Violence in schools: A screw could be turned

"He punched me in the stomach", "he angrily stabbed my hand with scissors", "he threw a chair in my direction": A look at the results of the study presented on Wednesday by Giessen researchers is enough to get an idea of what happens to teachers in Hesse's schools. However, most of the respondents do not even perceive the physical attacks as particularly serious, but insults, followed by threats. A failed high school graduate says to a teacher, "I'll ram a knife into his back", a father says: "Better leave my child alone. I was a Russian boxing champion," and a fourth-grader – you can hardly believe it – threatens during the break: "Tomorrow I'll come with a ratchet, and then I'll shoot you."

This is how the respondents describe it. The Hessian Ministry of Culture emphasized on Wednesday what the researchers had also pointed out: The study is not representative. There was no increasing number of incidents to be observed. The figures recorded in the police crime statistics on crimes against teachers in Hesse have even fallen in recent years. According to the Giessen researchers, however, this is simply due to the lockdowns. Violence without clashes is difficult to achieve.

What else should teachers do?

Whether there is more violence or not, the fact that a third of respondents who have experienced violence say that these experiences are psychologically stressful is worrying. Aggressive students and parents are far from the only problem educators gnaw at. They should promote inclusion, they should look after students with behavioural problems, they should integrate pupils from other countries, they should catch up with the material of the past pandemic years – and all this when there is a shortage of staff.

Of course, there is no single cause of violence and aggressive behavior. Teachers can do little against the private environment of a student. There are also many approaches to getting the problem under control. And yet the researchers come to the impression that there is one particular problem: the relationship with the school authorities.

The school management is informed in many cases – but according to the respondents, the school authorities rarely press charges and do not support enough. This is a clear criticism, and it is a screw that can be turned comparatively easily.