The way that the “German as a Foreign Language” class works is non-German speaking students spend several years in this class, learning along side other students, who also do not speak German. The class is mostly made up of Arabic and Russian speaking children. As the students progress with their studies and become more fluent in German, they move up into a more advanced class. Unfortunately, not all students are able to continue their studies at the Chemnitzer Schulmodell. Since the school has a capacity limit and is highly selective, many of the students have to find another school to finish their education.
Germany is just one of the safe havens that war refugees flee too. Following the constant threat of ISIS and the spread of war, many countries have closed their boarders, limiting the opportunity and choice for mostly Syrian, but other refugee groups to flee into. Since Germany is one of the few that still has an open border, the country now has a very large refugee population, many of which do not speak German. Knowing this, Germany has had to find ways to get past language barriers, especially in schools, where they are required to provide education to all children.
Photo taken by Mandy Johnson
The German Educational System became designed to measure tangible measurements following years of poor results in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). PISA is a worldwide study that measures the skills and knowledge in fifteen-year-old students. The test is run by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Developement (OECD). The system strives to prove educational success by being able to provide proof on whether or not students are learning the material.
German teachers throughout the country have expressed some flaws in the German Educational System. One of the biggest flaws with the connection between OECD and PISA is that the OECD hopes to gain the “highest sustainable growth,” making the economic aspect of schools to be very favorable. In some aspects, schools and the educational system are viewed as sub-systems of the economy, so in a way, the students become human capital crucial, which changes the way that students receive their education. In order to be able to provide tangible evidence of their learning and to receive better PISA results, the OECD changed several policies, which includes adding school accountability, school monitoring, and educational standards. On top of these additions, the OECD placed a strong emphasis on building memory skills and academic achievement, which have taken away schools’ ability to balance the education students are receiving. Especially for refugees, this system denies them the accessibility to have help being able to understand and express one’s emotions. Education providers argue that failure to assist students, especially refugees, in their emotional and psychological needs may be counter-intuitive to the OECD’s goal, stating that having a good overall well-being is essential for avoiding emotional and psychological instability, which leads to more academic challenges and failure to properly perform for the PISA.
Several locals from Chemnitz shared that the refugee population has grown very fast, over a short period of time. This increase, they say, is not always welcomed by the community, seeing as the average age for the city is around sixty to seventy. The fear of the refugees is severe enough that a police presence has been deemed necessary to patrol the market square, a location that the newcomers tend to hang out, even though there have been no reports of crime. We witnessed these patrols while we were out for dinner on the first night. Every few minutes, a patrol car would pass by the restaurant. The Chemnitzer Schulmodell has taken measures to stop the fear and to promote understanding and acceptance with their youth.
Photo taken by Mandy Johnson
This is just one display in the group project, where students were in charge of making exhibits that teach each other about multiple religions. Some of the religions that were exhibited were Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. I took this picture because at the time, it pertained the most to my topic. While meeting with the students, I decided to ask them questions pertaining to the refugee students. The main question that I was wondering is “how do these students feel about sharing their school with war refugees?” One of the students surprised me by recalling a summer that he had spent in a refugee camp. This student, along with several others, told me about how their presence does not bother them, and they are actually excited that these students have the opportunity to continue their education.
Photo taken by Mandy Johnson
In terms of communication, the students explained they are able to communicate with the students taking “German as a Foreign Language” because many of them know English. There is something amazing to be found in the ability for young people to find a way to communicate with others, especially in cases with a language barrier. In this case, both sides are unable to communicate fully in their native language or secondary language, so they find a third language to use as their medium. One of the students, with whom I was speaking with, voiced his opinion that he believes everyone should be taught to speak English for this very reason.