Many parents worry that the Corona-related break has thrown their child back in school. One expert thinks this is "unfounded".
With Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, the summer holidays also end in the last federal states. Schools in Germany were closed for almost half a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and homeschooling was on the agenda. Many parents are concerned that the lack of attendance at school leads to learning gaps for their children. Oliver Hauschke, former headmaster and author of "Schule zu Heimat", has hardly any concerns: "The school did not fail. Learning and working continued. Only the place for it has moved from the school building to the four walls at home," he explains his point of view in an interview with the news agency spot on news.
Learning gaps "have nothing to do with Corona"
"I don't think that children were thrown back in terms of sustainable learning," said Hauschke. During homeschooling, their performance was often better because they were able to work at their own pace on the tasks they felt like doing. However, the author is aware that Hauschke takes a different opinion than many teachers. "Teachers may see it differently, given that the child did not fulfill every detail of the intended and largely irrelevant curriculum. However, it does not really matter," says the former headmaster.
Parents do not have to worry about major learning gaps. The fact that students forget what they have learned has nothing to do with the Corona-related break and is completely normal even during the attendance phase. "It is basically quite easy to go back to most school subjects without going back to what you have previously learned," emphasizes Hauschke.
Does tutoring make sense?
Parents could support their children when they start school by "taking away their fear of possible failure and explaining to them that they have worked and learned well and diligently under the given conditions". "It is advisable to be relaxed about the learning content," says the author. Every pupil needs help in other areas: "One child may only need the security of being able to briefly ask questions and unclear things, while another needs much closer control. Parents know their children best and better than the teachers."
When it comes to tutoring, the expert recommends that you wait and see. "You have to think twice about whether this money is well invested or whether it just calms your own unfounded fears." In addition, parents should "closely discuss" additional lessons with the child.