This time: Volker Klinger, teacher

What is your motto?

Of course, I live a varied life due to my job, my family and my volunteer work. Especially in terms of sports, I still need a good “kick” at irregular intervals. The pleasurable rest in between, completely without movement or compulsion to talk, usually brings the desired balance between the experiences of everyday life and relaxation. My glass is usually “half full” and a certain amount of stamina almost always helps in more difficult situations. As a sailor you know this: at some point a pleasant backstay breeze pushes you on and the hard fight against rough conditions is almost forgotten.

Why do you do the work you do today?

Initially, there was no plan to actually become a full-time teacher after graduation. However, part-time experience over two decades and the qualifications made it possible as we started our family and during the course of my working life to build up a secure foothold close to home at a great school in Dueren. I have absolutely no regrets about this step. But for an imaginary reset, I would never want to give up the many projects and entrepreneurial experiences I had before this time.

How did you get there?

My first assignments as a “small exercise instructor”, as well as a sailing and skiing instructor, came about through contacts in my sports club and school. At that time, I was on the road for the adventure travel company “Wikinger-Reisen” during the school or semester vacations for many great years. Later, I became an instructor for the German Ski Instructors Association and a trainer for the German Sailing Association – windsurfing department, and then a lecturer at the German Sports University in Cologne for 6 years. Later, I also became a teacher trainer in the field of winter sports. During this time of part-time engagement in training and teaching I produced didactic media of VHS titles, later CD-ROMs, DVDs and TV.

What will be your next project?

I have just finished a challenging project, also because of the enormous hurdles during the pandemic: A sailing trip of 1,000 nautical miles (1,958 km) from the Arctic Circle along the Norwegian coast to Kiel. – For this I would like to create a small cinematic documentation in the barren months of winter and hope that I am then again “free” for a new idea with “kick”.

For which problem do you offer a good solution?

The topic of school stress:

Moms and dads (if both are responsible) alternate in taking care of their kids at school on a monthly basis: the moms would have a much less stressful month each, the kids too, the email inbox too… 😉 and the dads would meet up with the crammer over a beer during their month, sort out what actually needs to be sorted out after the kids have proven their independence for a month, and everyone gets along. Even the teacher might end up reassessing whether he or she has made age- and scope-appropriate demands.

Which three things in your life are currently most important to you?

As a person in the prime of life, health and family are more important than ever, especially if you have children and parents of your own. 2. My job, my job, my job, … 3. Surprisingly, the pandemic is not the third most important issue for me; I live and work intensively enough. After work I have to do something private: I hardly like to say it, but after 20 years with a family station wagon, I could like to carve around the curves much more lively and preferably with a consumption of 3l air / 100km and 250 hp, but there are probably still no offers, says the car salesman. 4 liters of diesel per 100km is the most efficient. In reality, about 8 l gasoline / 100 km as a hybrid would be the next best thing. Energy-cost wise then the only option would be an electrically powered sports car. But they are ugly and much too expensive for me …

What was the best compliment someone ever paid you?

It was actually a compliment from my mother in the early years of my youth, which sent me off in my direction. She thinks that I can explain and motivate quite passably. Thank God, she still repeats it at certain intervals.

What was an important decision in your life?

On the positive side and looking back – the Abitur (A levels). Quite obviously! An important, but clearly worse decision was the choice of the place of residence in the Rhineland. Too little water, no mountains, and the desire for the long drives to the attractive regions is definitely waning.

Which question would you like to find an answer to?

How do I get 7.8 billion people not to constantly turn the wheel faster? – I, for one, can definitely imagine a much simpler reality of life with fewer innovations in the electronic area, less mobility and a fairer distribution of resources. Sounds naive? It is! Unfortunately!

What are you currently concerned about?

After the pandemic, we urgently need more and above all interesting offers for children and young people with an experiential education approach, which also bring this important target group closer to nature and the team experience. This could well be a mixture of online training and real adventure. Sponsorships or sponsorships could be provided by interested companies.  “Dextraining for Kids” sponsored by Adipumadas. 😉

And for inclined friends of photography:

Learning by using older technology, e.g. by means of old mechanical (so called analog) lenses on manually adjustable cameras. – Search for motifs, recognize them, make manual adjustments, straighten perspective, freeze …, don’t post (!) and be happy about a unique result and maybe experience. Handmade!