System buster in Floridsdorf: school or prison for children?

System buster in Floridsdorf: school or prison for children?

A look at the Franz Jonas European School in Vienna Floridsdorf immediately shows that a completely different teaching style is used here. The school has set up a multi-grade class in which so-called “system busters” are taught, i.e. students who are often considered difficult due to crises in their personal environment and who often have a criminal record at a young age. The middle school director Christian Klar defends this concept vehemently. He sees the separation from these students as necessary in order to enable the other students to have relaxed lessons. “We have to relieve pressure to create a positive learning environment,” he emphasizes. Puls24 reports.

But is the class really a solution? Teacher Armin Aigner is skeptical. He admits that the multi-grade class is not the optimal solution for all students, but is not a “dead end” either. Rather, he sees the class as an opportunity to either reintegrate the students into regular lessons or to prepare them for later training. An incident that recently rocked the school exemplifies the challenges: a student had acquired a weapon for self-defense. Despite all the discussions, student Alan confirms that she was not at school but was picked up later.

Background and challenges

The problem of “system busters” is complex. Behavioral problems are understood as deviant behavior that can often be observed in psychosocial areas such as social skills and emotions. A study by Macsenaere & Feist-Ortmann shows that many of these young people suffer from diagnoses such as ADHD, aggressive behavior or attachment disorders and come from stressful family backgrounds. They often find themselves in a negative spiral of interaction with help systems, which are often overwhelmed and cannot provide a suitable framework. In many cases this leads to constant switching between different help organizations and a youth welfare career without real solutions. Describes individual pedagogy these alarming connections.

What is particularly noticeable is that the multi-grade class is currently only moderately attended - only three out of eight students showed up. This shows the students' great dissatisfaction with the demarcation system. Many feel better off in regular classes. Nevertheless, Director Klar attaches great importance to the safety of the institution and other students. “A few attendances are better than none at all,” says teacher Aigner, who sees it as a success if the children attend school and don’t hang around in the park.

The students' perspective

The students themselves are dissatisfied and report their criminal activities in order to get money. They even bring letters from the authorities that have to do with bodily harm. “The air is burning!” says Alan, making it clear that everyday life in the class is anything but ordinary. The segregation system is perceived as a hindrance because it stigmatizes them and, above all, does not offer the much-needed support. Klar states that it is important to help these children so as not to endanger their development.

Another scientific perspective also sheds light on this fact. The term “system buster” describes young people who systematically test the limits of the educational system and often react to these limits in their behavior with aggressive or dismissive reactions. Active system disruptors testify to external conflicts, while passive ones often fall into retreat and isolation. GISO Journal offers Information about these different types and how they deal with the challenges in the education and support system.

The Franz Jonas European School has therefore committed itself to a complex and challenging task. Puls24's reporting on the school not only reflects the challenges, but also the hope of reforming the system and helping the young people affected. The coming months will show whether the concept proves to be viable and whether the students can be guided into a better future.