Frame and Preparation
Das Lehrerzimmer
Conceptual Frames and Background
- school, education
- society
- prejudice
- justice, truth
- communication
- ‘fake news’
- Diskussionskultur
Introduction
For this unit of German 425, I have students watch İlker Çatak’s feature film Das Lehrerzimmer (2023) and discuss it over two class sessions. I own a copy of the DVD and also had the LRC digitize it. My version has German subtitles only and, as far as I know, there is not yet an English-language version available anywhere. Although I have only screened it once, students at the 400 level seem up to the challenge of German subtitles with enough vocab prep, background info, and guiding questions.
Film Synopsis: “Carla Nowak (LEONIE BENESCH) is a dedicated, idealistic young teacher in her first job at a German middle school. Her relaxed rapport with her seventh-grade students is put under stress when a series of thefts occur at the school, and a staff investigation leads to accusations and mistrust among outraged parents, opinionated colleagues, and angry students. Caught in the middle of these complex dynamics, Carla tries to mediate—but the more she tries to do everything right, the more desperate her position becomes.” [adapted from Sony Pictures]
To help get you get started, you can find my notes on the film with key quotes, scenes, and corresponding timestamps in the following document:
The activities below borrow from a more extensive packet of “filmpädagogisches Begleitmaterial” I found online, which could be used in the future to further expand the unit beyond two class sessions:
Text and Discussion
Day 1
[1] 10 minutes
Students should look at this vocabulary list before watching the film. The entries are organized chronologically so they can also follow along while watching the film.
[2] 5 minutes
Students look at this summary of basic information about the film such as running time and themes. They should also spend a few minutes looking over the film’s table of contents:
I then ask them to report back one or two things we should expect to find in the film.
[3] 15 minutes
In groups, students discuss “die ideale Schule” and formative experiences they’ve had in the classroom:
[4] 15 minutes
Students are split up into 4 groups according to topic (see below) and asked to look at this webpage. dedicated to the film’s director İlker Çatak. Each group then reports to the others what they have learned:
a) biographical information about the director
b) other films he has directed
c) the director’s social media presence (ideally with images)
d) prizes the film has won
[5] 10 minutes
Students take turns reading aloud from a short interview with the director Download a short interview with the director. We discuss the different ways the classroom is said to function as a “Mikrokosmos” of broader society.
[6] 15 minutes
We watch the first fifteen minutes of the film together in class.
[7] 10 minutes
Discuss what we saw with an emphasis on the question of who Carla Nowak is as a character and how she is depicted in the film.
Day 2
At home, students watch the rest of the film and answer four questions (those bolded after numbers 1, 2, 3, and 6 below), which are then used to structure the second day’s discussion in class.
On the second day, I organize class according to the following nine topics, four of which they will have already prepared in completing the homework questions. The discussion of each topic should last about 9 or 10 minutes und begin with a clip. I then have them talk about it in small groups and eventually report back what they have discussed to their colleagues. Below you will find the questions I pose and what I bring in as relevant evidence for each topic.
[1] Wer ist Carla Nowak?
Carla speaking Polish (24:14)
Frau Novak has a Polish name but she is “gebürtige Westfälin” (57:50), explains that her parents came to Germany from the Danzig area at the end of the 1980s
Oskar steals her laptop, runs, then throws it in the river (1:08:45), which is later explained away by Frau Nowak as an attempt to save his mother (1:10:40), later she’s asked about her black eye and says nothing about his involvement (1:12:20)
Frau Nowak: “Ich finde über Dinge sprechen immer noch besser als über Dinge schweigen” (1:18:10)
[2] Wie wird Carla Nowak gezeigt?
Shot of Frau Nowak through the office glass (1:15:30)
Frau Nowak at the window, with Frau Kuhn on a bike outside (1:28:20)
[3] Was lernen wir im Mathematikunterricht? [5:30-6:25]
Student presenting on Thales and his prediction of the next eclipse: “Das Unberechenbare wurde berechenbar” (48:50)
“universell überprüfbaren Warheit gesucht” (49:50)
Latin saying posted on the wall of the school is translated in the subtitles as “Die Wahrheit überwindet alle Grenzen” (1:15:00). “Alles andere ist PR.”
[4] Discuss the status of the surveillance video
Frau Novak realizes that her money was stolen while she was out of the room, shot of her alarm from an external perspective (23:50)
The Polish teacher explains that the video breaks “Persönlichkeitsrechte” (34:00)
[5] interview with the school newspaper (57:00)
The students confront Frau Nowak about whether Oskar should change schools or not (59:50) and explain to her that they have to ‘protect their sources’ (unsere Quellen schützen)
“Wir haben nur geschrieben was Sie nicht sagen wollten” (1:14:25)
the newspaper reveals it spoke to Frau Kuhn for the story (1:15:00)
The school principal decides to ban the issue of the newspaper (1:18:50)
[6] Welche Fragen stellt der Film letztendlich?
[7] Question of guilt
Frau Nowak to her colleauges: “Offenbar sieht er mich verantworlich dafür, dass seine Mutter nicht mehr hier arbeiten darf” (1:10:50)
“Wir bestrafen ihn für ein mögliches Vergehen seiner Mutter. Das ist Sippenhaft” (1:11:00), refers to the principle of families sharing the responsibility for a crime committed by one of its members
Both Frau Nowak and the young girl attending the meeting believe “dass die Konsequenzen dann andere tragen” (1:11:20)
Frau Nowak to Frau Kuhn on the phone at the end: “Wenn wir versagen, dann gemeinsam” (1:25:30)
[8] Film style
no subtitles for conversation in Turkish (8:29)
principle asks the parents to please speak in German rather than Turkish
Frau Novak speaking in English (20:00)
Speaking Polish (24:14)
woman walks by wearing the same shirt as Frau Kuhn in the video (1:00:50); then cuts to subjective shot of everyone around her wearing the same shirt (1:01:15)
Cuts to shots of different rooms in the school, but now without people in them (1:31:30)
[9] Final scene
Final shot is Oskar on the chair being carried out by the police (1:31:50)