Nursery teacher glues the mouth of a child with a tape in Kindergarden.

That was a headline in an Austrian newspaper some days ago.

A shitstorm starts, the nursery teacher was removed from her position, but also some other nursery teachers said that they understood her. To much children, to less teachers, no other support team.

Something is wrong in our educational system in Austria. 

We have the same problems in Kindergarten, primary, secondary school as well as at the university. Our educational system is not fitting to the problems we have in the 21st century, we have to find new ways.

So let`s look for best practice systems in other countries.

In all international rankings there is Southkorea always on 1st or 2nd place, so lets use the Korean system to develop our educational system!?

Or maybe not?! The school children are one hour before the school starts in school to learn for the lessons, they are in private schools after school to learn more, to get better marks to reach the next level. They have to be good enough to get to the best secondary school, to have a chance for the best university, to get a good job. They learn as much as they can, but are they able to use all the knowledge? They have no leisure time, no time to play with other childs, no time for sports. Is that what we want? No, I think absolute not.

So take Finnland!

They are great. The parents are part of the school system, they cooperate with the school. Teacher is a prestigious job, the social hierarchy is different, more equal than in Austria. The number of children who are not able to communicate in Finnish language is much less than in Austria. The schools are much more related to the town and the people who are living in that region. They have a support team in the school, great system, for Finnland.

The only problem for Austria: we have to change our society which will take 2 or 3 generations, which means about 100 years. 

We have another hierachy, teacher is not a prestigious job, we have no support team in the school, we have a lot of bureaucracy in the schools, the schools are payed by local authority, the teachers by the government or the country, depending on the school….So Finnland is not a realistic best practice model.

We have to find our own model, our own way! 

Let`s ask the people who are the experts. The teachers, university professors, the nursery teachers what is necessary for a better educational system. Maybe one secretary in the school to do all the paper works, which are now on the shoulders of the teachers. Then they have more time for the students or childs? But this is only an idea. I am not an expert!

And by the way, someone who did not teach during the last 20 years is also not an expert any more. Stop to ask the theorists, ask the people at the front, the teachers!