teachers confessions
How school really is

"Two years ago I had a student in my study group - let's call him Tarik - who had to repeat the school year because he had passed through the Abi.In a practice session before the last final exam Tarik suspected that it would be tight again and was worried: 'If I can not make it now, my parents will not be able to handle it, they will not accept me and kick me out, I'm scared that I'll fall into a hole and not come out, that I'm going to get criminal ...'

We talked for a long time and I learned a lot about the student's family situation. His family came from a war zone to Germany about ten years ago. Tarik's father has become incapacitated after an accident in his home country and therefore supports Tarik as the oldest of five siblings the family financially.

He also accompanies his parents and siblings to official and doctor visits to linguistically support them. In recent months, Tarik joined his mother because she suffered greatly from her mother's death.

In the culture of his family, it is unthinkable not to graduate from high school. 'I'm putting too much pressure on myself and not getting anything out in the trials,' said Tarik. I felt that he was at the end of his powers.

Another student followed the conversation and said to us, 'Actually, the teachers are after all educators and should be there just to catch up when something goes wrong at home, when there's a lot of pressure.'

Tarik had improved in spite of all the challenges in the last school year in almost all subjects on grades one to three, only in a minor subject he was on poor and sufficient in one exam subject. He would just fail again in the Abi. I realized how unfair it would be in this case.

Judging is one of the tasks of each teacher. The Conference of Ministers of Education (KMK) writes that teachers should be 'competent, fair and responsible'. 'Young people need to know at school that they are treated fairly and fairly, and that they can make the most of their educational opportunities.'

I totally agree with this sentence, only: is it fair that students can not study due to my grade or are not invited to an interview? How do I know how someone will develop in the future and what he is capable of? Even with my own children, I can not say that exactly.

It is an illusion that teachers can use their grades to reflect their achievements fairly and responsibly.

Everyone gets a study qualification

The pressure of music makes many students afraid, it frustrates and manipulates them, often hinders learning or even that they can develop into responsible people. School should be a place for development. Still, I have to give grades. This is a dilemma that many of the teachers I speak with feel the same way.

I feel that the grading process does not help me enough to help students learn. When I realized that, I decided to change my grading. Since then, there are only good grades in my lessons: Everyone gets a study permit. At the same time, I make my study groups aware of the high demands of studying and advising everyone personally.

Since the notes are removed as a means of pressure, no student and no student is forced to deal with certain lesson content or to adapt to something. So I have to find other ways if I want students to deal with a topic. That is sometimes exhausting. But above all it makes a lot of joy.

Finally, I can concentrate on conveying meaningful specialist content in an interesting way because I no longer have to think about whether there is enough fair, verifiable learning material among them.

The students are motivated to be able to control and answer their learning even more. And if you really trust them a lot. Then there is more room for team spirit, honesty, sense of responsibility and motivation - fundamentals for sustainable learning. It feels right when everyone in the classroom behaves quietly out of conviction and not out of fear of consequences.

Back to Tarik: At my repeated intercession, a colleague decided to give him a better grade and so I was allowed to congratulate him a little later on his university entrance qualification. I always try to fulfill my responsibilities as a teacher to the best of my ability, knowledge and conscience. "

The author is a teacher at a vocational college in North Rhine-Westphalia.