Meaningful Educational Work

Lea Ortleb, alumna of the part-time degree program in Childhood Education, on her management role in youth welfare services

Where am I and what do I do?

Since 2014, I have been working as an educator at the partially residential child and youth welfare facility Tagesgruppe Karcherhof. The daycare group is part of VPEM e.V. and is a small biodynamically managed horticultural farm with livestock. The daycare group offers space for 12 children and young people between the ages of 7 and 16. It has an inclusive character, as children with different needs are admitted, whether physical, emotional, intellectual, or social.

After completing my part-time Bachelor’s degree program in Childhood Education at Alanus University, I took over the management of the facility. My new responsibilities give me great pleasure, but they also often present me with new challenges. Through my studies, I feel equipped to meet these challenges and can draw on differentiated methods. My current responsibilities include:

• Professional management, support, and guidance of the team
• Educational planning and design of the afternoon program
• Strengthening the profile as an anthroposophical institution
• Conceptual development based on our mission statement
• Occupancy and case management
• Administration and organizational management
• Representing the daycare group internally and externally
• Coordinating and participating in care planning, parent, and school meetings

The new field of responsibility offers the opportunity to work very freely and independently. New perspectives are opening up through an intensive examination of the youth welfare system, which has already led to conceptual expansions and changes. The close collaboration with my team colleagues, especially the mutual support and appreciation, contributes to a particularly motivating working atmosphere. I especially enjoy passing on my professional educational knowledge to my team colleagues. This requires me to reflect regularly on my own educational practice.

How did I get here?

During my training as an educator, I completed a range of internships that gave me insight into different educational concepts. My internship at a Waldorf forest kindergarten sparked my interest in engaging with the topic of anthroposophy. After completing my theoretical training as an educator, my desire to work with school-age children and young people grew stronger. At the same time, I was interested in getting to know more anthroposophical institutions. During my internet research, I came across Karcherhof and took advantage of the opportunity to observe there. The special setting, the respect for the individual, and the work with animals and the land corresponded to my idea of meaningful educational work with a special target group. These meaningful activities strengthened my desire to lead the facility. I was shown a great deal of trust from the very beginning, and the team stood by me throughout my entire degree program and supported me.

To what extent did my time at Alanus University shape me?

My time at Alanus University showed me how important it is to set your own goals and not lose sight of them even in difficult times. In addition, the encounters I had, whether with lecturers or fellow students, were very inspiring and enriching. The interaction between teaching staff and fellow students was always characterized by appreciation and respect, which contributed to a very pleasant learning atmosphere. Thanks to the diverse range of study programs at Alanus University, I met people from very different fields. I found these encounters very valuable. The special combination of artistic, business, educational, and anthroposophical content offers many opportunities and possibilities to strengthen one’s own educational profile. The different modules continually opened up new perspectives on things I was already familiar with. The diverse fields of work of my fellow students contributed to a broader educational perspective and also shaped my own personal and professional outlook. I found the close integration of theory and practice particularly enriching. Institutional or personal issues could be addressed appropriately in the seminars. This made the work lively and unique. The empirical research module in particular had a lasting impact on my educational work. These seminars inspired me to write an empirical bachelor’s thesis. Accordingly, I conducted a research project at the facility to identify resources on the topic of resilience. A particular concern was to make the research findings useful for educational practice.