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Students taking exams (archive)
Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd / picture alliance / dpa
"It's enough. Up to here and no further": Parents in Bavaria have sent a fire letter to the Ministry of Education, condemning a school-based "business as usual" in the pandemic.
One of the main points of criticism: The pressure to perform has increased because students have to write significantly more tests than before Corona.
"Since the summer holidays we have been checking what the red ink has to offer - as if the grades are threatened within a week," says the letter from the state parents 'association of high schools in Bavaria (LEB) and the Bavarian parents' association (BEV).
As an example, it says: pupils in middle school would have had to take five unannounced tests on the content of the last lesson on a ten-hour school day ("impromptu tasks").
It will be graded "for the devil".
There are no statistical surveys.
The parents refer to experience.
They suspect that the teachers are primarily concerned with one thing: hastily collecting grades before schools are closed.
"Children run the risk of being left behind completely"
Bavarian parent associations
Teachers should rather focus on learning - and help students catch up on the material they missed in the spring, demand the parents.
But that is precisely what is missing.
"The promise to first collect the children scattered and lost by the first wave is broken day by day," the letter said.
The performance level of the individual student depends more than ever on parental support.
Socially disadvantaged families in particular fell behind.
"Children run the risk of being completely left behind," warn the associations.
They fear for equal opportunities.
Many young people are frustrated "that schools go into the second wave almost unprepared," says Joshua Grasmüller, 18, coordinator of the regional school council in Bavaria.
Almost eight months have passed without viable concepts being developed.
"The normal curriculum should be followed through, but how should that work if the missed material has to be made up at the same time and we don't have a normal school year?"
The state student council has sent its own letter of protest to the ministry, also because it does not go along with "the sharpness of the wording".
The pupils complain of a "real note hunt" with up to four classwork per week.
That leads to "an enormous pressure to perform".
Grasmüller says politicians must shorten the curriculum and make it clear that grading is still possible even when schools are closed, for example through presentations.
Dieter Brückner, head of a grammar school in Veitshöchheim near Würzburg and chairman of the Federal Association of Senior Academic Directors (BDK), sees it very similarly.
Many teachers currently do not know how and when to compensate for the learning deficits of their students.
"Neither was there any extra time for this, nor was the curriculum slimmed down," Brückner told SPIEGEL.
Many teachers actually wanted to collect as many grades as possible out of fear of renewed closings, and not just in Bavaria.
"The teachers need a basis for the certificates that they lacked before the summer vacation because of the weeks of closings," says Brückner.
"That's why many students only advanced into the new school year 'on trial'."
Teachers would need to find out if the transfer was correct and advise students.
They also carried out tests to measure learning gaps.
"Most of the results were not graded," says Brückner, "but all in all a lot has been checked and the pressure has increased."
What annoys headmaster Brückner: All of these problems were foreseeable.
"We are always panting from one disaster or school closure to the next, and we urgently need long-term concepts."
"I do not see that teachers are increasingly 'collecting grades'"
Benedikt Karl, press officer for the Bavarian Association of Philologists
However, the teaching staff is not entirely in agreement.
Benedikt Karl, grammar school teacher in Vilsbiburg and press officer for the Bavarian Association of Philologists, cannot understand the criticism.
Some state or nationwide tests that were carried out regularly before Corona were even dispensed with.
It is not unusual for teachers to schedule several performance assessments before the autumn break, "and impromptu tasks are everyday life for students anyway".
Maybe after closing time they are simply no longer used to it.
"I don't see teachers 'collecting grades' more and more," reports the German teacher, "then they would have a lot to correct in one fell swoop."
In order to close learning gaps, the Ministry of Culture has provided "bridge offers".
These are now being offered on a voluntary basis in addition to lessons at many schools for pupils with a backlog, says Karl.
Admittedly, politicians did not provide any additional funds for this.
"At many schools, like mine, for example, elective courses are foregone and we use the hours instead for bridging courses. The schools have the freedom to adapt to the changed situation."
That might be true in theory.
But in practice the situation in individual schools is often complicated.
What if the everyday experiences of pupils and parents do not match the solutions envisaged by politics?
Education Minister Michael Piazolo calls on the Bavarian parents' associations to immediately "prioritize the content of all curricula and synchronize them nationwide".
A concept could be "worked out in three night shifts".
The letter speaks of a lot of outrage, also because the list of annoyances is long: Even the simplest ventilation rules would be implemented vaguely.
Some of the children across the country would sit in a continuous flow.
In addition, "digital chaos" still prevails.
BEV deputy chairman Henrike Paede says the ministry must make it clear that the curriculum leaves room for freedom.
"We now need a clear announcement from above that this school year is not primarily about grades."
The content seems to be agreed.
"As part of their pedagogical freedom, teachers can use leeway in the curriculum," said the ministry in response to a request from SPIEGEL.
Piazolo also reacted to the fire letter and agreed with the parents: "Disproportionate performance surveys are unnecessary and counterproductive."
There would be no reason for "collecting notes".
According to the minister, arrangements have already been made so that performance in distance learning can be assessed.
Piazolo is all the more annoyed about the fire letter.
He has "no understanding of the nature of the criticism".
"If the ministry had asked directly, it would have been possible to quickly clarify that, after several complaints about too many exams, the school inspectorate was asked to closely monitor the situation in the schools and take countermeasures," wrote the minister.
"Writing open letters, although I'm always ready to talk, is strange, especially since we are going to hold a summit meeting in two days anyway."
On Wednesday, Piazolo wants to meet with school actors, including the parents' associations, in Munich.
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