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Teachers are grappling with gaps in their own education. Since Russian- language study will be made elective rather than compulsory on Sept. 1, Russian-language instructors are expecting little demand for their services. Once a week teachers from neighboring schools come to Dzerzhinsky to learn a more popular tongue: English. "One day our qualifications may not count," frets one of the Russian instructors.
Economic insecurity only adds to such worries. Dudelitz, 39, who has 16 years of teaching experience, receives a net monthly income of 1,100 ostmarks, or about $655 at the 1-to-1 conversion rate that went into effect July 1. That is roughly a third of what a West German counterpart is paid. "We will be earning even less when rent subsidies disappear and pension contributions rise," she says.
Whatever the fears and doubts at Dzerzhinsky, they are overshadowed by new freedoms. When the town council named a woman with ties to the Communist Party as replacement for the retiring headmaster, the faculty rebelled and put up its own candidate: Barbel Dudelitz. The embarrassed appointee withdrew, and Dudelitz handily won in a balloting of teachers that excluded council members. As soon as she is confirmed, Dudelitz, who under the old regime was not allowed to travel abroad, hopes to make a lifetime dream come true: a language-study tour of Britain.