School

Going to another school is always a different experience. Adding on top of that, that the school is in another country makes it much more interesting.  For the last few weeks I’ve been attending what’s called a Gesamptschule. It is fairly close to an American high school. There are some significant differences however. Probably the biggest difference for me is the use of block schedule. Some parts of block scheduling I like. Being able to take 11 classes is a definite plus. Another advantage is that a class could meet for more than just 5 hours each week. One disadvantage is that there are some classes where I have class on Wednesday and don’t have it again until Tuesday of the next week. This allows for a lot of time for me to forget homework and what we did last time. Another major advantage I find in the American system, is that we have more options for what we want to take. In math, everyone is on the same track, so I find myself doing now (in the 11^th year) what I was doing in the eighth grade (and some earlier). On the other hand, the foreign language skills of the Germans are much more advanced compared to those of most American high schoolers. The facility itself is not quite as nice as the facilities back home. From fourth grade to thirteenth grade are all in the same building. This is chaotic, and I think the learning environment suffers as a result. The classes are over-crowded. Some of my classes have over 30 students. The computer lab (or as I like to think of it, the museum of early nineties technology) is spacious enough to allow us to go two to a computer.  One thing I really like is that there is no lunch break for my grade, only two ten minute breaks and one twenty minute break. This allows enough time to eat a snack and walk around a bit. School starts at eight and ends at around three (depending on the day). Sometimes, the teacher is gone and we just don’t have that class. I think that there is maybe one janitor for a rather large school, and thus the classrooms are always slightly dirty. For as much taxes as Germans pay, I am really surprised how little of it goes to schools. It is interesting to know, that USA and Mexico put a larger percentage towards education than Germany. The school has no school sports, and I find this a great disadvantage for all who cannot afford playing sports in a private club. As for extracurricular activities other than sports, I think there might be a choir (I think). I feel pretty lucky to have attended a great school (not saying that German schools are bad) with many opportunities.