According to the “Bild” newspaper, Ebel says: “We are actually the country of expertise and resources. If something doesn’t change immediately, we will become a completely marginalized country in terms of education.”
Teacher on problems with students: “I can hardly turn my back on them”
Ebel has been a member of the Greens for 27 years and has been teaching German and history at a comprehensive school in Herford for 15 years. She sees a major problem in the students themselves. “I can hardly turn my back on them when I write something on the board; I already get hit with paper or other things from behind.”
Many of the students lack essential skills. “Many don’t want to learn. Some students can’t concentrate for more than a minute, others even fall asleep during class. I have fifth graders who can’t write on a line, don’t master grammar. Others refuse to put anything on paper at all.”
“No German spoken in many parental homes”
Another major problem is: “No German is spoken in many homes. Working with text and writing is getting increasingly difficult.” There are “environments where it’s difficult for parents to participate.” Many parents “are not interested in their children’s performance,” the teacher concludes to the “Bild” newspaper.
Not only are school skills often not well-developed. “Many students lack respect and politeness,” complains Ebel. Students are increasingly absent from class. She therefore demands “fines for parents if their children skip school.”
Experts also attribute the Pisa drop to the Corona pandemic
Causes for the poor performance of German students seen by the authors of the Pisa study also include the Corona pandemic. The results show that school closures had a negative effect on competence acquisition. In Germany, distance learning was less carried out with digital media and more with materials sent to the teenagers than the OECD average.
Frequently asked questions about this topic
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Viola Herrmann
Educationalist, writer, podcaster, and a mother of four
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Viola Herrmann
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Viola Herrmann
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