Good grades as a gift??
Discussions about the German school system, I’m really getting used to it. But it seems to me as a future teacher that those who are allowed to decide something are not at all those who are supposed to realize these decisions. Teachers, standing in front of classes of sometimes more than 30 kids, trying to do their best to teach everyone individually and further everyone’s talents and strengths, but at the same time preparing all of their students for university or working life (regardless that a dental nurse needs completely different skills than an educator or a florist), are expected to perform miracles. But of course, if there is something not working exactly as it should be, the teachers are blamed.
The latest news: some people recognized that graduating from a German gymnasium does not automatically mean that one is ready to visit a university, although the German term “Allgemeine Hochschulreife” for that graduation is supposed to grant that. The teachers are expected to give worse grades, so that it is not that easy to get to a university. But: what about those courses of study for which one does not need a certain grade? What about all those kids who do not reach the required standards and have to repeat a year or two? Is that really a solution?? I think every teacher in Germany would say: definitely not. The problem is like always: the teachers are not the one who are asked…
I would prefer a stricter selection BEFORE a kid can visit a gymnasium — not letting it be the parents’ decision anymore which school type their son or daughter will visit. But what would even be better in my eyes: let the students decide to a bigger degree WHAT they want to learn, do not make certain subjects obligatory. A girl who wants to study English and German to become a teacher does not need the mathematics that are taught in year 11–13. A boy who wants to repair cars does not need geography or music. If a student gets the chance to further his or her individual strengths and can concentrate on what he or she really needs for working life (and students in year 11 knows to some extent where their way will lead them to).
The result may be better grades that are really deserved — and maybe some more relaxed teachers with less frustration.
http://www.zeit.de/studium/2016-12/notenvergabe-abitur-josef-kraus-lehrerverband
