Favoriten A Classroom Reflecting Society

In a primary school classroom in Vienna, Austria, nearly all the students come from immigrant families. Their parents and guardians are unable to communicate fluently in German. Here, there are no teaching assistants, psychologists, or dedicated language support programs.

So what made this classroom a "case study" that the seasoned documentary filmmaker Ruth Beckermann chose to spend three full years observing, filming, and eventually sharing in this heartwarming documentary?

The answer is that this classroom revolves around its wonderful teacher, Ilkay Idiskut.

Throughout the film, we see Ilkay as a teacher overflowing with commitment. Her unique perspective stems from being born in Vienna to a Turkish family, which allows her to deeply understand her students' backgrounds and even speak Turkish with some of the parents. She also stays in constant contact with guardians through WhatsApp, tirelessly working to resolve every kind of issue her young students face. Simply put, what Teacher Ilkay does is not just "teaching"; it creates a small community within her classroom. She represents a new generation of teachers who are striving to make a difference, and her classroom resembles many others in major European cities today.

ภาพจากสารคดี Favoriten

ภาพจากสารคดี Favoriten

Merely following Ilkay's work and her relationship with the children could have made a good documentary, but Beckermann is sharper than that. She did not make Favoriten to glorify a skilled teacher. Her true intention was to reveal to the world what is happening inside this classroom and how it mirrors the society outside.

Beckermann believes that primary school is the crucial foundation of a child’s life, but sadly, primary schools in Austria are being shockingly neglected. On one hand, we see Ilkay as a teacher who devotes her heart and soul to her students; on the other, the film reveals the harsh reality that she has been left to cope with everything alone. She doesn’t even have a single assistant. Worse still, Vienna’s largest primary school lacks a resident social worker or psychologist. All of this constitutes a "leak" in the education system, forcing one teacher to patch it up by herself.

In addition to the teacher’s story, Favoriten places great emphasis on fully capturing each child’s identity by positioning the camera as close to them as possible. Beckermann also allowed the children to use mobile phones to film and interview one another, integrating these clips into the documentary. These small scenes let us hear the children's diverse conversations, covering questions that interestingly reflect social and cultural issues, such as "Can girls swim?" "Can women wear bikinis?" all the way to stories about refugees and the war in Ukraine. (Teacher Ilkay often participates in these discussions, never refusing to answer a question or give an opinion, but rather focusing on opening dialogue and encouraging the children to think independently.)

ภาพจากสารคดี Favoriten

ภาพจากสารคดี Favoriten

Among the many challenges faced by children from immigrant families, Beckermann states that the most important is "language." She believes the reason these children do not yet speak German well is not because their parents do not want their children to be educated, but because they do not use German at home. Consequently, the children only get practice when they come to school. An even more worrying problem is the ever-widening educational gap. Affluent people send their children to expensive private schools, while public schools face overcrowding and staff shortages, which further exacerbates social segregation.

Ultimately, Beckermann hopes the documentary will spark a debate about Austria’s education system. She issues a challenge to education policymakers: "They should try sitting in a classroom for a week, not just showing up for a visit when everything has been tidied up," so that they can see the reality for themselves. If society does not invest sufficiently in primary education, it will inevitably affect the future of society.

ภาพจากสารคดี Favoriten

ภาพจากสารคดี Favoriten

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