Friedrich Geerdes

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Johann Friedrich Geerdes (born May 28, 1892 in Leer ; † August 28, 1982 ibid) was a German teacher, school councilor and mayor of Leer.

Live and act

Friedrich Geerdes was one of ten children of an empty building contractor. From 1906 to 1909 he learned at the Preparande and until 1912 at the Aurich Teachers' College . As a 19-year-old he then worked as a sexton and organist at the elementary school of Blersum in the Wittmund district . From April 1, 1913, he was 2nd teacher in Großefehn II. During the First World War he served as a soldier, company commander and lieutenant. From January 1, 191, he worked as a second teacher at the elementary school in Nordgeorgsfehn and in 1921 switched to the elementary school Ostersteg in Leer, where he married that same year.

Geerdes joined the SPD early on and got involved there together with Hermann Tempel , Louis Thelemann and Wilhelmine Siefkes . Due to his party affiliation and the clear rejection of the National Socialists, he lost his job shortly after the seizure of power as part of an impeachment procedure. The district president put Gerdes and Siefkes, who remained friends until the end of their lives, on leave with a letter dated May 13, 1933. On October 1, 1933, Geerdes received a new job at the elementary school in Dornum . Since the National Socialists did not consider him worthy enough, he did not receive a post of principal teacher created in 1913. For this reason he switched to the one-class school in Weener in 1939 , where the military government appointed him a school council in 1945. On May 15, 1946 he was appointed to the school board of the Weener School Supervisory Board. On July 1, 1947, he moved to the Leer school supervisory board and retired on July 1, 1957.

Geerdes always considered his work as a teacher and school councilor to be his most important task. Numerous school buildings were destroyed and teachers fired during the war; After the end of the war, numerous teachers were in captivity and there were many displaced persons in the region, which resulted in a large increase in the number of pupils. Geerdes carried out the necessary measures to start school operations and integrated new teachers who had received a new form of training at the educational universities in Lower Saxony. He prepared the basis for the transformation of the educational institutions into a democratic school.

Geerdes was considered to be the ideal personality for the duties as a school councilor. Due to his many years of professional experience as a pedagogue, he had broad pedagogical skills and knowledge and was considered a respected democrat due to his basic political stance, which he had not given up during the time of National Socialism. He made it possible for new teachers to take on leadership roles at an early stage and helped to create child-oriented schools with reform-minded teachers in the Leer district. In doing so, he laid the decisive foundations for a school reform that began in the late 1950s.

From 1956 Geerdes worked as an empty council army, where he was elected mayor in 1964 and held this office for four years. Then he decided against a new council mandate.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Geerdes, Friedrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Geerdes, Johann Friedrich (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German teacher, school councilor and mayor of Leer
DATE OF BIRTH May 28, 1892
PLACE OF BIRTH Empty
DATE OF DEATH August 28, 1982
Place of death Empty