Tag: literature

Schäftlarn Students on the Big Screen at the Brandenburg Gate at the Teacher Award Ceremony – An Amazing Ceremony and Honour for Our School [ENG/GERMAN]

For German click here

Dr Michael Stierstorfer teaches German and Latin at the Benedictine secondary school in Schäftlarn near Munich. He is also the Head of German class, coordinator of the school’s internal and regional reading competition and Booktube channel, he supervises the school library and reading recommendations. He is a member of the project HISTORMYTHOS. Intermediale, interkulturelle und diachrone Perspektiven der Antikenrezeption, the Our Mythical Childhood programme, and the Cluster: The Past for the Present – International Research and Educational Programme. In 2017 he co-edited, with Prof. Markus Janka from the University of Munich, the volume Verjüngte Antike. Griechisch-römische Mythologie und Histo­rie in zeitgenössischen Kinder- und Jugendmedien (Universitätsverlag Winter). On 31 March 2025, Dr Michael Stierstorfer was granted the German Teacher Award in the “Outstanding Educators” category. Below, he briefly describes his impressions.

The day of the award ceremony was very eventful; instead of a quiet breakfast, interviews with countless Bavarian radio stations began at 8 a.m. Then, a brisk sprint to the futuristically designed Axica Hall in Berlin, situated between the venerable Hotel Adlon and the Brandenburg Gate, was followed by the beginning of the ceremony. After a cool performance by poetry slammer and cabaret artist Lars Ruppel, the first certificates were presented by Jurors renowned in the field of education. The board of the Heraeus Educational Foundation and the German Philologists’ Association then offered their warm congratulations to the teachers.

Dr Michael Stierstorfer receveing the German Teacher Award in the “Outstanding Educators” category – phot. Lehrkräftepreis [source].

In conversation, the very charming host, Alexandra Heraeus, told me that she also lives in Bavaria (Germany) near the school of Schäftlarn. What a small world. An invitation to the monastery was immediately extended. Next, our upper school students appeared on the big screen and explained to the experts what, in their view, constitutes outstanding teaching and what makes an exceptional teacher.

Laureates of the German Teacher Award for “Outstanding Educators”, for innovative teaching methods and exemplary school management – phot. Tagesschau [source].

After a performance by education influencer Emily Hornbach, the other prizes in categories such as “Innovative Teaching”, “Cultural Education”, and “Environment and Sustainability” were awarded. At the end of this brilliant ceremony, numerous interviews followed with BR, ZDF-Phoenix, and other audiovisual media. After this press marathon, delicious snacks were served to restore everyone’s strength, which rounded off the event perfectly. Here are excerpts from the Jury’s reasoning for my award:
Special qualities according to the students include creative, innovative, and future-oriented teaching, enthusiasm, extensive use of modern media and techniques, integration of external experts into lessons, strong commitment, and the incorporation of the students’ own world into the classroom.
(German Teacher Award – Innovative Teaching)

A reportage by the SAT.1 Bayern TV.

Quotations from students’ assessment:
Overall, in our opinion, Mr. Stierstorfer is the most innovative teacher in the country – after all, which other teacher has their own YouTube channel?

Mr. Stierstorfer inspires us with enthusiasm and motivation because he is cheerful when he comes to class every day, always gives appropriate feedback, and his enthusiasm is contagious, as he wants to bring out the best in each of us.

In Mr. Stierstorfer’s classes, everyone can be themselves because he gives feedback at eye level and, through his joyous and strongly optimistic manner, also supports students who are average or weaker.

Moreover, Mr. Stierstorfer consistently stands up for his democratic and humanistic values, which are also reflected in the topics of our “Booktubes”, ranging from political issues to inclusion.

He is the creative “super teacher” at our school and a genuinely great character!

He always tries, by all means, to make something special possible for his students –something that will remain in our life memories.

Mr. Stierstorfer fulfills all the criteria you have mentioned outstandingly.

Mr. Stierstorfer is truly a teacher with heart and soul and a considerable portion of humorous creativity, which for us students is the absolute non plus ultra. That’s why many grades always hope to have him as their teacher.

[…] In this context, he also created an innovative learning circle, which we found very enriching for our lessons because it contained great visuals along with vocabulary and grammar aids. This circle focuses on the popular topic of the reception of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Interview for the Science Blog of the University of Regensburg:
https://blog.uni-regensburg.de/bildung-mit-wirkung

An interview by Susanne Brückner for the 95.5 Charivari Radio.

Post by Michael Stierstorfer (based on https://www.abtei-schaeftlarn.de/gymnasium-internat/aktuelles), placed by Olga Strycharczyk.

Schäftlarner Schüler auf Großleinwand am Brandenburger Tor beim Lehrkräftepreis – Eine unglaubliche Verleihung und Ehre für unsere Schule

Dr. Michael Stierstorfer unterrichtet Deutsch und Latein am Gymnasium der Benediktiner in Schäftlarn bei München. Zudem ist er Fachleiter für Deutsch, Koordinator des schulinternen und des regionalen Vorlesewettbewerbs und des Booktube-Kanals, betreut die Schulbibliothek sowie die Leseempfehlungen. Er ist Mitglied des Projekts HISTORMYTHOS. Intermediale, interkulturelle und diachrone Perspektiven der Antikenrezeption, des Programms Our Mythical Childhood sowie des Clusters The Past for the Present – International Research and Educational Programme. Im Jahr 2017 gab er gemeinsam mit Prof. Markus Janka von der Universität München den Band Verjüngte Antike. Griechisch-römische Mythologie und Geschichte in zeitgenössischen Kinder- und Jugendmedien (Universitätsverlag Winter) heraus. Am 31. März 2025 erhielt Dr. Michael Stierstorfer den Deutschen Lehrerpreis in der Kategorie „Herausragende Lehrkräfte“. Im Folgenden schildert er kurz seine Eindrücke.

Der Tag der Verleihung war sehr ereignisreich, anstatt eines ruhigen Frühstücks standen ab 8 Uhr Interviews mit unzähligen bayerischen Radiosendern an. Dann ging die Verleihung nach einem sportlichen Sprint zur futuristisch designten Axica-Halle in Berlin, die zwischen dem altehrwürdigen Hotel Adlon und dem Brandenburger Tor gelegen ist, die Verleihung los. Nach einer coolen Poetry-Slammer Performance von Kabarettist Lars Ruppel, wurden die ersten Urkunden von den namhaften Jurorinnen und Juroren aus der Bildungsszene vergeben: Der Vorstand der Heraeus Bildungsstiftung und der des Deutschen Philologenverbands gratulierten sodann uns Lehrkräften sehr herzlich.

Dr. Michael Stierstorfer bei der Verleihung des Deutschen Lehrkräftepreises in der Kategorie „herausragende Lehrkräfte“ – Foto: Lehrkräftepreis [source].

Im Gespräch verriet mir die sehr sympathische Gastgeberin Alexandra Heraeus, dass sie ebenso im Bundesland Bayern (Deutschland) und sogar ganz in der Nähe des Klosters Schäftlarn wohne. So klein ist die Welt. Eine Einladung ins Kloster wurde sogleich ausgesprochen. Als Nächstes erschienen unsere Oberstufenschülerinnen und Schüler auf Großleinwand und erklärten den Experten, was in ihren Augen herausragender Unterricht sei und was eine besondere Lehrkraft ausmache.

Die Preisträgerinnen und Preisträger des Deutschen Lehrkräftepreises in den Kategorien „herausragende Lehrkräfte“, „Unterricht innovativ“ und „vorbildliche Schulleitung“ – Foto: Tagesschau [source].

Nach einem Auftritt der Bildungsinfluencerin Emily Hornbach wurden noch die  anderen Preise der anderen Kategorien wie „Unterricht Innovativ“, „Kulturelle Bildung“ oder „Umwelt und Nachhaltigkeit“ verliehen. Am Ende dieser genialen Verleihung folgten noch zahlreiche Interviews mit dem BR,  ZDF-Phoenix und anderen audiovisuellen Medien. Nach diesem Presse-Marathon gab es zur Stärkung des leiblichen Wohls sehr leckere Häppchen, wodurch die Veranstaltung passend abgerundet wurde. Auszüge aus der Jury-Begründung für meinen Preis finden sich hier:
Besondere Eigenschaften laut Schülerinnen und Schülern: Kreativer, innovativer und zukunftsorientierter Unterricht, Begeisterungsfähigkeit, umfangreicher Einsatz moderner Medien und Techniken, Einbindung externer Experten in den Unterricht, hohes Engagement, Integration der Lebenswelt der Schülerinnen und Schüler in den Unterricht. (Deutsche Lehrkräftepreis – Unterricht innovativ)

Eine Fernseh-Reportage von Sat. 1 Bayern.

Direktes Lob von Schülerinnen und Schülern:
Insgesamt ist Herr Stierstorfer – also unserer Meinung nach – der innovativste Lehrer im Land, oder welche Lehrkraft hat schon seinen eigenen Youtube-Channel?

Herr Stierstorfer steckt uns dadurch mit Begeisterung und Motivation an, dass er jeden Tag gut gelaunt ist, stets passendes Feedback gibt und sein Enthusiasmus auf uns überspringt, weil er aus jedem von uns das Beste herausholen will.

Im Unterricht von Herrn Stierstorfer kann jeder er selbst sein, weil er den Schülern das Feedback auf Augenhöhe gibt und auch mittlere und schlechtere Schüler durch seine positive und stark optimistische Art mitzieht.

Zuletzt steht Herr Stierstorfer stets für seine demokratischen und humanistischen Werte ein und dies zeigen auch die Themenfelder unserer Booktubes, die von politischen Aspekten bis hin zu Inklusion reichen.

Er der kreativköpfige Superlehrer unserer Schule und ein super Charakter!

Er versucht immer mit allen Mitteln seinen Schülerinnen und Schülern etwas Besonderes zu ermöglichen, was uns fürs Leben im Gedächtnis bleiben soll.

Herr Stierstorfer erfüllt all die von Ihnen genannten Kriterien in herausragender Weise.

Herr Stierstorfer ist wirklich Lehrer mit Leib und Seele und einer riesigen Portion lustiger Kreativität, das ist für uns Schüler das non plus ultra. Daher wünschen sich viele Klassen stets ihn als Lehrer.

[…] In diesem Kontext hat er auch einen innovativen Lernzirkel erstellt, den wir für den Unterricht sehr bereichernd fanden, weil darin tolle Bilder mit Vokabel- und Grammatikhilfen sind.

Interview für den Science Blog der Universität Regensburg:
https://blog.uni-regensburg.de/bildung-mit-wirkung

Ein Interview von Susanne Brückner für 95.5 Charivari Radio.

Post von Michael Stierstorfer (auf Basis von https://www.abtei-schaeftlarn.de/gymnasium-internat/aktuelles), eingetragen von Olga Strycharczyk.

Schäftlarn Booktubers Nominated for the German Reading Prize [ENG/GERMAN]

For German click here

The project seminar on making Booktubes at the Benedictine secondary school in Schäftlarn near Munich, led by Dr Michael Stierstorfer, cooperation partner of the Our Mythical Childhood project, has been nominated for the German Reading Prize, which is endowed with several thousand euros. This is awarded in several categories to people who have made a special contribution to promoting and motivating reading.

Dr Michael Stierstorfer with the students from the P-Seminar Booktubes, phot. Otto Heitzer.

Together with his students, Dr Stierstorfer has also published book reviews focusing on Greek and Roman mythology in this context. The focus was on works from current children’s and youth literature. The students of the course are very pleased and are already very excited about the announcement of the prizes.  The mythical short videos can be found under the following links on the Youtube channel GBS Booktubes:

Press articles on the nomination can be found here:

Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss, “Schäftlarner Schüler für Deutschen Lesepreis nominiert”, Merkur.de, 24 October 2024 (accessed 10 January 2025).

“Preisverdächtig: Nominierte für den Deutschen Lesepreis 2025
stehen fest”, Deutscher Lesepreis, [2024], (accessed 10 January 2025).

Post placed by Olga Strycharczyk

Schäftlarner Booktuber für den Deutschen Lesepreis nominiert

Das Projekt-Seminar zum Drehen von Booktubes des Gymnasiums der Benediktiner Schäftlarn bei München unter der Leitung von Dr. Michael Stierstorfer, Kooperationspartner des Projekts Our Mythical Childhood, wurde für den mit mehreren Tausend Euro dotierten deutschen Lesepreis nominiert. Dieser wird Personen, die sich besonders um die Leseförderung und Lesemotivation verdient gemacht haben, in mehreren Kategorien verliehen.

Dr. Michael Stierstorfer mit den Schülerinnen vom P-Seminar Booktubes, phot. Otto Heitzer.

Zusammen mit seinen Schülerinnen hat Stierstorfer in diesem Kontext auch Buchbesprechungen mit dem Fokus auf die griechisch-römische Mythologie veröffentlicht. Hierbei standen Werke aus der aktuellen Kinder- und Jugendliteratur im Vordergrund. Die Schülerinnen des Kurses freuen sich sehr und sind schon sehr nervös mit Blick auf die Bekanntgabe der Preise. Die mythischen Kurzvideos sind unter den folgendes Links auf dem Youtube-Channel GBS Booktubes zu finden:

Presseartikel zur Nominierung findet man hier:

Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss, “Schäftlarner Schüler für Deutschen Lesepreis nominiert”, Merkur.de, 24 Oktober 2024 (10 Januar 2025).

“Preisverdächtig: Nominierte für den Deutschen Lesepreis 2025stehen fest”, Deutscher Lesepreis, [2024], (10 Januar 2025).

Post eingetragen von Olga Strycharczyk

The Public Reading of Aristophanes’ “Assemblywomen”, by Elena Mignani

Elena Mignani (b. 2000) graduated in Classical Studies at the University of Bologna, she attended the first year of Master in Classics at Bologna and will move to Oxford University to conclude her studies. She took part in the public reading of Aristophanes, organized by Prof. Valentina Garulli, and in the translation workshop curated by Prof. Garulli with Davide Lamandini (Master student at the University of Bologna).

Once again this year, the customary Public Reading of the Classics was held in collaboration with the Festival Européen Latin Grec and coordinated by Valentina Garulli, Professor of Greek Language and Literature at the University of Bologna. On 15 March 2024, at the Enzo Biagi auditorium of Bologna’s municipal library, “Salaborsa”, students from the city’s two classical high schools, Marco Minghetti and Luigi Galvani, presented a reading of passages from the Ekklesiazuse, or Assemblywomen by Aristophanes, a text selected by the Festival for this edition. You can see a short reportage about the project here:

In Preparation for the Reading: The Introductory Lectures
The public reading of the text, the final event of the project, was preceded as usual by four introductory lectures given by university professors in the previous weeks. The guests invited this year addressed the play from various perspectives, including that of the political utopia of women governing Athens  (Prof. Vinicio Tammaro, University of Bologna), and how the new laws promoted by this revolutionary government curiously seem to be found in much the same form in the ideal city theorised by Plato in the Republic (Prof. Andrea Capra, University of Milan). This mundus inversus was analysed by Prof. Markus Janka (Ludwig-Maximilians Universität) in its grotesque component, seen as a field of experimentation and a deforming mirror of social antinomies, also looking at the more modern reception of the work. The lecture by Prof. Pietro Totaro (University of Bari), examined in detail some of the final iambic scenes of the play, such as the one in which two old women vie for the company of a young man, by focusing in particular on some textual problems and the comic ideology that can be derived from them.

Third introductory lecture, by Prof. Pietro Totaro. Phot. Mattia Belletti.

Around the Reading: How to Bring Aristophanes Back on Stage
The choice of Assemblywomen was decidedly unexpected, but it was widely appreciated by both professors and students, who had the opportunity to experiment with new ways of translating and disseminating a classic text. Indeed, the first challenge began precisely when it came to choosing how to successfully translate an ancient work and, secondly, how to represent it in front of a contemporary audience. How can one gloss over the various unfamiliar proper names of politicians, strategoi, common citizens, that characterise the Aristophanic play and which, unfortunately, make it so inaccessible? How can one understand the historical context in which it was staged and at the same time equate a theatrical experience with a simple reading of the text?

Translation workshop. Phot. Mattia Belletti.

To achieve this goal, part of the project was dedicated to translation workshops run by master graduate students, in which high school students were able to test their translation skills, devising a translation that was not purely made for school but that was suitable for a public reading. The reading was also accompanied by photographic and musical aids that gave a clear picture of the scene being read and the actors involved. The participation of the students was essential also in these occasions: they contributed their musical and theatrical skills to the background music, to the two introductory and conclusive videos and some pictures, used during the reading itself. “A fruitful interweaving”, commented Domenico Alfano, an undergraduate student at the University of Bologna, which “significantly enhanced the visual experience of the spectator”.

Musical workshop. Phot. Mattia Belletti.

The Scenic and Visual Framework
“They tell me to retire, that I am to be scrapped […]”. This is how the narrative framework chosen to accompany the comic text begins. Here, an old Aristophanes, played by Francesco Faccioli, and the Muse of the tragedy Thalìa, Noemi Coppola, discuss the possible plot of a play that was written after the decline of Athenian power in 392/1 BCE, Assemblywomen. The narrative frame perfectly introduces the play to the audience by setting it in its historical context. It also serves as a running thread that coherently connects the various textual sections chosen for reading. “A real added value to the reading”, commented Professor Sonia Stelluto of Luigi Galvani classical high school, “that helped to make the reading clearer and more accessible to a wider audience”.

Scenic Framework: Aristophanes and Thalia discussing about the plot of the play. Phot. Mattia Belletti.

And, while Aristophanes and Thalia imagine the plot of the future play in front of the audience, several Praxagora and Blepiros (the protagonists of the play) take turns on stage while being shown pictures that reflect the salient scenes read by the students.

Images of the reading: scene of Praxagora and Belpiros arguing. Phot. Mattia Belletti.

They are snapshots of a performance that is actually never performed but only imagined: in the introductory video (made by high school and university students coordinated by Mattia Belletti), under the notes of the can-can, the actors hurry to rehearse for the last time before the debut, while in the conclusive video the performance is already over, the audience applauds the actors and the musicians slowly prepare to leave the theatre. All we see on stage, however, are nothing more than the ideas of the playwright and the Muse taking shape and voice in the verses read by the students.

The Students’ Point of View: What Did It Mean for You to Participate?
At the end of the reading, the high school and university students who participated or only attended the reading were asked for their opinion on the project. For the high school students, the value of a project such as the public reading lies very much in the impact it can have on their approach to the classics: “I believe that participation in projects of this kind is fundamental in order not to reduce classicism to a static and distant, and merely scholastic, dimension. We students, as readers, were given the opportunity to revitalise the words of Aristophanes and in doing so we understood the choral nature of the theatrical process, as well as experiencing the emotions” (Letizia Cela, student at Liceo Classico Marco Minghetti, translator and reader).

Equally significant was this initiative to a more specialised audience such as university students.
How do you consider this experience from the point of view of a university student?
“For a university student, the experience is instructive and formative for at least two further reasons: it brings the conscience of the ancients back to the centre of public attention and guides us, thanks to the young and attentive eye of the students at Bologna’s classical high schools, to a new and intriguing way of interpreting and rereading Aristophanes” (Domenico Alfano, undergraduate student of Classics at the University of Bologna).

What do you think about the participation of high school students in a university project?
“I think that the involvement of high school students is praiseworthy: the opportunity to engage in translation work, to personally confront the works, also in terms of their updating, are all elements that I think can really make us reflect on the value of the classics even in today’s world” (Beatrice Bonazza, graduate student in Classics at the University of Bologna).

Hopes and Resolutions for the Upcoming Year
This year’s reading, which was able to involve and entertain such a diverse audience, including high school and university teachers, students and a general audience, was therefore a great success that allowed, in the words of Domenico Alfano (undergraduate student), to “rediscover the beauty of going to the theatre: to purify oneself and reshape one’s spirit according to what one sees on stage”. Among the many goals for the next edition, which will have Seneca’s Medea as its text, there is certainly that of making the initiative accessible to an ever-wider audience so that, in the words of Beatrice Bonazza (master’s student), “the words of the classics and the reflections we can still draw from them reach more and more people”.

Link for the Reading:

Post by Elena Mignani, placed by Olga Strycharczyk