A teacher in North Rhine-Westphalia has described extreme challenges at a school where 98% of students come from migrant backgrounds.
Teaching is reportedly nearly impossible, as many children arrive without any knowledge of German language. The teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, said she is regularly insulted, spat on, and ignored by her students.
Children with poor upbringings often mirror their parents’ behavior, which can include verbal abuse and insults. Classrooms are overcrowded, students lack social skills, and basic literacy and imaginative abilities are frequently missing.
Disruptions extend beyond the classroom: some families prolong school breaks to stay in their “home countries,” ignoring fines that the state eventually covers. ’Inclusive’ schools—intended to integrate students with diverse social and educational needs—now face serious obstacles when families show little willingness to engage with German society.
The problem is not isolated to Germany. In Vienna, Austria teachers report that many migrant children fail to attend or pay attention in free German, English, and math courses meant to aid integration. One teacher complained that “Some children scream loudly in Arabic, eat crisps, throw worksheets on the floor, or run around the room.”
