«I'm already an exotic at the gymnasium»

I'm spending a lot of time in the workshop at the moment, working on my Matura thesis. I'm building a wooden boat, 1.3 by 2.5 metres. My parents have a farm and in summer we spend time on the alp, looking after cattle and cows, milking and making cheese. My journey to school down there takes two hours, so I'm allowed to start my lessons a quarter of an hour later.

As the son of a farmer, I'm an exotic student at the Kanti. Not that this has ever put me at a disadvantage, I'm doing great. But it's true that the two-tier society that you often read about comes to the fore at grammar school: it's not just academic children, but quite a few from more modest families.

I myself am happy about my life as a farmer's son, about working with my hands and the fact that we have other things to do at home than school. It makes me more balanced than many of my classmates.
I've noticed how girls in particular put themselves under a lot of pressure because they and their parents believe that you have a bad chance in life without a school-leaving certificate. As a result, many go to grammar school simply because they think it's the right thing to do. I think that's a shame.

No room for everyday knowledge at grammar school

I like the grammar school, but it bothers me that a lot of things are abstract and the practical aspects are neglected. By that I don't just mean craftsmanship, but also other things that would be important in everyday life. I once asked a teacher why we weren't taught to fill in a tax return. He said that we learnt how to do research and could turn to Google for such questions. That doesn't convince me.

Many of us want to go to university later, I can imagine various things: An engineering degree, for example, but also an apprenticeship as a boat builder. In any case, I don't just want to work with my head.