Schule Beginnt!

Hi there

So, obviously the subject of school is a big topic for me, since I'm going be in school for the duration of my exchange. Therefore, you can expect a lot of entries about school during the year. In this first one I am just going to go on a general overview of the education system here in Bavaria. Although all of the education systems follow a similar structure, there are significant differences which prevent me from describing this as the German education system.

So, as some of you know, at the end of 4th grade, the overall grade average of the students over the course of that year determines which school they will go to. The students that receive lower grades will attend a Mittelschule (formerly known as Hauptschule's but changed after complaints that the phrase "half school" was somewhat offensive). These schools prepare the students for trades careers or other jobs in that neighbourhood, where the students enter into apprenticeships almost immediately after they graduate (in Grade 10). Above this is the Realschule, which takes students up to the grade 10 level before they must choose either to write a test which gives them the ability to enter a Gymnasium (more on those later) or to take the same path as a Mittelschule student and enter a trades apprenticeship.

Finally, my school, a Gymnasium. If you do well in Grade 4, you are entered into a Gymnasium. These schools give the most advanced secondary education that can be commonly found, and far more curriculum is covered from year to year than is in Canada, chiefly because those students that may not be able to learn as quickly as the others may be in a different school. This means that even though I am enrolled in Math 11 and Chemistry 10 classes, I only know fragments of what they are learning in these classes, despite graduating with honours in Canada. Also unlike Canada, there is no division in students after primary school, resulting in hallways full of both 10 year old's and 20 year old's. Oh yes, another thing; because the gymnasium is so difficult, falling behind a year because of poor grades is not looked upon with the same scorn that it is in Canada.

I could keep going, but I still have 10 months of entries worth to write, so there will be many entries about school coming your way in the future. Next time, probably I will write about the classes that I am in, some notes on cafeterias, and the relationship between students and teachers.

Don't worry, I am hoping to get a couple of entries out to the world today, while I have some free time, so hang on, more is on the way. If you have any questions about German school that you want answered, please feel free to post them in the comments and I will try to find an answer for you guys.