Following many interviews with former students, we are especially pleased to put the spotlight on Mrs. Leuschner-Helmer, who worked as a teacher in the kindergarten at GESS and tells us about her time at GESS and in Singapore.
When were you at GESS and what was your role?
I was a group leader in the kindergarten at GESS from October 1999 to June 2005 and was happy to lead the kindergarten group “Märchenwald”. During this time, I developed the activity for “Natural Science Experiments” and implemented it with one staff member. From 2015 to 2016 I was again a shadow teacher in the kindergarten and pre-school at GESS.
What are your favourite memories from your time at GESS?
The particularly good working atmosphere with my colleagues in the kindergarten. We were a wonderful team and planned the various themes, activities, and festivities together, then carried them out with our groups. The assistants were also always an immense help.
What do you miss most when you think about your time at GESS?
At that time, I found it particularly nice that students from nursery school age to the Abitur Level shared one campus, which was something not seen in Germany. Among the staff, there were few formalities, we had many opportunities to interact with one another across the school levels, and everyone knew each other. This made it possible to work together smoothly and happily.
What was a challenge for you about living in Singapore?
A particular challenge was dealing with SARS in Singapore in 2003. In the beginning, you did not know exactly what the disease meant, and you were restricted in your daily life. The COVID-19 period brought back some old memories for me, of when we had to deal with SARS.
What do you miss about Singapore and your life here?
I miss the tropical climate and nature a lot. I also appreciate the cleanliness and safety that prevail in Singapore today. I was also impressed at the time by how many people from different nations, religions, and backgrounds lived together peacefully in such a small area.
Do you have a favourite place in Singapore?
As I am a huge fan of tropical nature, I liked to go to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Bukit Batok Nature Park, or Bishan Park, next to where we lived. I enjoyed going to the East Coast to eat, walk and cycle by the sea.
How did your time in Singapore and at GESS shape and influence your life?
Many things in Singapore left a deep impression, such as the peaceful coexistence of the different religions and cultures and the festivals that were celebrated together. Also, the high-quality standards at GESS. For example, I was impressed that everyone from kindergarten to upper secondary school came together in working groups to respond to the poor Pisa results of German schools at that time.
When I returned to teaching mathematics and physics at the lower secondary level in Hesse in 2006, I was keen to implement the ideas I gathered at GESS here. So, I became an in-service trainer at the state education authority for the project “Competence-oriented teaching in mathematics and science”.
Where do you live and what are you doing today?
My husband, Wolfgang Leuschner, was a pastor for the German-speaking Protestant congregation in Singapore from 1999 to 2005. In 2005, we went back to Hesse after his posting as a pastor abroad ended. My husband was a parish pastor to Löhnberg, I was a teacher at the Waldernbach Middle School (WWS). In 2014, we both retired at the age of 65.
The Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD) commissions retired pastors to serve abroad for 10 months. So, we came back to Singapore in 2015/16. This was a wonderful time for us, as our daughter with her family and our son also lived in Singapore.
The assignments continued: one-year German-speaking evangelical congregation in Jakarta, Indonesia, two years in Pattaya, Thailand, one-year New Delhi, India, then came COVID-19, and now again two years Pattaya Thailand.
In all the parishes, as the pastor’s wife, I volunteer in the areas of children’s and youth work, women’s work, and adult education. I am doing this again with joy in Pattaya.
In 2015, it was especially nice for me to be present at the enrolment of my grandchildren at GESS, where I had so many memories and now, they can create their own here.
