Education Minister Eva Feußner (CDU) wrote a letter asking teachers to voluntarily stay longer in school.
Instead of starting out as a pensioner, Helga Frenzel registered with the state education authority. She encountered a “great speechlessness”. You couldn’t really do anything with her. A case like this had probably never happened before. Finally, she took over the unsuccessfully advertised headmaster position at the primary school in Groß Mühlingen. That was her job for four years – until someone younger was found in response to an advertisement.
Frenzel emphasizes that she is never concerned with taking a job away from others. She wants to help and get involved. But it is also important to her not to be determined by others. “Nah, not at all.” And so she applied again for a job that was advertised without any response – this time in the small town of Sachsendorf.
A few months ago she started there as headmistress. While previously she could always take the bus to school, now there is no longer such a connection. Helga Frenzel bought the first car of her life at the beginning of this year. And so she drives the 30 kilometers to the Sachsendorf elementary school every day. “I saw it as a challenge,” says the 70-year-old.
Eva Gerth, state chairwoman of the Education and Science Union (GEW), says: “Very few people can do that.” Given the high level of stress, most teachers took the first or second chance to retire. For those who want to work longer, the red carpet is not just rolled out in the state school board. After a career as a teacher, you then ask for a certificate of good conduct again. Eva Gerth emphasizes: “The real incentives are missing.” It is conceivable for them to offer 63 to 67-year-old teachers to teach 20 instead of 25 hours a week, but beyond the age limit.
At her current elementary school, Helga Frenzel brought a former teaching assistant back into the classroom after two years of retirement. The colleague had fallen on the ceiling on the head. And so it goes on in a team with six colleagues between 50 and 60. When asked how long she would like to continue working, Helga Frenzel says: “I’ll see.”
