12. Juni 2017

What should have become a clear mandate, turned into a political defeat. Theresa May’s Torys may have won the elections but lost the absolute majority. Now, May will form a government based on a coalition to lead a divided country. But in the big picture, does not failing to reach the goals set out before the elections generally mean that one would resign?

06. März 2017

The latest developments concerning the relations between Germany and Turkey raise the question whether the concept of democratic rights is fully understood. Because democracy is not solely defined by the citizens’ vote but by basic rights that apply to everyone. For instance, the separation of power or the human rights. Talking about the separation of power, a free and healthy press is an essential part of it. Two powerful politicians seem to ignore that and either call respectable press...

15. November 2016

By now, it is over. The election race ended and the excitement has subsided. Surprisingly, Donald Trump is the president elect. Not Hillary Clinton. <<We should make sure that he feels welcomed, because his success is our success,>> they say. Really? Did I miss something? Has he shown any respect or did he welcome the diversity a Western country - especially the United States of America - should be proud of? This is a European take on the events during the last week.

06. September 2016

They are considered to be the oil of the 21st century. The tons of data that we voluntarily give big data corporations for free. Google or Facebook have access to personal data that even dictatorships tend to get jealous of. If data is indeed the oil of the 21st century, then privacy regulations are like laws for environmental protection. We all know that there is a huge discrepancy between big data and privacy. In the following piece I would like to reflect on basic terms and the current...

01. August 2016

We are witnesses of a historic development. After the unsuccessful coup of the military to sustainably change the political system in Turkey, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is going through a worrying phase of „strengthening“ his power. In this week’s edition of the English Breakfast I would like to take a moment and reflect on what is happening before our very eyes. Of course, this is from my perspective and resonating my beliefs. But as a European citizen, I have the right to think...

24. Juni 2016

Das Schuljahr ist fast geschafft. Die Schüler/-innen zählen die Stunden bis Ferienbeginn und die Lehrer/-innen können sich endlich ihre wohlverdiente Pause gönnen. Doch wie wird die Zeit zwischen Notenschluss und Ferienbeginn eigentlich überbrückt? Üblicherweise mit Sport- oder Projektwochen. Wie die letzte Woche des Schuljahres noch effektiv genutzt werden kann, möchte ich hier anhand von drei Beispielen diskutieren.

20. Juni 2016

Geht es noch deutlicher? Während Bundeskanzler Christian Kern im Jahr 2016 angekommen ist, spricht der aufmüpfige Schulbub eine ewig gestrige Klientel an. Während Christian Kern auf der Regenbogenparade gesellschaftliche Haltungen einnimmt, die heutzutage eigentlich Common Sense sein sollten, meint Sebastian Kurz seine Liebe zu Jesus mitteilen zu müssen. Aber was sagt das über unsere Gesellschaft aus und welcher Bildungsauftrag ergibt sich daraus?