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Schools in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: "Full steam ahead in classroom teaching"

2020-08-09T11:01:21.695Z


Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was the first federal state to start teaching again after the summer vacation. The chairman of the school management association explains how it has worked so far - and what is missing.


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Information sign in Lankow primary school

Photo: Jens Büttner / dpa

SPIEGEL: Since Monday, the students in your state have been going to school every day, as the first in Germany. How does it work so far?

Heike Walter: The schools do their best to teach the students as much as possible of normality. But at some schools there were no timetable at all on Monday due to the Corona. There was not enough time, because the school board's new hygiene plan came only ten days before the end of the holiday. Only then could we plan the rooms and the use of the teachers.  

Heike Walter, 57, Chairwoman of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania School Management Association: "We need money to hire additional staff"

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SPIEGEL: Two schools were closed again on Friday morning because a student in one case and a teacher in the other tested positive. Does that call into question the return to face-to-face teaching for everyone?

Walter: No, such cases were to be expected, we have to live with that. I think the reaction at both schools is correct: first close, test, understand the contact channels, and when the situation is clear, you might be through with it in a few days and can open the school again.

SPIEGEL: On the second day of school, the state government suddenly decided to make it compulsory to wear a mask outside of the classrooms. What do you think about that?

Walter: It is good that the students have to wear more face masks. However, this is hardly controllable in the school buses. On the other hand, we need more flexibility, for example so that a teacher who supervises the breaks can sometimes take off his mask. Students in fixed groups are already allowed to do so. 

SPIEGEL: The situation of the graduating classes is particularly difficult because they missed a lot of exam material. Should the Abitur or other exams be adjusted? 

Walter: I am not in favor of lowering requirements from the outset, let's see what works first. The higher grades in particular can do a lot in self-study. I am more worried about the current second graders, who did not complete essential parts of learning to write and read in the last Corona semester. Important basics are also missing in mathematics.

SPIEGEL: How can you deal with that?

Walter: We need money to hire additional workers to take care of affected students. These forces could also fill some of the gaps created by the 400 high-risk teachers now staying at home.

SPIEGEL: These teachers are supposed to work from home - how does that work?

Walter: You can support or look after students who have to stay at home themselves. But we are now putting full strength into classroom teaching.

SPIEGEL: The number of infections is currently rising again. Are teachers prepared to switch to distance learning again if grades have to be quarantined or schools are even closed again?

Walter: There are no finished plans in the drawer for this, but we will think of something. The problem is the lack of digitization. In many places we don't even have broadband to make video switching possible. Teachers used to ride their bikes to assign assignments. The ministry has now made a digital learning platform available. But not everyone was able to log in until yesterday.

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Source: spiegel

All life articles on 2020-08-09

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