The Students' Voice Since 1997
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THE the students‘since 1997 voice MT HE I NDEPENDENUCKRAKERT J OHN F. K ENNEDY S CHOOL S T UDEN ts ‘ N EW S PAPER Volume XVII, Issue V Monday, April 15, 2013 Circulation: 200 PAGE 1 THE Where the US Teachers Go - the JFKS MUCKRAKER Tenure System Students: How many good of those two years, however, the Speaks! teachers have we seen come and U.S. teachers would have to pay go in the time that we’ve been all the taxes they would have As all of us are returning here? A number of these depar- owed during those two years. That to school after a hopefully re- tures we’ve truly regretted and, turned out to be quite a hefty bur- laxing Easter break, the linger- further, we know little about the den, and many American teachers ing hope for the soon-to-come reasons behind their leaving. On naturally chose to leave for a year warm weather is still within ev- the other hand, how many times and return to get re-hired under a ery student walking the JFKS have we wished we could have new “tax free” contract. hallways (which might seem a some “say” in a teacher’s assess- This was workable for ment? some, perhaps. But no one likes lot emptier with the 12th grade Why do American teachers inconsistency, especially JFKS stu- abi students having left). While come and go so much? The admin- dents who had to deal with having we await this late spring arriv- istration is often blamed for this, good teachers replaced by tem- al, we, the Muckraker editors but the situation is actually much porary ones. For many teachers, are here to brighten your day more complex. It has to do with this arrangement translated into a with our latest issue. policies set in German law by the lack of job security. Thus in 2007, As some may have no- Berlin Senat, which largely runs the German government passed a ticed, we weren’t able to print the city school system, including new policy striking the “back-tax- the previous issue, which we JFKS. es” system for its guest workers. had hoped to release before Before 2007, American The new policy allows internation- teachers could work two years, al teachers to stay for longer peri- the ski trip, due to the mal- “tax free,” under a temporary con- ods of time. functioning of ALL the school tract. Working tax free seemed to copy machines. But now all is be an attractive offer. At the end continued on page 2 well, since you’re holding this precious paper in your hands! Looking forward to warmer and brighter days, The SC has some exciting The experienced 10th graders information to share with have prepared some very all of us. This is the first useful tips regarding the of many newsletters that internship.This article will leave all of you, who are will be published in the intimidated by it, with a sense Your Editors Muckraker. of relief. on page 3 on page 4 This issue also features An intriguing list of the international news. Make top movies is once again sure to read the article prepared by our experts, ’’Remembering Our Pope’’. Antonia and Alina. You will all be convinced to immediately watch each one of them if you have not done so. on page 6 on page 7 and 8 Volume XVII, Issue V Monday, April 15, 2013 Circulation: 200 PAGE 2 JFKS LIfe Staff Box and 8th grade. Those students were brave and pro-active enough to ex- Founding Fathers: continued from page 1 press our opinion, even though it Mikolaj Bekasiak Many young teachers, not was in vain. It was an exceptional Seth Hepner quite ready to settle down, still event. Adam Nagorski come and go peacefully. However, if For U.S. teachers, anoth- a teacher is to be employed for lon- er obstacle on the road to tenure Senior Advisor: ger than five years, he or she must is this: if an international teacher Sophia Hengelbrok be offered, and accept, tenure (a leaves at the end of five years, he Hyerin Park permanent position). or she is given a check with his/her Lara Fenwick The teacher under consideration for retirement money, which is gener- tenure is evaluated. Many students ous by American standards. This Editors: have seen this process: the princi- was part of an attractive offer that Julia Chrampanis pals and other important adminis- was accepted by two good staff- Lenny Leass trators ‘sit in’ on a class and watch ers last year. If offered, however, the teacher teach. The observers tenure means a secure position Layout Editor: are usually gone after a single pe- until retirement, a strong financial Polina Andreeva riod. Students are not asked for bond between the teacher and the their opinions. If the administrators school. It’s a safe bet that most of Journalists: decide that the teacher is a good fit JFKS’s German teachers have per- for the institution, that teacher will Antonia Nihsen manent tenured positions. Alina Albrecht be offered tenure. If not, the teach- The relationship among er leaves. (Politics sometimes rears Christopher Daum teachers, administration and stu- Chaeky Song its ugly head here: if a teacher gets dents should be one of trust. Stu- on the wrong side of the wrong per- Clara Frick dents have been in the dark about Matilde Borio son at the wrong time, there may these policies in the past, and con- be a job to pay.) Milena Kula sistently fail to seek answers as Max Sherwood Now, as more and more teachers to why their teachers disappear. I decide to stay, naturally, tenure Victor Passfall hope I have provided somewhat of Georgia Humphries positions fill up. Fewer American an answer to this question, which teachers can be hired and kept. Jan Eric Hellenbrand has bothered me in the past. I en- Simona Koch People might remember when this courage you to take a look at your issue arose in 2012, in the his- surroundings and seek answers to tory department. Rumors spread your own questions, as this is the that a popular teacher had to go, first step toward productive change. and perceptive students were up- set. I signed a petition that some 8th graders circulated to keep the THE MUCKRAKER is an independent teacher, whom I had in both the 7th Max Sherwood newspaper. The opinions expressed here in no way reflect those of the administration of the John F. Ken- nedy School. A Student Voice on the Valentines Dance 2013, Hosted by the Student Council How to join the Muckraker Staff How did you like this year’s Valentine’s Dance, Nicki Saee (7c)? 1. Come to our weekly meetings in the 20-minute- “The Valentines Dance started off very well. Everyone was in a great break on Tuesdays in B214 mood and the atmosphere was perfect. More and more people came until 2. Send in your articles to the dance floor was crowded. A lot of students first needed to get motivated [email protected] to dance. Most of us especially liked the light effects. There were a lot of 3. Drop a note in our foods & drinks which were enjoyable refreshments. The play list wasn’t ev- mailbox or approach us eryone’s taste. The couple dance didn’t work out that well this year, but I randomly in the hallways have to admit it was fun (even though just a few couples danced together). All in all most of us had a fun evening and were glad to come.” The Student Council Volume XVII, Issue V Monday, April 15, 2013 Circulation: 200 PAGE 3 JFKS LIFE The Student Council Newsletter • Thank you to all of you who have participated in Clean the School Day! We saw many busy and enthusiastic students helping out. We hope that this successful event encourages all students to keep the school clean in the future, so that the SC itself can be more effective in combating the dirtiness. Also, the Valentine’s Dance was a great success. Check our facebook page for photos! • Members of the Student Council and JFKS Goes Green Group have recently painted the bathrooms in the White and Blue Building. Please keep the bathrooms neat and do not destroy their effort. • Nearly the entire High School has participated in our survey on Homework and School Cleanliness. Thank you! The SC’s future of success strongly depends on your voices. If you did not take part, but still want to, you can contact us at the email below or via facebook. • Adding to the survey, we need your input. If you believe that the amount of homework must change, please write down the time you spend on school work each night (including projects and test preparation) for about 10 days. Then, send us an email with your results. Your help is highly appreciated! • The Student Council has formed a committee which will work on the project “Schule ohne Rassismus – Schule mit Courage”. It consists of students from both the Elementary and the High School, not necessarily SC members. The committee will work independently; so the SC can focus on other projects. • The Student Council Presidents have introduced a new point in the agenda of all SC meet- ings: “Approval of minutes and agenda”. This makes it possible for your class representatives to bring up a variety of issues. It is a great way for you to address suggestions or complaints, just tell your class reps! • The Student Council has a new official email address: [email protected].