Harry Kahn failed to see why his son should attend the Gymnasium until he passed the Abitur [A-Levels]:

"Even during the Mittlere Reife [O-Levels, GCSE], my father said to my mother, why does he have to pass the Abitur? He'll do the Mittlere Reife, then he'll go to the Volksbank and do an apprenticeship, and then he can become a cattle trader."
My mother was from the city, from a somewhat more educated family. She said, "He's such a good learner, let him earn the Abitur, he can still become a cattle trader after." I’ve got my mother to thank for being able to earn the Abitur."