30. April '24
A group of seven people stands in front of a screen that reads “Gesundheitsfachtag für Lehrkräfte” in German, representing Hochschule Coburg. They are dressed in smart casual attire, smiling, and posing indoors on wooden flooring.
A group of seven people stands in front of a screen that reads "Gesundheitsfachtag für Lehrkräfte" in German, representing Hochschule Coburg. They are dressed in smart casual attire, smiling, and posing indoors on wooden flooring.
Audience sitting on chairs, facing a speaker at a podium in a conference room at Hochschule Coburg. A presentation is projected on a screen, with the university banner displayed to the side.
Audience sitting on chairs, facing a speaker at a podium in a conference room at Hochschule Coburg. A presentation is projected on a screen, with the university banner displayed to the side.
A person is expertly operating an oscilloscope and other electronic testing equipment on a table, surrounded by wires and a probe. A screen reveals detailed waveform data. In the background, red promotional banners proudly display Hochschule Coburg’s emblem, adding an academic touch to the scene.
A person is expertly operating an oscilloscope and other electronic testing equipment on a table, surrounded by wires and a probe. A screen reveals detailed waveform data. In the background, red promotional banners proudly display Hochschule Coburg's emblem, adding an academic touch to the scene.
A group of people stands around a black and red race car displayed indoors. Four individuals in black shirts and red pants from Hochschule Coburg are presenting the car. Banners and sponsor logos, including Hochschule Coburg’s emblem, are visible on the wall behind them.
A group of people stands around a black and red race car displayed indoors. Four individuals in black shirts and red pants from Hochschule Coburg are presenting the car. Banners and sponsor logos, including Hochschule Coburg's emblem, are visible on the wall behind them.
An inspiring Teacher Health Day took place today, Tuesday, in Coburg: It offered 140 teachers from the city and the surrounding region a variety of support measures to promote and maintain their health.
The Coburg School Psychological Counselling Centre, Coburg University of Applied Sciences, the City of Coburg’s Demography, Education and Family Department and many other partners hosted a varied program that was specially tailored to the needs of teachers.
The event at the university’s Friedrich Streib Campus proved to be a great success and was highly appreciated by the participants.
The Teacher Health Day began with inspiring words of welcome from the President of Coburg University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Stefan Gast, and the 3rd Mayor of Coburg, Can Aydin.
Both emphasized the importance of teacher health and the valuable role of teachers in the education system.
They encouraged all teachers to take the opportunity to benefit from the offers of the Teacher Health Day for their important but also challenging profession.
“Coburg University of Applied Sciences sees itself as a university in the region for the region,” emphasized University President Gast.
The event was a successful example of how tailor-made solutions can be developed together with local stakeholders.
Gast invited the teachers to take away “effective ideas on the key topics of resilience, nutrition and mindfulness”.
“For your professional practice and your personal empowerment.”
The third mayor, Can Aydin: “You are not only imparters of knowledge, but also role models and supporters for your pupils. You make a significant contribution to creating learning environments in which knowledge is not only imparted, but also experienced with enthusiasm. Thank you very much for your valuable work”.
Expert Vera Kaltwasser on mindfulness in educational institutions
One of the highlights of the event was the keynote speech by Vera Kaltwasser, a renowned educator in Germany and abroad, on the topic of “The potential of mindfulness in an educational context”.
In her presentation, she informed teachers and educational leaders about the importance and practical application of mindfulness in educational institutions.
The participants were enthusiastic about the theoretical foundations and current research findings on mindfulness and the body-mind link.
The speaker impressively conveyed that stress can be controlled via the body and thoughts and that this is fundamentally important and can be learned for both adults and children.
In addition, the Teacher Health Day offered a series of workshops from various stakeholders from Coburg institutions in the field of health promotion, the MedauSchule, MedauTherapy and Regiomed Klinken, on topics such as mindfulness in the classroom, stress management, healthy eating, voice and exercise.
Participants had the opportunity to take away new ideas and practical tools for themselves and their colleagues.
In addition, the 140 participating teachers received a wide range of ideas and interesting project suggestions for their lessons and schools in numerous workshops offered by the university’s faculties in a tour of the stations.
Prof. Dr. Niko Kohls researches and teaches in the field of integrative health promotion at the university’s Faculty of Natural Sciences and Health and was in charge of organizing the Teacher Health Day.
He was supported in particular by Dean Prof. Dr. Wolfram Haupt and research assistant Maria Kuhn.
Food for thought from a top chef
Top chef Holger Stromberg set the mood with his keynote speech before the lunch break: “If the fuel doesn’t fit, the engine can’t work”.
The four-star chef enthusiastically explained why nutrition is our second most important source of energy, what effect food has on our mental and physical performance and how much can be gained for the blue planet with green cuisine.
Afterwards, the participants were able to enjoy lunch prepared by Holger Stromberg and his team as well as the team from the university canteen.
The organizers were very satisfied with how the Teacher Health Day went and emphasized the importance of teachers’ commitment to their own health and well-being.
“Our aim is to prevent health problems and increase teachers’ job satisfaction,” said Regina Knape, regional representative for teacher health in Upper Franconia and Coburg school psychologist.
“The Teacher Health Day was an important step in this direction.
We would therefore like to thank the city and the university for their cooperation and support, as well as the Oskar Hacker Foundation and the Rainer Markgraf Foundation for sponsoring the event.
Together, we want to continue to focus on teachers and look forward to offering more events of this kind in the future.”
Overall, the Teacher Health Day in Coburg was a complete success and clearly demonstrated the great interest and need among teachers with regard to their health and resilience.
The organizers are already in the process of planning the next steps to provide teachers with the best possible support in the future.
