As early as the 16th century, French philosopher Michael de Montaigne discovered that every human being is different and must be treated differently. This diversity is often disregarded in education and at school, causing potential to wither away.
Every human being is completely individual, as shown by very young children. Each child has its own individual appearance and personality, and physical and mental development varies. The education expert Remo H. Largo assumes that the age of development in a class of first graders varies by at least three years. This tendency even increases with age.
A good example of the problems that arise from misunderstood compliance with norms are childhood sleep disorders. Many children have problems sleeping and staying asleep. The reasons are manifold, but are also often based on the fact that the parents adhere to the guidelines for the sleeping needs of children. If a child has to lie more in bed than it feels natural, it either does not sleep in the evening, wakes up at night or wakes up very early in the morning. Other examples are the eating or playing behavior. Although it is difficult to discuss which foods are healthy and which are not, children have a good sense of what is good for them. If this feeling is passed over again and again by the ideas of the parents, the child unlearns to listen to his instincts and to choose the foods that are needed and, above all, tolerable. The preferences for games are individual. While lively children prefer games of moving and tobogganing, quieter children like to play quiet games where skill and strategy are more important than strength. Whenever parents override the individuality of their child and try to form and educate it according to their own ideas, there are problems with one another, because the child refuses, and secondly, the child permanently loses the feeling for the child own needs.
The school system has learned a lot over the last few years, and especially since the first PISA study. Despite everything, lessons at school often do not take into account the particularities and idiosyncrasies of each student. Learning speed, ability to concentrate, developmental age - all these are aspects that significantly influence how well a child can follow the teaching material. The curriculum in the German school system is usually based on average performance. Children who follow this average can follow the lessons well, the material is prepared for them in an age-appropriate way. All children below or above the average, however, remain largely unconsidered. Excessive or underexposure leads to a decrease in the motivation to learn, children are frustrated and lose their interest in school. The result is poor performance and insufficient development of the respective learning competences - the sense of achievement is missing.
In the meritocracy we live in, "functioning" and customization are highly regarded. Parents want their child not to step out of line, no less can than peers. This has meant that everything that has the slightest appearance of a deficit should be promoted, treated and eliminated. This does not take into account that there are also partial performance weaknesses that can not be completely eliminated. Dyslexia or dyscalculia usually persist for a lifetime and can only be alleviated by targeted promotion. Expect parents now that the weakness is to be eliminated, creates a pressure on the performance of the child, the worst case, traumatic effect and the existing deficit can even increase. More important than eradicating individual weaknesses is strengthening and supporting the child, developing self-esteem, and providing him with strategies that help him to live and accept his or her deficiencies.
Schools are required to recognize students' individual strengths and weaknesses and provide targeted instruction. In the home environment, parents should be less concerned with development and parenting standards than with the child's needs and abilities.
