Post #3732481

2026-07-11 05:14 UTC

@randomfelix@dragonscave.space @ZBennoui@dragonscave.space I had a pretty good time from 1st to 7th grade, socially. Teachers were mostly crap, but if we only look at the social side, it was good. And well then, I was isolated until 10th grade. But I agree with Zach: if I had not been at a public school, I wouldn't have the character and self-confidence I have now. Sure, the time wasn't nice, but I've learned a lot and was exposed to things that were hard but perhaps useful later. In 9th grade, inclusion and the bad teachers became so bad that I considered switching to a school for the blind in the next city (BBS Nürnberg, for the Germans). What I saw there in one week was honestly ridiculous. Of course, it was sort of nice to not be "special" in that sense, but literally on the first day there was some super weird girl who apparently had the reputation of being sexually attracted to half the school or something, talking to me and asking me out? Or whatever she was trying to achieve there. The stuff they taught was too easy for me too. I would've just been even more bored. TL;DR, I think this is something very subjective, but I can say I didn't feel well there. And I wouldn't want to go to Marburg and live in a dorm there, where your blindness becomes, like, the entire point in some ways.

Replies (1)

@tonio@dragonscave.space 2026-07-11 09:37

@jonathan859@someplace.social @randomfelix@dragonscave.space @ZBennoui@dragonscave.space Well, I do get the impression that schools for the blind often have children and teenagers with behavioral issues. Of course, not all of them, but there are quite a few in each of these institutions. But that’s probably a general issue with special education schools, and not limited to schools for the blind. Personally, I’d prefer it if we could manage without schools for the blind. I’m not saying I’m against special education schools, but these schools clearly aren’t doing some students any good. The people I know who spent their entire school careers at these institutions have such an unrealistic view of the world that they still can’t cope with it today. And yes, inclusion—at least here in Germany—sucks. For some, it works if they have teachers who are genuinely interested in helping these students succeed. But if you don’t have that, you end up back in a special education school.

Open ##3736567