Becoming German: A Critical Look at Refugee Education in Germany
Courtney O’Connell
Language, Discourse & Society, Vol. 7, Number 1, 2019
This paper published in Language, Discourse & Society (The Central European Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2019, vol. 7, iss. 1, p. 67-83) examines education for refugee children in Germany through the lens of contemporary childhood studies. When children resettle in Germany they are not only permitted, but also required to attend school. They are put on a fast, straight track to learning German so they can get matriculated into mainstream classes as quickly as possible: their only shot at succeeding in Germany’s highly stratified school system (SBJW, 2016). But does this intense focus on the future meet the needs of this population of children in the present? Eurocentric and nativist attitudes behind integration rhetoric are explored, including how they factor into teaching approaches in so-called welcome classes for Germany’s young newcomers. Why and how should schools look after the mental health of its students? The case is made for the incorporation of creative expressive interventions in the classroom as a means of enhancing students’ self-esteem, self-efficacy, and ultimately agency.