The editorial in March

Dear reader
A primary school teacher recently told me that she was sending four pupils to secondary school in the autumn. This is remarkable, she said, because she teaches 17 young people with a migration background in her class. I wanted to know if that was exhausting. Well, the Swiss boy with ADHD who tapes his own mouth shut so that he doesn't disrupt the lesson is really stressful, said the teacher. But the real challenge was the girl with Down's syndrome. Doing justice to her often drives her to despair. «The girl is at the level of a five-year-old and wants the «Schellen-Ursli» to be read to her while I practise English vocabulary with the class.» Nevertheless, she loves her pupils, every single one of them. «I would become a teacher again in a heartbeat,» she said.
I am telling you this impressive example of inclusion in practice - i.e. teaching children with and without disabilities together - because we have been working on this topic in the editorial team for weeks. What are the experiences of teachers and parents in inclusive schools? How can the integration of disabled people into mainstream schools succeed? And where are the limits? Immerse yourself in the world of 13-year-old Sophie, a girl with Down's syndrome who attends secondary school in Basel. Sophie's world.

Whenever Mr Müller pressed the black button, we knew: There was nudity on show. Mr Müller was our drawing teacher. And he was destined to enlighten us secondary school pupils. Every Friday, Mr Müller pressed the black button. Seconds later, the shutters in the drawing classroom came down with a roar and Mr Müller switched on the slide projector. What we saw was both fascinating and disturbing at the same time: pictures of Mr and Mrs Müller, bloody as fiddles on the beach, stark naked in the flower meadow. While Mr Müller pointed out the obvious differences between a male and a female breast, we stared intently forwards, trying to memorise every little anatomical detail. Later, when Mr Müller - dressed, of course - lectured on perspective drawing, we always had a bit of trouble concentrating.

«It's normal to be different.»

Richard von Weizsäcker German politician (1920-2015)

That was over 40 years ago. Today, in the age of the internet and constantly available pornography, sex education is different: schools get outside help, young medical students talk to pupils about masturbation, orgasm and anal sex - teachers are not allowed in. «That's a good thing,» says a teacher in the report by my colleague Bianca Fritz. «I'm over 60 and still cringe every time a pupil says «horny».» When cock and mumu make love.
I wish you a stimulating read. Do you like a topic? What can we do better? Please write to me. I look forward to reading from you.
Yours sincerely, Nik Niethammer
Picture: Geri Born