The time has come again. Compared, interpreted, interpreted in kitchens and living rooms. A number here, a comment there, as if the whole school year could be pressed into a few digits. But if you take a closer look, you can see that there is a child behind every grade. With dreams. With worries. With your own story.

The summer vacation has already started in Lower Saxony, Bremen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Saarland. Finally time to sleep in, for afternoons for outdoor pools, vacation plans or just don't do anything. But before the lightness begins, many children end up with a sheet of paper on the table and sometimes a great concern with it.

More than one numerical value

Not everything a child can or feels can be mapped in a grade. Some don't expect that quickly, but masterpieces paint on paper. Others intuitively understand complex relationships, they can not always spell properly. And then there are breastfeeding - those who hold out even though they have a hard time. Those who are brave without anyone noticing.

A certificate is an excerpt. A snapshot . No judgment. No end point. It may say something about calculation rules or spelling - but nothing about imagination, courage or compassion.

If children could think loudly, we would listen

Let us imagine that a child could pronounce everything they really feel and think when it holds his certificate in hands:

"I strained. Even if there is a four now. I learned, although my head was full. I tried to remember everything. I was tired, but I kept through.

Such thoughts often remain unspoken. But they are there. And they should shake us - as parents, as a teacher, as a society.

What grades (not) say about us

Anyone who believes that good grades are synonymous with later success is huge. Albert Einstein, for example, was considered dreamy, difficult to educate - today the whole world knows him. Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, fought with dyslexia and broke the school at 16. And yet he created an empire with hundreds of companies.

But we don't have to look that far. Everyone knows people who have found their way, such as the craftswoman, nurse, artist or entrepreneur. People who go to work with a smile in the morning. Because they do what they love. Because they see a meaning in it. Despite unspectacular evidence, your life is all the more fulfilling because you love what you do.

Studies show: grades are not a life compass

It is also scientifically clear that school grades are not a reliable indicator of later quality of life or income.

Several studies show that the influence of school grades on the later salary is surprisingly low. Properties such as personal responsibility, teamwork, creativity and perseverance often play a much larger role in professional life. Many talents only develop outside the classroom - in workshops, in social professions, in art or entrepreneurship.

A three in math does not mean that someone doesn't understand any numbers - maybe you only need the right context. A four in English says nothing about how well someone understands people, consoles or enthusiastically.

Find talents, not just evaluate services

Children are not empty vessels that we have to fill with knowledge. You are small personalities in search of your place in the world.

There is the girl who builds whole cities out of legisanal - maybe she will later become an architect. The boy who is constantly talking, interrupts, asks - maybe a born moderator. Or the silent child who realizes when someone is not doing well - maybe a future therapist.

What children need is space to try them out. And adults who trust them. Who don't look at numbers first, but on curiosity. For passion. Put forward.

A new look for parents

Certificates can disappoint. That is human. But before we react with criticism, we could pause - and ask other questions:
• What is my child fun?
• When does it look satisfied or proud?
• Where does it show endurance or compassion?
• What is it really interested in?

A child who feels seen and taken seriously develops self -confidence. It may not be the best class - but finds its own way. And that is exactly the goal.

Why we should see our children holistically

In the end, it doesn't matter whether someone once had one in chemistry - but whether he or she is at peace with himself. Whether a person has learned to trust himself, accept challenges, maintain relationships and to shape a life that makes sense.

The school can be a foundation for this. But she's not the whole house.

Parents who signal their children: "You are valuable, no matter what is on this sheet of paper" - lay the foundation for exactly this house. A home of trust, out of courage, out of love.

A wish at the start of the holiday

We wish all families a summer full of ease. With honest conversations, small adventures, a lot of laughter and the certainty that no child has to define himself over a grade.

Because sometimes a happy life does not begin with a perfect testimony, but with a person who believes in you.