The school situation in the district is tense.
Staff shortages, the Corona crisis and the increasingly difficult communication with parents make everyday life for teachers more difficult.
In a press conference on Friday, the Starnberg District Association of the Bavarian Teachers' Association (BLLV), which represents 570 teachers, reported on the current challenges.
District - "The situation is much more violent than the public perceives," emphasized Hans-Peter Etter, former head of the BLLV legal department. "Since the Corona crisis we are no longer just teachers, but nurses, IT specialists and administrative employees," said Nicole Bannert, deputy district chairwoman of the BLLV and head of the Starnberg elementary school. The working hours and the stress factor would have increased significantly. "We have to pay attention to the distance and mask requirement, acquire digital skills, react flexibly to changes in regulations, carry out tests and of course teach," said Katharina Baur, district chairwoman of the BLLV and teacher at the Starnberg Middle School.
The regular tests in particular often bothered the teachers. "I think it's unbelievable that we, as untrained medical staff, have to do the tests, should be responsible and are still unprotected except for the mask," said Etter. In primary schools, the process often takes up to 20 minutes. “Time in which we cannot teach education,” said Bannert.
Another problem is the communication between the Ministry of Education and school principals.
"Usually something is decided from above and should then be implemented quickly. We often only hear about the new rule through the press," said Baur.
“This kind of handling is simply not possible.” Because it means acting quickly and working overtime - even on weekends.
"If we rectors do not receive the new guidelines from the ministry until Friday evening and they are to be implemented on Monday morning, there is no other way," said Bannert.
The headmistress also criticized the fact that the rules are made far from practice and are therefore often difficult to implement.
"Minister of Education Michael Piazolo receives a grade of 5 from me - for his handling of the Corona crisis and the shortage of teachers," said Etter.
Growing shortage of teachers
The latter has been a burden for schools in the region for years.
"The pandemic has once again shown the lack of teachers painfully," said Baur.
At least one teacher is missing in all 25 schools in the district.
Working groups could often not take place due to the tense situation, and classes usually had a size of 29 students.
"This is a declaration of bankruptcy," said Etter.
According to a survey by the BLLV, 96 percent of teachers in the district say they feel the teacher shortage - which, according to the Ministry of Culture, does not exist.
Nevertheless, schools are supposed to recruit lateral entrants again and again, on an hourly basis and for low wages, to help the teachers.
“It's just not thought through and it's pure madness,” said Etter.
Most of the unskilled are very committed, but some are pedagogically incapable.
According to Baur, the main thing that needs to be changed is the salary.
"A teacher is a teacher, regardless of whether at the grammar school or at the special school, so everyone should get the same salary," said the chairwoman.
A more flexible working time model and appreciation from outside would also make the job more attractive.
Difficult situation with parents
Teachers rarely get recognition for their profession, especially from parents. Since the corona crisis, some have only seen them as an extension of politics. “Although we don't make the rules,” said Baur. "Since the pandemic, people have often stopped talking to us and informed the school authorities straight away," added Bannert. Especially because of the large gap between frightened and angry parents, it is often not easy to act in the interests of everyone. But even before the pandemic, some parent-teacher relationships were strained. "There were those who put pressure on the teachers when they had problems transferring - with the help of a lawyer," said Etter.
If nothing changes in the current situation of the teachers, the BLLV can imagine holding a demonstration.
"A strike is not possible as a civil servant, and the children would always suffer," said Baur.
Despite the tense situation, the BLLV representatives couldn't imagine a better job.
“For many, being a teacher is a calling,” emphasized Bannert.