A serious incident occurred at a school in the west of Bern in which pupils surrounded a teacher and shouted religious slogans. Headteacher Sebastian Teuscher and the school authorities are taking the incident seriously and have already taken action.
A worrying incident occurred at a school in the west of Bern, which startled the school community and parents. On December 13th, several pupils from the 5th and 6th grades turned on a teacher from the break supervision team during the break. According to a letter from headteacher Sebastian Teuscher to the parents of the three classes concerned, the children formed a mob, stood in the teacher’s way, circled her and shouted religious slogans such as “Allahu Akbar”.
Headteacher Teuscher calls the incident “shocking” and “intolerable”. He emphasises that such incidents must be taken seriously, which is also part of the pedagogical handling of the situation. The school has already taken measures, including separate break supervision for the classes involved and disciplinary measures against the pupils.
The incident is seen in the context of the concept of “new authority”, which is being applied in more and more schools in Bern. This concept is based on presence, transparency and relationships. Teuscher emphasises that it is too early to make good and that the children must first clearly feel that they have overstepped boundaries.
The incident also raises questions about the influence of religious slogans from the parental home. However, Teuscher considers this to be more of a childish provocation. Many parents of the pupils involved have already reacted and do not approve of their children’s behaviour.
Andreas Heuer, president of the responsible school commission, does not see the incident as dramatic for the situation at schools in the west of Bern. He emphasises that incidents of violence are rare and that the schools are able to deal with the problems. Heuer also sees positive aspects: Despite high levels of migration and poverty, almost all pupils find an apprenticeship or a follow-up solution.
The school authorities endeavour to present a balanced picture of the situation and emphasise that the schools in the Bethlehem school district are not comparable with problem neighbourhoods in other countries.
https://haolam.de/artikel/Europa/58531/Schulvorfall-in-Bern-lst-besorgte-Reaktionen-aus-Konflikt-mit-religisen-Parolen.html
When you bring “savages” into your life, they can’t help but be “themselves”.
Silence is acceptance.