Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

TEENAGERS

Two more teachers attacked by students

Two teenage students face discipline after the latest in a string of violent attacks on teachers across France.

Published: 28 September 2012 08:04 CEST

Investigations are continuing in cases that emerged this week at schools in Var and Vendée, following on the heels of others in Bordeaux, Poitiers, Amiens and Paris, where courses were suspended at a school after a student threatened a teacher with death.

The Var-Matin newspaper reported that a 14-year-old girl struck a woman teacher in the face during a French class on Tuesday morning at a school in La Seyne-sur-Mer.

The incident occurred after the teacher had asked the girl for her notebook because she was disturbing the class.

The woman was injured in the mouth and jaw after the girl struck out with her forearm, the newspaper reported.

The teacher was given a two-day leave from work while the student was suspended from the school and detained for questioning before being released and charged on Thursday with “aggravated violence”.

A female school principal in Herbiers (Vendée), meanwhile, has lodged a complaint against a 13-year-old boy who allegedly insulted and punched her on Thursday.

The principal was attacked by the boy when he was ordered to her office after being  kicked out of a class for “inadmissable behaviour,” according to a regional education official.

Ouest-France reported that the boy first insulted the principal then left the office only to return.

 “He turned over furniture and punched me several times,” the newspaper quoted the principal as saying.

The teen was held by adults at the school.

He has been suspended from attending classes while an evaluation is conducted and risks being expelled.

 

    
 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

TEENAGERS

Germany’s youth ‘have lost their sense of fun’, study finds

Whereas previous generations were influenced by punk, techno and other subcultures, the modern German teenager is already dreaming of settling down in the suburbs, according to researchers.

Published: 24 July 2020 12:57 CEST
Updated: 25 July 2020 10:18 CEST
Germany's youth 'have lost their sense of fun', study finds
Two teen skateboarders in Dresden in April 2018. Photo: DPA

The researchers behind the Sinus-Youth Study 2020 noted that “health is an ever more important issue” for German teens.

“Glamour, fun or the fulfilment of consumer desires play a less important role in the lives of participants than they did a few years ago” the study found.

“Instead, 'normal' goals like finishing school, the maintaining friendships and spending time with family seem to be important.

READ ALSO: German teenagers drinking less alcohol: Study

The researchers conducted repeat interviews with 72 teenagers. While the results cannot be considered representative, the depth of the study is unparalleled in German youth research.

Unlike their parents’ generation, the youth of today no longer sees pop stars like David Bowie as their inspiration. “They are much more likely to name someone who they know personally as a major influence.”

Sub-cultures are disappearing, the study notes, as ever more youth aspire to a “mainstream” life built around family, children and a solid but unspectacular job.

Although the 600-page report concludes that “somewhere along the line the concept of fun seems to have been lost,” the word Spaß (fun) is mentioned throughout.

But whereas Spaß once meant hedonism or rebellion, these days it is “Spaß am Lernen” (fun in learning) and “Spaß an der Arbeit” (fun at work) that are the top priorities for many kids.

“Teenagers have an ever more serious and realistic view of the world and its problems,” the study says. “They are concerned – even afraid.”

Top on the list of Weltschmerzen that the German youth are feeling is fear over climate change. They feel that their point of view is not taking seriously enough by older generations, who they see as doing too little to tackle the issue.

“The zeitgeist among teens is both green and conservative,” the study says.

Concerns were also raised among participants about migration and the polarising debate around it.

Many have a nuanced view of this issue, and are more likely to point out positives and negatives than those interviewed for the last study in 2016.

At the same time they fear a rise in hate speech. The ideals of solidarity, and self-sacrifice and modesty were mentioned prominently by participants.

READ ALSO: 2016 German teens just want to be mainstream

SHOW COMMENTS