How good of a reader are you? And how well-developed are the reading competencies of your students? — Today I had an epiphany about reading competencies at work. I was doing a creative project with a bunch of 8-graders. The project was not my invention, so I will not take credit for that. The idea was, that the students should build a theater stage model in cardboard. Then…

But that doesn’t absolve our leaders from making realistic plans — Germany’s minister of Economics seems to be in panic mode. Today, the second phase in a three-stage gas emergency program went into effect. This is an admittance, that the situation does not at all look rosy. The situation shows, how dependent Germany is on Russian gas. Gas reserves are running…

Maybe you still believe that rich, western countries will go free from the consequences of climate change. Brace yourself for a reality check. — Until now, we westerners have relied on an assumption. Western countries will not suffer too much from the effects of climate change. That assumption is wrong. I believed it as well. After all, we have so many possibilities, that other countries don’t have. We have enormous wealth we stole from…

Yes, things are terrible with no end in sight. That makes it all the more important to hold on to good stories — At the last school I worked, we had a longstanding tradition. We would start every meeting by sharing good stories. This could be anything. Stories about something positive a student did. The progress that we made on a project. A reward we received for our efforts from the community. …

If you feel overburdened, it is time to do something about it. Even if you take an economic hit. — I should stress, that whatever advice I give may not count for everyone. It is valid for my circumstances. That aside, I am now in a position, where I have to make a drastic decision about how I use my time and take care of myself. I left Denmark more…

They are determined to let anyone exposing western war crimes face torture and rot in jail forever — In the last couple of months, western news bombarded us. They talked incessantly about violations of press freedom in Russia. Understandable. Because the narrative says that Russia is the evilest empire that ever existed. It…

It is time to share a few lessons — Okay, so this is it. Article #100 on Medium. Each article is around 5–600 words, on average. That is 50.000 words. It sounds like a lot. And for me it is. But it is nothing compared to the seasoned writers here. Still, I feel the urge to share a few…

At least not if we continue to solve our transport as we currently do — It is clear by now. Our planet is screwed. The global war for the remaining raw materials has begun. And we are starting to feel the effects of it. I lamented the german government’s lazy response to rising fuel prices. It was not because of the prices per se. It…

We cannot become sustainable if we do not reign in our consumption — Today I was moving rooms. Since I came back to Germany and lived with my dad, I have been staying in the smallest room in the apartment. Everything in there screamed of temporary dwelling. The reality is, however, that I am not in Berlin temporarily. So, my dad suggested switching…