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  Germany — Kids Life |
Mornings — Most children will have a light breakfast before going to school. Foods include yogurt, fruit, breads, and granola. In the countryside, some children might have light chores with animals or other farm duties, but most work would be done after homework is finished. Germans are quite health conscious and ensure that good sleep and hearty meals go hand in hand with sufficient exercise.
To School — Students often walk, ride bikes, or take advantage of the public transportation systems available throughout the country. These include buses, streetcars, and trains.
In The Classroom — School buildings themselves may range from classic old buildings with great traditions and heritage to newly constructed buildings with the latest architecture. But they are always kept clean and are viewed as an important part of the local culture. Because of the cultural and governmental support given to schools, educational issues in general are not treated lightly.
In the classrooms, teachers are highly regarded, but the teacher-student and teacher-parent relationship can be somewhat casual and relaxed.
Computers play a big role in German education. Students are expected to use them to do homework, conduct research on the Internet, and may even learn to write their own programs in classes called “Informatics.”
Learning — School uniforms are not required for children in Germany. They wear whatever they want, similar to the dress code for most schools in the United States.
Kindergarten is available for those who want it for children from age 3 to age 6. Grundschule (elementary school) begins at age 6 and lasts for 4 years. Although private schools are available, most children attend the state-sponsored schools because they are free, and the private schools require additional tuition and administrative costs. At age 10, a child has one of four basic educational options, depending on aptitude: Hauptschule (the least academic, it goes until grade 9), Realschule (until grade 10), Gymnasium (until grade 12 or 13; this is the primary track for students planning on university studies), or Gesamtschule (until grade 10, with all three of the other “tracks” available). Depending on the state, either the teachers or the parents in consultation with the teachers have the final say on which track each child should follow. After all but Gymnasium, students typically enroll in a vocational school where they are trained using a combination of on-the-job training and two days a week in the class. Gymnasium is capped off by taking a test (called Abitur) that determines whether a student may continue on to university studies, which are also free to those who qualify to attend.
The school year usually begins around mid-August and is divided into two semesters. Students typically have 12 weeks of holidays—6 in the summer, 2 at Christmastime, and the rest divided between spring (usually around Easter) and autumn (when children were often required to help with the harvest in days gone by). In some states, school is in session six days a week, Sunday being the only free day.
School normally starts at 8:00 a.m., and is often finished by noon for the younger classes and by 1:30 for children over age ten. There is usually a 5-, 10-, or 15-minute break after each subject (usually taught for 45 minutes), but students do not move to another class for the next subject. Instead, they stay in the same “home room,” and the teachers rotate to the students.
Some elementary schools begin teaching English as early as the first or second grade. At each secondary school, students usually study English for five years as a basic requirement. Some students will also study another language, depending on the state’s requirements. These other languages include French, Latin, Polish, Spanish, Italian, Russian, or ancient Greek. Because each state controls its own curriculum, moving from one state to another can be very difficult for children.
Grading is on a 6-point scale, with 1 being excellent and 6 being failing, or insufficient. Students who get a 6 are often required to repeat the grade level (approximately 5% of the students each year).
Education — Education is very important in Germany. It was one of the first, if not the very first, countries in the world to provide compulsory, free education to its children, beginning in the 18th century by command of the King of Prussia. Germany has a 99% literacy rate for people over the age of 15.
Today, the schools are overseen primarily by the German states, with little federal government influence. Teachers are hired by the Ministry of Education and, once they prove themselves for a given time period, are essentially hired for life. The teachers participate in administration of each school, and the local town hires the janitorial and secretarial staff. Students help to clean up the classrooms and surrounding grounds. In school, as in much of German culture, cleanliness and order are important.
It is interesting to note that in September 2006, Germany disallowed families to home school their children.
After School — Today’s parents are very busy. That fact, coupled with the shrinking size of families and the large numbers of immigrant families moving into the country, has reduced the chances for many children to engage in the kind of social experiences that used to come naturally with siblings and neighborhood children with common backgrounds. As a result, planned social time has become more important, from the kindergarten to higher grade levels. Much of that time is occupied by clubs.
Free Time — Unlike schools in the United States, most of the organized activities after school take place in clubs, called Vereinen. For example, team sports are not sponsored by schools; rather, kids join sports clubs and play against teams from other clubs. As a result, “school spirit” is lower in German secondary schools than in American junior high and high schools. Although there are more than 87,000 sports clubs in Germany, Vereinen are not restricted to just sports. Clubs are also organized around other pastimes and hobbies, such as chess, hiking, music, and so on.
Children in Germany enjoy sports (such as the ever popular soccer, handball, inline skating, skateboarding, and basketball), going to movies, and, as they get into secondary schools, hanging out in cafés, shops, and discos. Youth discos are designed for kids under 16 and are only open until the midnight curfew. Germany is also very proud of its artistic heritage, its beautiful parks, and its cultural sites.
All larger cities also have state-supported music schools, so anyone who wants to can learn to play an instrument. Germany has been home to some of the world’s greatest composers of instrumental and choral music, and children have a great opportunity to participate in and add to that heritage.
Evenings — Children do not eat lunch at school; rather, they arrive home early enough in the afternoon to eat at home. Traditionally, if the father works close enough to home, he too will come home to eat with the family. The midday meal is often the main meal of the day. Since this meal is substantial, the evening meal more often consists of lighter foods such as breads, cheeses, and sausages.
Because families are smaller now (90% of German families have two or fewer children) and the pressures of life so much greater, they spend much of their free time together. Thus, later evenings and weekends are usually considered family time.
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