What is our primary school class doing – 20 years after the FR column? The greatest ABC shooter in the world met her again
We were first class. Megi and David, Samantha and Lukas, Svenja and Aljoscha, Doris and Hrvoje, Adriana, Nadina, Haldun, Ken, Nenad, Simon, Jörg, Raghini, Jakob, Nico, Daniel, Kristian, Eleni, Tommy – we all went to class 1b. A turbulent bunch of six-year-olds from Frankfurt. And someone who was already 37, called Thomasstillbauer by everyone, in one word. The greatest first grader in the world.
The adventures of the Schwarzburg school children could be read in the Frankfurter Rundschau every Saturday for two years. For example, they went on a trip to church (Hrvoje: “Who is the man? There on the wall, with the cross?”), Drove to an amusement park (“Aljoscha: You think it’s real. Then you have to have a blue one Catch a thing, and then you saved the world ”), mastered a European currency union (Ken:“ You have to pay twice as much and have five marks less in your pocket ”) and saw a mirage. What is a mirage? Svenja: “So water.”
We also learned to read. And write. Many of us can still do it today, as it turned out at the class reunion. It was 20 years ago that we started school. 20. Unbelievable.
Class teacher Ms. Mußmann should of course not be missing
Ms. Mußmann, our class teacher, comes to the meeting point first. She hasn’t changed a bit, claims to be 78 suddenly, and takes 10,000 steps a day. It was thanks to Ms. Mußmann in 2001 that a person was able to go to elementary school again at the age of 37. While the school office was racking around for weeks, she invited me to school without any problems, asked the assembled parents whether that was okay (there was applause in the auditorium!), And that’s it. My mom took me to school. Everyone sang the song “Wir Schwarzburgschulenkinder, wie sind da-ha-ha”. It was the greatest day of my life. I was three feet taller than everyone else.
And now? They are all grown up people! Here comes Samantha. The last time we saw each other, she wanted to be an actress or mayor, and she definitely planned to learn Bavarian better. That was in 2005, Samantha was ten and blonde. Since then she has spent an exchange year in England, after graduating a few months in South America, studied translation studies in Heidelberg, lived in Dublin for almost a year, worked there as an academic coordinator and as an English teacher. She is currently doing her Masters in Intercultural Communication in Utrecht, is committed to the integration of refugees in the German and Dutch education system, is more or less by chance in Frankfurt and is definitely a brunette, which she says happened all by itself.
Or Adriana. She once planned a career as a veterinarian and is now studying philosophy. Or Svenja: career plan teacher – now nutritionist. Elementary school pupil Nadina also wanted to do research, but has since opted for tax advice. “Really?” The classmates grin across the table. And Megi? Back then I wanted to become an interior designer (“Eeecht?”) And is now studying law.
Aljoscha wanted to become a “sea pilot” – it almost worked
The young women, it must be said, are more punctual than the men. This is excusable in individual cases. Aljoscha, for example, who once caused an uproar in the class because he heard sounds from a worksheet (“Quiet! News from 1b ”, still“ proud in my closet between ‘The Big 5 For Life’ and Frank Thelens, 10x DNA ‘”. At that time he wanted to become a marine biologist (“marine pilot” didn’t work). Sounds like he’s close.
Simon (former professional goal: zoologist) writes that he studied human geography and English, was also doing a job at the Zoom music club and is currently doing his master’s degree in urban studies – in Brussels. Yes, we Schwarzburg school children are internationa-ha-hal. Doris studied social work, worked as a probation officer and looks after elementary school children. Haldun is studying physics. And Hrvoje (plan: professional footballer), who tragically has no time on the evening of the class reunion, is an electrical engineer at Deutsche Bahn. Jörg (professional goal: designer of long aircraft) cannot either. He has to work. In the hospital. As a doctor.
Lukas has become a film lighting technician – instead of an inventor
Amazing. Let’s take a current class photo, even if unfortunately we can’t get all of the alumni together. Where is David actually? Call times. David: “Oops – three minutes!” After two and a half minutes he is there. “I’m bigger than you!” He clearly towers over the greatest first grader in the world. Also in width. While we’re joking, someone else comes shuffling: Lukas (then Luki). He wanted to be an inventor – and became a film lighting technician. David, everyone still knows, had the spectacular plan: Tornado hunter. What about today? Not quite. He studied, worked as an integration worker and is an emergency paramedic, next goal: a doctor. The tornadoes were lucky again.
Make sure to reminisce now. “Didn’t we even bring our pets to school?” Asks Samantha. “Yeah!” David: “I had my damn budgie with me!” Adriana: “I mean my guinea pig!” Once again, the world’s greatest first grader had nothing with him. It’s always been like that. They all had the best equipment. I stuffed seven pairs of socks into the school bag (Aljoscha: “Sohohohocken?”), And I finally had the blue loose-leaf binder, the others already had the red one. It was stupid if you only took part in the first week of school and then always on Mondays for the first lesson. Other first graders who don’t have to work for a newspaper on the side, of course, learn a lot more.
Ms. Mußmann particularly remembers the episode when Hrvoje rearranged the electrics in the room with courageous access on the class trip to Ronneburg. A budding electrical engineer. Or how the school dentist came into class with a doll that looked like a witch. David: “I had nightmares about it.” Simon once brought a book with him called … “Oberschnüffler Oswald”, it bursts from memory queen Adriana, who still knows practically everything. “That was a dog and he was a detective.” Samantha: “A sheep had a human as a pet.” For weeks, young conspirators dug during the breaks at a tunnel that was supposed to lead into the school basement. David: “One of them was smear.” The exciting undertaking probably ended after the excavation had progressed half a meter. You don’t know exactly anymore.
Something magical happens at the class reunion. As the sun goes down, for a moment everyone is the six-year-olds from back then – elementary school children who are amazed and laughing. They were children whose everyday school life became known to adults for the first time. Little celebrities, because they appeared in the FR on Saturdays and could even be seen on television, in a cultural contribution by the Hessischer Rundfunk. Even 20 years later, the once greatest first grader in the world is still being asked about the series from back then. It is as if the Schwarzburg school children were also a bit like the children of the FR readers.
They let the many fans share their thoughts on the attacks of September 11, 2001, which they had to deal with early in the first year of school, as well as the changeover to the euro, when they were only just learning how to handle money. One boy, Ken, became seriously ill and bravely survived the tough times. Everyone welcomed the giant first grader with a serenity and camaraderie, as if it were perfectly normal for a 37-year-old to be sitting there. It was your first time in first graders. They didn’t know their way around. It could have been that there was a 37-year-old in every school class, two 60-year-olds and four 77-year-olds, who knew that? I got birthday pictures painted. And invitations to birthday parties for Thomasstillbauer (in one word). Unforgettable proofs of friendship, guarded like treasures to this day.
There was a World War II bomb where they once played soccer!
“We were sitting on a powder keg!” Ms. Mußmann is still appalled. A World War II bomb was recently blown up right next to the Schwarzburg School. “It would have been enough back then, with a football … you always played there!” It went well again. David: “We were in a dinosaur exhibition, and that shaped me.” Megi: “Wow, that was boring!” But today she can still remember the most difficult dinosaur names by heart. Don’t tell anyone that we Schwarzburg school children have learned nothing. Ms. Mußmann: “We were also in the zoo with the gorillas, the father was very old, and he always has his long red hair … – everyone:” Orang-Uuutaaan! “Samantha:” And we got the bicycle license. “Megi:” We were so excited – as if you should never ride a bike again if you fail. “
Between us: How was Ms. Mußmann as a teacher? David: “I would say: very strict. So that one was afraid of screwing up, but was always happy to see it. “Ms. Mußmann had a chain on her wrist, Svenja remembers,” and it always clicked on the table when you erase a lot in our notebooks had to ”. Everyone: “Yeah!” Megi: “You knew how angry you were then.” The teacher giggles. Everyone giggles too.
And when will we see each other again? In five years, definitely
None of the 26-year-olds who came to the class reunion have children. Lukas has moved six times since school. He slowly has to say goodbye, “tomorrow morning at eight we are going to Sweden”. Vacation? “Nah, harvest apples.” General Oh and Ui. His cousin has an apple farm near Malmö. Lukas works there for a few months. The film lighting has to wait that long. There isn’t that much filmed anymore anyway.
Twelve children from 1b switched to grammar school after Schwarzburgschule in 2005, seven to comprehensive schools, three to secondary schools. “We already know a lot,” said David as a fourth grader at the time of the Frankfurter Rundschau. But it couldn’t hurt to learn a little more. Ken: “At some point you are otherwise stupid.”
We want to meet again in five years at the latest, then via video conference so that everyone can be there. Then we are Schwarzburg school children again da-ha-ha.
