Breakfast on the Spree

WiseMan is on a business trip this week, so I seem to be spending more time than ever at work. This morning I only have a 10 am meeting instead of 8 am classes and 5 pm meetings, so I was looking forward to sleeping in.

As I brushed my teeth I realized that I left important papers for the meeting at our old campus on my desk in the new campus. Drat. But I had read that the new mensa on the Spree offers breakfast. This needs testing, so I got dressed and hopped in the car.

Okay, driving without coffee is a tad difficult, but I made it okay. Dashed up to my office, got the papers, and then down to the mensa. Yes, they are open. While they are stocking the shelves for lunch you can have bagels, croissants, fruit, hot dogs, coffee or tea, juices and soft drinks. Müsli would have been nice, but I assume they will be learning.

The mensa is nicely empty this morning (but not deserted, there are little groups sitting and working together). I scored a little table at the big picture window looking out over the Spree.

It is windy, so as the Spree flows one way there are little waves going the other way on top. There are trees and boats across the water, waving in the wind. A swan coasts lazily by. I took my morning paper with me, what a wonderful start to the day! I could even deal with the clueless after this!

Monday, June 23, 2008 - Around 28,000 pupils in the 10th grade in Berlin schools will have to take a new math exam. There is a central examination in German, mathematics and the foreign language (English or French) that has to be taken in order to obtain the school-leaving certificate MSA (Mittlere Schulabschluss).

The reason: the questions to the test were being sold on the Internet and in subway stations near high schools all over Berlin. At least 87 schools have reported irregularities.

One pupil had alarmed the teacher proctoring the exam that she had been offered the questions in the subway just before the exam. The teacher alarmed the principle, and more and more reports rolled in while the pupils were sweating out the answers.

The Berlin Senat responsible for schools decided then in the afternoon to invalidate the test and have all the students re-take the test, although they still, today, have not been able to determine how the questions leaked out. The questions are printed centrally and distributed by courier to each school in sealed envelopes, to be kept in the school safe. But apparently, not all schools have safes and not all examined the seals on their envelopes.

There has been quite a protest rolling through Berlin, as the honest pupils do not want to have to retake the test. They feel the schools should go after the cheaters and not make everyone retake the test. One pupil took the government to court, but the ruling yesterday was that since so many schools have reported irregularities - including a pupil asking the teacher to please go over a question that was indeed on the exam or groups of students meeting in the library and working through the problems in advance - the test must be retaken by everyone. If you don't appear, you fail 10th grade.

In the name of justice and equality, the honest are being punished and the dishonest get a second chance without further punishment. A rather strange message to be sending.