I was thinking I'd post a bit about some of the differences I've noticed with schools here versus schools at home. Especially for us as we had the boys at a unique charter school and then a few months spent homeschooling before we moved here. So German school is definitely much different as far as we're concerned.
One of the first differences is that, yes, stereotypical teachers-from-Germany tend to be much stricter than teachers back home. Easton has been expected to sit facing the front, both feet on floor, no resting your chin on a propped up hand or laying your head across an elbow on the desk. The charter we were at had bean bag chairs and stability balls! Homeschooling was often done in our p.j's on the couch...this definitely took some getting used to for Easton. He got corrected so frustratingly often. :( (There's a reason to hate going to school.)
Our charter in the States had a lot of "twice exceptional" students....friends that were allowed to just hop up and walk around during a lesson if they felt fidgety. Friends with other accommodations. The school wanted you to be comfortable learning so if that meant "hiding" under a baseball cap and fumbling with a stuffed animal in your lap so you could better focus, then so be it. That would not happen in our school. At the school we're at (and the schools I've heard about from other friends), Germany appears to have a bit more of a "one size fits all" approach. There are no obvious accommodations for anyone that I've seen or heard of. I'm sure there has to be a student with the equivalent of a "504" or an "IEP"...or even a gifted student here or there, yet, I personally haven't heard of anyone being helped in this manner. I even had to explain "Gifted and Talented" to two of Easton's teachers (one East German, one Irish). I had to explain some of the common GT characteristics, especially ones that helped them understand why Easton is the way he is and the school environment he was used to: Preoccupied with own thoughts—daydreamer with a vivid imagination, reluctant to practice skills he has mastered (hates busy work), and that he's a perfectionist type that would rather not try at all if there's a risk of doing it wrong/losing/looking stupid etc. According to two of Easton's teachers, they really don't test for IQ /giftedness too much, I don't think. We do have a friend from church (they live outside of Berlin, though) who has a very advanced student and is in a special situation to meet his needs that way. Back home, our school was full of identified gifted children. When I think of some of our friends from back home, I cringe thinking how this sort of environment would be for these kids. I honestly don't know what "Germany" does. I know there are OTs (occupational therapists) and speech therapists here, but I really don't think they're part of schools too often. Certainly nowhere near the same level you see and hear about them in the States. I know there are entirely separate schools for some of the more severe "disabilities" (are we 'allowed' to say that word anymore or is offensive now?) Anyway, not the same sorts of inclusion we saw back home.
I've since come back to add this part, but I heard from a friend that these types of schools do exist around Germany/Berlin...but it still sounds different from home. You would have gifted programs in (pretty much) all schools back home to some extent. Whether a "pull out" program or other in-class accommodations to meet the additional needs of these students. The opposite would be true as well for the, um, less advanced (??--seriously you have to be so careful with potentially offensive word choices and I truly don't mean to offend). You'd also have the necessary tools in place for the kids with, say, ADD/ADHD or sensory processing disorder, English as a second language or speech impediments, dyslexia or dyspraxia, whatever so that these kiddos could be in a mainstream classroom in pretty much any public school. From what I understood, I'd have to search for this a bit here. It's certainly not to the extent you'd see in the States. Back home, you'd also easily find public school that integrates children with additional challenges...wheelchairs, feeding tubes, blind or deaf, Downs Syndrome, traumatic brain injury.... The primary school I grew up in and the primary school where my mother teaches are both fully inclusive even with what we'd call "Severe Special Needs". My mom teaches P.E. ("Sport" is what 'they' seem to call it here) and I can think of one of her classes where 3 individual aides come in with 3 students. This is in a single class! I love watching the more "typical" kids cheer on and work with and include these "differently abled" classmates. I think it's awesome. And I know I truly have no idea how hard parents of children with some of these challenges have to advocate to get their student's needs met back home, but I also think it's probably going to be harder for those same parents here. Even if you did speak German. But, I admit, I'm only making assumptions based on what I've seen and I'll give my basis for that now:
On our current school's website, there is nothing I can find about any sorts of special needs help. On the application for the school there was nothing about any special needs or accommodations or potential challenges. On the application for the neighborhood (German) school we had to apply to for Autumn, there was nothing about any potential challenges. On her preschool application, nothing. To compare, we had the kids in 3 different schools in our time in Colorado and applied to quite a few others. Every single one had at least one question about IEPs/504s, etc on their applications. All of them have easily accessible information about "special needs" on their websites (I just looked again). So, I guess that's where I feel I can make these assumptions that, while possible and even likely that you can find proper support for your student's unique needs and challenges, it still doesn't appear to this new-to-Berlin, non-German speaker that it's the same level of available support nor as easily accessible. Anyway... ;)
The charter school we came from did ability grouping and, of course, with homeschooling I taught where they were at and at the pace they could handle. At the boys' school, "Maths" is taught in German. The whole 4th class on the same pages. Their workbooks are in German. Dalton's teachers help him in English quite a lot but Easton's maths teacher really "can't"/won't speak English. Eas is allowed to ask one student to translate one time from what I understand. That's it. So he is "learning" math from a slightly impatient trilingual kid who gives him a very basic synopsis of what the teacher has been saying or from the bilingual boy who struggles a bit in math (like Easton) himself. This blows our minds a bit as Easton was once two years ahead in math. Here his teacher (and sometimes other students) make him feel stupid and slow regarding math. He's been publicly "shamed" although that's probably more from my American point of view of shaming. It's weird to see him struggle with something he was once so confident with but I'm not looking for "Oh, poor Easton." This is just part of a big move like this. And I know my American friends are probably all, "Can't the teachers work with him extra?" or "Can't they do this?" and the answer is sort of, "No, not really." That's just not how it is at our school. We had to let go of some of our American-type expectations upon coming here. And, that's not such a bad thing, to be honest.
And now, on to the German school system. Please know that I most definitely do not think I have this all figured out. Just what I have heard and read and learned so far. Anyway, not every kid in Germany is "allowed" on the "university track", from everything I've been told and currently understand. At age 10 (Easton's age!!!) in most of Germany but (luckily) age 12 here in Berlin, children typically complete their primary education at age 10. Then they have a test. And then (for the most part, though there are obviously exceptions) you go to one of three types schools for your secondary education depending on how you did through age 10 (or 12 here). There's Hauptschule basically for the potentially less bright, less driven, less fluent (in German), maybe they're poor test takers, slower paced, vocational school route. There's the mid range Realschule which only goes through grade 10 where you take a test and then maybe go on to Berufsschule. "Beruf" means "profession" so, to me, this still sounds sort of vocational-y. I don't know. But, from what I've heard (and from the 10th grader I personally know): you can also go from your Realschule Grade 10 tests, and depending on how you did, go to Gymnasium (but pronounced with the hard G like "gim-naaz-ee-um" (ish) rather than the "Jim" way we say it in #murican) for another two years. Gymnasium would be more for the top students. But this goes through, like, Grade 13 (!?!) I think, and then you get a degree called an Abitur. I'm pretty sure you'd go on to "Uni" from there. Apparently it's very rare to switch tracks once you get placed (at age 10 or 12). OUR school, an international school, doesn't do it this way thankfully. It's slightly more like we're used to back home in that regard. Uh, at least I'm pretty sure it is. Ha!
Another major difference is religion in our school. You MUST choose for your kids to go to Christian religious education (choosing from only Protestant or Catholic) OR Lebenskunde ("life skills" or basically "ethics"). Despite being Christians ourselves, we opt for our kids to do Lebenskunde. They find it super boring. And I think it's in German.
It's also so weird (to us as Americans) that the schools here all have "Easter Break" or "Christmas Break". Yes that's what they're called. Easton even had "Jesus", "Advent," and "Christmas" all as spelling words back in December. And he had "resurrection" and "crucify" or something similar at Easter time. Can you Americans even imagine? I was like, "They'd be on the news that night if a public school gave such spelling words!" :D Our schools here did stuff for Saint Nicholas Day and Christmas too. They did nothing for Hanukkah. Nothing for Ramadan. This is an international school! It is filled with all sorts of religions not to mention Berlin being called (on Wikipedia, so it's true) "The atheist capital of Europe". Yet refreshingly, I've personally never seen anyone get all offended over every little thing like I would see back home.
And I honestly understand the other side. Even though I'm Christian, I don't think public schools should ONLY recognize/talk about Christian holidays. I think it should be allowed to talk about in respectful ways for everyone's beliefs.
Easton thinks he is probably the only Christian in his class (18 kids). Dalton has read his Bible on the playground! (can you imagine?!) :D One of Autumn's teachers is Muslim, but they only do Christian holidays in her Kindergarten to the extent that they even did a play with the birth of Jesus and angels and all that (Autumn was Mary)! They had nativity scene toys around the room! It is not a "Christian" kindergarten. Her Kita even did a special Pentecost ceremony before all of Germany had that day off of work and school! It's been soooooooooooo long since anything like that has been acceptable in the States. And I can't imagine how it must be for her Muslim teacher, you know?
One thing we personally really like about Germany is that academics aren't pushed as much in the early years. We were in the States so we pushed it too, we had to keep up and luckily our kids are bright enough, but there is no academic aspect to "preschool" here. Not anymore in Berlin anyway. Back home Autumn (and the boys) had begun to read at age 4 (or younger), they worked on pre-math skills, pre-writing skills... All the kids knew all their letter sounds, blending, and many many sight words before starting "kindergarten" as that is just how it is back home. And you gotta keep up, right? But here, they don't even try. And it's so nice, if you ask me. A little bit back home it was like, "She's reading at a___ level!!" and it sort of felt competitive. Here? Not so much.
I stopped doing anything academic with Autumn...she goes to her KiTa to learn German and socialize in a German environment. She's learning manners and caring for others in a more life skills sort of way: helping dress the toddlers to go outside, talking a potty trainer through proper procedure, setting tables, etc. When she starts 1st grade in September, it's a big deal that all the kids sort of do this reading thing and learn together. Sure I know of many kids back home who can't help themselves and just love love love to read and learn. And that's totally fine, of course. More power to 'em and good luck Mom and Dad. I honestly wonder if you see that as much here, though. Just with the different attitudes if there are preschoolers that are just desperate to read themselves. I'll have to ask around. But, anyway, mine are happy just being read to and not having to "work" on stuff other than being a kid.
And starting school here is SUCH a big deal. It's great. The 2nd through whatever graders all start on one day and go for a whole week. Then on that following Saturday, there is a huge Einschulung at all the primary schools around Berlin and the current second graders "welcome" the new 1st class and then that Monday the 1st class joins everyone at school. It is a BIG deal and I love it. I love that it feels like kids can be kids a little longer without feeling like they're falling behind and doomed for Hauptschule (my apologies to any potentially offended reader friends who went to Hauptschule...I'm an ignorant American, remember? ;) )
"Germany" (possibly just "Berlin") is also great about free time and time spent outside. The boys have a very long day as far as German school days go. Mine go from 8:00-3:50 4 days a week (Ganztagsschule--full/whole day school). Many neighborhood schools are done at 1:00 or 2:00. Fridays I pick them up at 1:05. But a lot of that time is free-ish time or outside time. Autumn's kindergarten walks to the park every single day for an hour no matter the weather. Our charter school back home also had lots of recesses...but not always outside if it was super cold or precipitating.
Some things that have been a little harder to embrace are the lax security. I'm mostly okay with it now, but I can walk into and all around the boys' building whenever I want. The secretary is upstairs and down a hall. There is absolutely no way she sees anybody unless they come down her hall to see her in her office. If she's even there (she hasn't been since March). They go on field trips and the parents don't need to sign anything. On two different occasions, Dalton has later informed us that his class went somewhere: "Our class went to a candy store to practice German today" or we were riding in a car and he and his friend recognized a café out the window and went "Hey we went there with Mrs. ____!" "You did?!? Why?" "She was hungry." The class waited outside while she grabbed a bite to go! :D I think they were on the way to a field trip but still... whoa! And Autumn?? We walked into a grocery store and she told me she'd already been there once that day to get coffee with her teacher. Only the 5 year olds (Autumn and one other girl) could go on this special outing and she told me they do this often: "He is very thirsty." Say what??? Can you Americans imagine your kid at preschool or day care just heading offsite with one teacher for a bit without your explicit pre-approval???
Most Fridays now that the weather is nice, Autumn's kindergarten heads to "the forest" and once she went to a mill and I honestly have no idea where she's been most Fridays and she can't tell me other than they took a train and went to "der Wald" (the forest). I seriously don't know where my children might be at any given time. Or with whom. The Mühle Ausflug (mill excursion) was only for the 5 year olds in her group and the group down the hall. Who took her? Her teacher? The other teacher?? Sure, it's maybe a little weird still, but it doesn't "bother" me. It's just different, right? My kiddos are learning a unique independence they wouldn't otherwise have. It's just less sheltered and careful all the time, and sure, that takes a bit of adjusting, but it's okay. I'm growing in that way too. Less controlling. ;) *deep breath* Easton's class goes to all kinds of parks and such. The "problem" with Easton, is that sometimes he and his BBF (Best Berlin Friend) get left behind. Yes, one of their teachers sometimes "loses" them. But rather than being all mad at the teacher (we go to pick the kids up and ours aren't there) I personally get more annoyed that Easton wasn't paying attention to the class or the teacher or whatever and didn't head back when everyone else did. He's never hard to find (so far). Like, "Dude, get out of the top of the tree if you can't hear/notice that they're all going inside" or whatever. Sheesh. But hopefully he'll learn/is learning to be more responsible for himself. Compared to German children the same age, mine are less independent fo' sho'.
And speaking of this, the schools here usually do a big overnight class trip. I remember we did these in 5th and 6th grade. "Outdoor Ed" they were called. But here they start in KiTa!!! I've had friends whose 3 year olds spend the night at the kindergarten and others who send their slightly older ones away for the week with their kindergartens!!! I can't imagine! Easton heard about the potential for a class trip and was like, "I'm definitely not going on that." It didn't work out for his class to go this year anyway (the state pays for some of it, I believe, and they're all screwed up right now) but, usually, pretty much all the kids typically go away for the school week. :-O I've seen Mercedes busses being loaded up with small children and their things as their parents bid them farewell for a few days. My kiddos are just not that independent yet. They've been with my mom--in our own house--for, hmmm, maybe not quite a week when Jason and I went to Seattle ( and Vegas and C-section with Autumn). But, we don't do overnights with non-family. So for a Klassenfahrt (class trip) I really don't believe they would even want to go, even if it was something I was comfortable with myself...which I'm not sure I'm there yet.
One thing seemingly typical that I agree with, but took some adjusting for the kids to learn to handle, is how much more children here are expected to "work things out" for themselves. That was more how it was when I was in school and how I wanted it to be back at our charter a little more. Today these behaviors are often called "Bullying" in America and, at first, my kids went to teachers for help...except they didn't help other than to offer a "Talk to him yourself.". Physical altercations at our school don't really seem to result in any real discipline (yet I still won't allow that from my children!). Dalton threatens that he knows Tae Kwon Do but so far, he hasn't scared anyone off. LOL My kids are having to learn who to stay away from or trying to learn how to handle such people on their own. It's a wonderful life skill although you sometimes hate to hear about this learning process. I don't know if you remember the beginning of the year when Easton was being kicked in the back? Things thrown at him in trees? This same kid also screamed so loudly right in Dalton's face that his ear drum was temporarily damaged--like rock concert damage where he couldn't get it to pop for a week so everything was muffled. Anyway, Easton's decision at the beginning of the year was, "the best way to defeat an enemy is to befriend him", remember? And they're friends...sure kids get into things now and again here and there, but for the most part they're pals.
Oh! And here's a good place to add the story about when Dalton got stabbed. A 7th grade boy walked up to both of my boys and said, "Which one of you should I kill first?" and Easton was all, "Uhhhh, neither of us" and he said again, "Which one of you should I kill first?" and then put a knife to Dalton's chest and it turned out to be a trick knife...but can you imagine how that would have gone over had it happened in the States?
There's not really substitute teachers here either. And, from what I've heard and read, this isn't just at our school. Sometimes, a teacher won't show. Or goes on parental leave....and there's no subs. They just don't have that class or some existing staff member will try to fill in. One of Easton's teachers (the former East German) is a super stickler for tardiness. You walk in just after the bell and she's apparently all, "Wo ist dein spät pass?" (Where is your late pass?) One day she wasn't there when class started and they were so excited for her to walk in so they could be all, "Wo ist dein spät pass?" at her but she just never showed. I don't even know what they did. I don't know if another teacher discovered a room of unsupervised 10 year olds or if one of them went to get another teacher. But certainly no sub.
I'm sure there's other things I wanted to share about school differences but this is more than long enough. Sorry to be so general sometimes in referring to "Germany" or what not, please know that I do realize not everywhere in Germany is the same, just like not everywhere in America is the same.
Only 8 more days to go!
