Thousands of teachers are missing in Germany. The problem will worsen because fewer and fewer young people can imagine taking up the profession. What deters them – and what they demand.
From
Lilith Volkert
All the reasons why Anja Störmann wants to become a teacher can be found in the classroom. The 27-year-old likes working with children and young people, she likes her subjects Spanish and geography. All the reasons that deter them lie outside of the classroom: little time, many administrative tasks, poor facilities, the rising expectations of parents and politicians. The student teacher at the University of Potsdam is currently working on her master’s thesis – and is thinking about her career goal: “The way the situation in the schools is developing, I’m asking myself more and more whether I can do it. And whether I want it that way at all.” She is not alone in having these doubts.