Yesterday some tens of thousands of German school students went on the streets to complain about lack of teachers and the poor standard of Germany's education system (recently the duration of school education required for university entry was reduced from 13 years to 12, but they still have to cover the same amount of work). There is much talk of parents forking out for extra classes for their darlings, huge pressure on children and so on.
Oh, I remember it well. We did the same things, for the same reasons, in the early 70s. I always felt a fraud, given that I hated school- so why was I demonstrating for more teachers? It got me out of class!
My first demo was at the tender age of 15. Which was before the minimum school leaving age and therefore not entirely legal. Which would have been fine - had I not been a smart aleck and been in the front of the demo, right in front of the press fotographers. Teachers read newspapers, you know.
But the sky did not fall in! Not that I really cared by then....
To deal with the teacher shortage I swear that half my classmates trained as teachers. Life-time job, all those holidays, those afternoons off....As must have done the rest of that generation in Germany. By the time they finished many could not get jobs as teachers, and even those who did left after a short while - either unable to procure a permanent position or just through fed-upness.
Oh, I remember it well. We did the same things, for the same reasons, in the early 70s. I always felt a fraud, given that I hated school- so why was I demonstrating for more teachers? It got me out of class!
My first demo was at the tender age of 15. Which was before the minimum school leaving age and therefore not entirely legal. Which would have been fine - had I not been a smart aleck and been in the front of the demo, right in front of the press fotographers. Teachers read newspapers, you know.
But the sky did not fall in! Not that I really cared by then....
To deal with the teacher shortage I swear that half my classmates trained as teachers. Life-time job, all those holidays, those afternoons off....As must have done the rest of that generation in Germany. By the time they finished many could not get jobs as teachers, and even those who did left after a short while - either unable to procure a permanent position or just through fed-upness.
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