Documentation “Herr Bachmann”: There should be more teachers like this one

S.tadtallendorf is a province. It is located in the central Hessian district of Marburg-Biedenkopf and has around 21,000 inhabitants in five districts plus a core town with a lot of half-timbered houses. In 1938 the farming village became one of the largest European production facilities for explosives with more than 15,000 forced laborers. Today Stadtallendorf is a small town with several large factories and many immigrants. There is work here, at the iron foundry and at Ferrero, more work than in Turkey, Bulgaria or Morocco. There are several churches and a mosque. And there is the Georg Büchner Comprehensive School.

For several months, the director Maria Speth observed class 6b with her students from nine nations, whose parents came to Central Hesse over the past thirty years. Some speak German from birth, some learned it at school. Others have only just arrived and find that their ability to express themselves lags far behind their urge to communicate, which can be frustrating for everyone involved. In this sixth school year, the course is set in the direction of high school, in the direction of secondary or secondary school. So it is a crucial year for a school career, and schools pay little attention to family immigration biographies. Schools quantify performance in terms of grades.