Building land in the middle of nowhere with the house prices?!

The lack of motivation seems to run through almost all year groups. The children only do what they have to do. Many of them don’t have the motivation to achieve more.

So it seems that grammar school is not the ultimate solution either. But you still have time! Children develop, and the daughter of my former neighbor, for example, was quite a slowpoke in elementary school and now in the 6th grade she is really blossoming, even in terms of her school performance.

I see it the same way, I wouldn’t worry too much in 1st grade and definitely not put too much pressure on them. There are no grades yet, and children (actually, people!) are very individual. For me, intrinsic motivation for education came much later, in some areas (history, for example) even only in adulthood.

Our school system with its mandatory classes and grades is not exactly the latest thing pedagogically, and for many children such rigid structures are not the right fit – although of course they prepare children for the sadly often rigid structures in later adult life. In general, I think our education system offers far too little opportunity to focus on talents and interests. Everyone has to do everything first, and that doesn’t suit everyone.

I believe a bit of structure doesn't hurt. Great freedom and intrinsic motivation work for a smaller number of children. And ultimately, you can't always just do what you currently find interesting. Sometimes you also have to learn basics, whose meaning and usefulness for life only become clear later. Or in some cases, not at all (Gedichtinterpretation?).

I think it depends on the child. Our little one complains that she wants to go back to school. You don’t learn anything during the holidays. She loves structure and needs grades/competition.
In our 1st grade, there are also no grades. But often evaluations. Excellent, well done, you can be satisfied, you still have to practice a lot. It took 2 assessments and the last one knew that Excellent means a 1 and you still have to practice a lot is very bad.
There are no report cards in 1st grade.

Sometimes you also have to learn basics whose meaning and usefulness for life only become clear later. Or in some cases not at all (poem interpretation?).

I am otherwise not very religious - but for all those who do not recognize poem interpretation as a fairly universal key, I gladly pray.

have you made any progress on whether your possibly new place of residence is a "one horse town" or if it actually has enough to offer. Although much in the village is communicated via old word of mouth rather than Facebook or websites.

And those without children can keep out of it here, because unfortunately they have no idea.

Maybe "parents" should also sometimes not always steer every discussion towards (their) children and their education and how hard they have it (which seems to be typical for today's "parents"), when that wasn't asked for and according to the opening thread the issue of education doesn't need to be addressed at all.