What Teachers are Seeing

The political future is being shaped in classrooms right now and the picture that emerges is more complicated rather than entirely negative. Teachers today are noticing students are visibly and actively involved, particularly in digital spaces, but not in a way that brings them together:

“They said they would all come together to beat him up.”

A philosophy teacher pauses as she recalls the moment a classroom debate in northern Cyprus (about whether Mustafa Kemal Atatürk matters to Cypriot history) tipped into threatened violence. The student who voiced a mild criticism was 16. So were the boys who reacted.

Seyide has been teaching for more than three decades. She works at a high school where many students are children of Turkish military personnel, and where Atatürk is more than a historical national figure; instead, he is “a symbol they defend almost fanatically.” She is one of four teachers across Europe who told us they are witnessing a shift: boys becoming louder, are radicalised, and ideologically rigid, while girls often withdraw or approach politics more cautiously.

In Ireland, Fiona, a Geography and Classics teacher who spent 30 years in an all‑boys school before moving to a co‑ed Educate Together, describes a similar pattern. “Some of the boys followed Andrew Tate,” she says. “There was a lot of anti‑migrant, nationalistic nonsense… and students who disagreed stayed silent for fear of ridicule.”

In Germany, Jasmin, a secondary school teacher who once ran intensive language classes for Syrian refugees, sees something else: the pull of algorithmic nationalism. “It has become socially acceptable to say things in class that no one would have voiced two or three years ago,” she says.

Across diverse classrooms, their stories converge, speaking of a gendered divide emerging among Europe’s teenagers, shaped by online influence, local tensions and a growing nationalist rhetoric. In public debate, we hear endlessly about youth radicalisation, we interviewed four teachers to find out what the political shift amongst teenage boys is actually like.

Shifting views in the classroom

As Jasmin puts it: “It is a cross-sectional task for all teachers, regardless of their subjects, to establish anti-discrimination work and democracy-promoting structures.” This sentiment isn’t isolated, it rather reflects a broader transformation in how Europe views education today. In countries as diverse as Ireland and Cyprus, educators are witnessing how the digital world reshapes their students’ worldviews. While every local context is unique, the challenges are really universal: classrooms are struggling with sharper polarization and a gender divide that continues to widen day by day.

An important theme is the decrease of objective discussions on social media. In Germany, teachers describe a “TikTokization” of extremism, in which students are flooded with disinformation. This “algorithmic education” leads young people to bring arguments from online bubbles directly into the classroom. Teachers are responding by redefining their role. In Ireland, teachers help students see through manipulation, while in Germany, it is emphasized that one must not remain “value-neutral” in the face of attacks on the constitutional order. In Cyprus, critical questioning is used to teach tolerance for uncertainty.

These interviews reveal that the classroom has become the primary site of resistance against digital fragmentation. Despite the pressure of school days and the distractions of iPads or phones, a shared hope remains. The interviewees teachers all agree that students have the intelligence and the capacity for empathy, but their energy must be channeled through more face-to-face interactions.

The gender divide

The difference according to the teachers’ interviews: girls are calmer and grounded in facts while boys are in search of a way to express frustration. Picture: Surprising_Media / Pixaby / Pixaby Inhaltslizenz

Even though the divergence in political orientation seems to be undeniable for most teachers, the class environment is more shaped by how different genders choose to communicate these differing viewpoints. The difference according to the teachers’ interviews: girls are calmer and grounded in facts while boys are in search of a way to express frustration. Seyide even describes it as a “burst of accumulated energy” of boys, while Jasmin makes a note of the difference in confidence levels between young boys and girls when it comes to expressing political views. Regarding these different tones that shape the classroom, the Greek Cypriot teacher, Eleni, says: “boys often frame discussions in terms of loss, while girls often frame them in terms of change”.

Despite the growing polarization of the classroom, the experience of Fiona reveals allowing open discussions in class is still positive. Fiona has worked in both an all-boys school and mixed gender setting of an Educate Together school. Her perspective provides almost a natural experiment on gendered dynamics. She describes the all-boys class to have a “misogynistic atmosphere”, a sentiment also cultivated by the far-right, which was not the case in her new school. The exposure to a different way of seeing the world allows young boys to also soften their views, which can prove that the discussions can be helpful. Does this mean the rise of the far right in the classroom is nothing to be feared?

Future Lessons

Teachers frame the situation with varying degrees of concern and cautious hope. Picture: WOKANDAPIX / Pixaby / Pixaby Inhaltslizenz

Across these contexts, teachers frame the situation with varying degrees of concern and cautious hope. Jasmin stresses that current developments may not be temporary and could “tip over” into something more lasting.

In Cyprus, based on the teacher’s comments the picture is not that simple either. Seyide pushes back against the idea that young people are disengaged, saying that they are paying attention and may prove capable of more clear-eyed political thinking than the generation before them. But, Eleni offers a more critical perspective: what happens when engagement outpaces judgment?

Moments of Hope

Despite concerns, there are moments that suggest a different direction is possible. As Eleni notes: “Maybe there is still hope. If young people learn to listen to each other with an open heart, even when they disagree, the future may be kinder and less divided than we think’’.

This possibility can be seen in the more cautiously optimistic view from Ireland. Fiona suggests that if educators, and “more importantly, parents,” remain actively involved, it could make a significant difference for future generations. But she doesn’t pretend that the outcome is guaranteed.

This article was written as part of the “Newsroom Europe” project. The project brings together young Europeans from Germany, Cyprus, and Ireland, who report in international editorial teams on European issues. Its aim is to strengthen journalistic skills and to foster European exchange. The project is organized by the European Academy Berlin. Treffpunkteuropa.de is the project’s media partner.