Frau Müller muss weg! (Frau Müller muss weg!)

"Life begins when the dog is dead

and the kids have left home."

A German saying

MS. MÜLLER MUST GO

If we're not home by 7:30 ... Exactly.

In the upper fridge compartment.

Either organic turkey breast or tofu sausages.

Whatever he prefers.

On the other hand, make both. Let him decide. Okay.

Let me taIk to him, okay?

Hey Lukas, it's Mum. We'll be home soon.

You hear me, Lukas? You hear Mum?

Sweetheart, are you ...

Hey, l wanted to know if everything's okay. - Yeah. Good idea.

But we just left home ten minutes ago.

Who's that? - Fritz's mum.

That little slime balI. - No, Patrick. None of that!

Yeah sure, I'Il behave.

Must you smoke on schoolgrounds? - Do you see any pupils?

If anyone can do it, you can.

After aIl, it's not the first time you've fired someone.

That you've urged someone to leave.

It's kind of fun, isn't it? - No.

A littIe bit? - No.

A teeny bit? - No! She's our daughter's primary school teacher. lt's no fun!

Okay, just a little bit.

What's wrong? - You reaIly enjoy it.

Stop! - How sick can you be! - Drop it! Or go in yourseIf!

I'm serious! Go in there and do it yourself!

Cut it out. - Come here.

Hi.

I'm Wolf. - Patrick. - Hi.

We've met. - Hi.

Who's missing? - Marek's dad.

Just his mailbox. - Maybe he's stuck in traffic.

On Saturday afternoon? - He's chickened out.

He talks big at first.

But when things matter he doesn't have the guts.

What about that ... - Julia's mum? I'm afraid she can't come.

Babysitter didn't show up? What a crap excuse!

Whatever! Let's go in there and get it over with.

YURI GAGARIN PRlMARY SCHOOL

This is the last thing I'Il do for those parents. - You're spokeswoman! - I meant

afterwards.

We should have axed her Iong ago. Transfers come out in three months.

By then, that Ioser wilI have ruined our kids' futures forever. - We know that.

We gotta stand as one. Either like it or lump it.

I ask just one favour. Let me do the talking.

And when I've made our point, I don't want any of you

to repeat it. No big speeches. - Why are you Iooking at me?

And don't taIk about your own children.

And please, please, no emotional outbursts.

I think someone's coming. - At last.

Hello. What's up?

Parent-teacher meeting. - I wasn't informed.

Now you are. - Ms. MüIler's class.

Christa or Ute?

Christa or Ute Müller?

How should l know? - Ute MüIler. - Yeah, Ute.

Then wait untiI Ms. MülIer is here. - Listen here.

I know this is your job. And l assume all the sockets work.

But it isn't our problem if Ms. Müller forgot to inform you.

Hi there. - Hi. - HelIo.

She's a bit overworked.

Hey, that car! You can't park there!

Just the facts! It's a poor learning environment.

Exam results are going downhill. Too much homework.

And she seems a bit psycho. But l'lI onIy say that if necessary.

Did I forget anything? - The discussion groups where the kids taIk about home

are like brainwashing, Stasi methods.

That's trivial. - It's not! You wouIdn't know!

I didn't mean that the Stasi is trivial.

What did l just tell you? We can't say that kind of thing.

But the discussion groups really burden Janine.

We agreed to omit personal compIaints.

So MüIler doesn't start expIaining stuff.

None of that educational approach. - But we must Iet her speak.

She had her chance. That's why ... - H.P.

What? - Hans Peter.

Exactly. Hans Peter met with her, and nothing came of it.

Except that "the class is loud." Janine isn't loud.

For the last time, Wolf, stop taIking about Janine!

She just sat out the talk with your husband. She doesn't take us seriously.

Parents are a nasty side effect of kids, and kids are a side effect of her job.

That's the way it is. - Let's not make a monster of her.

We were quite happy with her.

Right? - But now she cries in class, goes to therapy and badmouths our kids.

Probably menopause.- Nothing wrong with that, but it's her probIem.

I'm relieved you have nothing against menopause.

I just meant, l have nothing against her. - lt's open.

It sounded like you do.

A bit chiIly here.

I'lI put the heating on.

Nice, isn't it? - Yeah.

Which one did Fritz make?

The whole group. Wow! - And Lukas?

I don't remember exactly.

We should agree on one thing beforehand.

No personal attacks. She's probably under pressure anyway. l mean,

as a teacher. - She went into it with her eyes open!

AbsoIutely. We don't want to humiliate her.

At her age it could mean the end of her career.

JobIess, especially in eastern Germany. It's a nightmare.

We're not firing her. We're urging here to give up the class.

Unemployment is just as bad in the west. - Yeah, sure.

May l remind you that every East German had work.

Everyone perhaps. But reaI work? - Very funny.

Yeah ... - She's coming.

Do we need the flowers?

She's had the kids from the start, so we show our thanks. lt's good manners.

Firing someone, then giving them flowers is somehow cynical.

First flowers, then firing them is stupid too.

I repeat: We aren't firing her.

I wilI simply give her a bouquet of flowers. Nothing more.

As the mother of the top student she's allowed to, isn't she? - l came, okay?

Yeah.

I support you, because I said it's important to stick together.

No, it's important you're here and not just the parents of underperformers.

I wouldn't say that. - But that's what l'm saying.

Now let's focus on the main point. Ms. MülIer must go.

And l don't care if she takes a trip round the world or goes on benefits,

or if she leaves with the flowers or not.

Now let's do something crazy and get goal-oriented. Agreed?

Okay.

I don't think "underachiever" is the right word for Janine.

Hello, everybody. - Hello, Ms. MüIler.

I'm not late, am l? One or two minutes is okay.

I welcome you to our parent-teacher meeting.

I'm sorry I had to postpone it twice,

but l'm a bit keyed up at the moment.

Okay.

Are we aIl present? - One father is missing. He can't be reached.

If you like, we can begin. But we can also

wait a bit. - I don't think he's coming.

We could wait two minutes.

So we don't have to say everything twice. - You're right.

Here you are.

A littIe compensation for waiting. Help yourselves.

We shouldn't wait too Iong.

Okay.

Then l'll take the opportunity

to say a few things before we get to the point.

Okay? l've had the class for quite a while now.

And it's a great pleasure

to be teaching your kids. Most of them are attentive,

diligent students who take responsibility ...

who usually take responsibiIity for each other.

Yes. Last week we completed our environmental project.

I think it turned out reaIly nicely.

Have you taken a look yet? - Yes, we did. Very nice. - Okay.

And l hope l'll see you soon on Culture Day with our choir.

All the chiIdren are reaIly enjoying it.

That's what l have to say.

I don't know, but ... - Beforehand l'd like

to give you this here.

I'm also involved in education

and know how difficult it is to motivate chiIdren

and teach them something. - That's ...

You're very ... Thank you. AlI of you.

Thank you.

I hope they don't wiIt before l get home.

Ms. MülIer,

I'lI get straight to the point. Most of the kids' exams resuIts

have deteriorated dramaticaIly.

The learning environment is bad.

And the cIass is very unruly,

something you are apparentIy unabIe to deal with.

And that is particularly aIarming, because at the end of next term

the kids get a transfer that determines their future school.

The course wilI be set.

We no longer trust your teaching skills.

So we have come to the conclusion that the onIy soIution is to urge you

to stop teaching this class.

We beIieve you are attached to the kids, so it wasn't an easy decision to make,

especialIy considering your merits in the past years. Arts and crafts ...

We can only judge the present situation, and it is unacceptable.

Have you informed the principal? - No, we haven't,

so you can find an excuse for leaving which doesn't harm your reputation.

We leave it completely up to you how you explain it.

Officially we won't tell a soul. - Yes, it has ...

nothing to do with our feelings for you as a human being.

You are certainly a wonderful teacher for the younger students, but ...

The environmental project is very nice, but it just doesn't fit.

Okay ...

You all got together and came to this conclusion.

Yes, and l want to emphasize, we are speaking on behalf of all the parents.

Almost aIl of them.

A large majority who made this decision together.

And where are the other parents?

Yes, welI, we thought it would be easier for you

if not alI the parents were here.

It's not about the decision-making process now.

The decision has been made. - Late enough.

Why are you telling me now? Why wasn't I informed

during the decision-making process, so that l had the chance

to respond? - Yes, uh ...

My husband talked to you three weeks ago and voiced our concerns.

You had sufficient time to respond to the accusations.

What accusations?

We had coffee together.