History First-Hand: Eyewitness Interview on Life in the FRG and GDR
In the history lessons of class 10a, the students studied in depth life in divided Germany between 1961 and 1990. After covering the post-Second World War division of Germany, the Cold War, the construction of the Berlin Wall, and the different political and economic systems of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR), a special opportunity arose: two teachers from our school, Ms. Wrede and Ms. Mierau, spoke as contemporary witnesses about their own experiences in East and West Germany. This allowed the students to ask questions and gain personal insights into a period that seems very distant to their generation.
Ms. Wrede was born in 1960 in Hagen and spent her childhood and youth in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). After finishing school, she studied in Dortmund, completed her teacher training in Bochum, and became a teacher at RSG. From an early age, she was interested in political developments and took part in demonstrations and political events.
Ms. Mierau was born in 1968 in Schwerin in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). She attended school there and experienced everyday life in the GDR firsthand. As a teenager, she was already monitored by the state security service (Stasi). After completing her Abitur, she initially studied in Rostock and continued her education in Bochum after German reunification.
Despite their different life paths, there are also many similarities: both witnesses were interested in social and political developments from a young age, chose the teaching profession, studied in major cities in the Ruhr area, and still work at Realschule Grünstraße today. Through their personal stories, the students were able to better understand the differences between life in the FRG and the GDR and experience history first-hand.