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Sup it's Nuri here, today back with another #takeover post thanks for showing up. Today I will talk about highschools in and the general system. Let's get right into it.
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🖇 The German education system 🖇
The education system in varies from state to state, although the basic K-12 system is fairly uniform. As in the US, education is the responsibility of each of the 16 German states (Bundesländer), but there is a national conference of state education ministers (Kultusministerkonferenz, KMK) that serves to coordinate educational practices at the national level. However, there is still a lot of variation in the school systems across .
Compared to the United States, the German primary and secondary school system is a rather complicated one in which there are sometimes as many as five different kinds of secondary schools (usually starting at grade 5) and various paths leading to academic higher education, advanced technical training or a trade.
In addition to ’s extensive public school system, there are also some private and parochial schools, but far fewer than in the US and most other countries. Among the private schools, Montessori, Waldorf, Jena and other alternative education models are popular. But in all of , a country of 80 million people, there are only about 2,500 private and parochial schools, including boarding schools (Internate). There are also a good number of international schools all across , which can be a good option for English-speaking expats
Compulsory School Attendance
Part of the reason for the dearth of private or church schools is the German conviction that public education is a vital element that contributes to a well-educated citizenry and a sense of common purpose. has a compulsory school attendance law. The law requires school attendance (Schulpflicht), not just instruction, from age 6 until age 15. This helps explain why homeschooling is illegal in .
The German Educational Class System
Although most Germans claim to be against elitism and favoring any social class, their entire educational system is basically a three-class system that divides students into three different tracks: (1) Gymnasium for bright students headed for college, (2) Realschule for the next step down, kids headed for average or better white-collar positions, and (3) Hauptschule for the bottom tier, generally aimed at the trades and blue-collar jobs. By the age of 10 most pupils in have been put on one of these three educational tracks. It has become easier to switch tracks, and this is now more common in .
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The School Day in
Traditionally, the German school day has started at 8:00 a.m. and finished at 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. – and that is often still the case. But in recent years, some schools in have started offering a full day of education (Ganztagsschule). They offer study hours for homework, extracurricular activities and a hot lunch at the cafeteria. Since most German schools never had a cafeteria, this often requires new construction to provide them.
Class Schedule
German secondary schools have a class schedule that resembles a US college schedule, with different classes offered each day. Some subjects are taught three days per week, with others taught only twice a week. On Monday a typical schedule might offer four 45-minute classes (and sometimes double 90-minute classes) in (1) math, (2) history, (3) art and (4) English, while on Tuesday a student might have five classes: (1) German, (2) religion, (3) calculus, (4) French and (5) PE. There are also break periods, usually a short and a long break (große Pause), during the school day. Most students eat lunch at home, since schools usually have no cafeteria, and the school day ends fairly early. Although there is some physical education, German schools are more academic in nature. Competitive sporting events between schools are rare. Athletics is usually done outside of school by belonging to a sports club.
For a long time in many parts of the school week included Saturday. In the 1980s schools in Baden-Württemberg still had classes every other Saturday. In East Saturday was a school day nationwide. Since the early 1990s most German school students, including those in Baden-Württemberg, have enjoyed a full weekend. Only a very few local schools still have Saturday classes (Samstagsunterricht).
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🖇 Types of schools in 🖇
Preschools in
Surprisingly, in the land that invented the kindergarten, preschool education is not part of the public education system. Most preschools or daycare centers for young children in are run by churches or other non-profit organizations. The federal government does provide some funding to the states, but despite new laws that “guarantee” at least half-day childcare for children between the ages of one and three, there are not enough places available. Efforts to increase the availability of childcare have been hindered by a lack of funding, plus a lack of trained staff. Less than a third of three-year-olds in had access to daycare in 2012.
Possibilities
Kinderkrippe (literally, “crib” or “crèche”) – For ages eight weeks to three years.
Kita (short for Kindertagesstätte(children’s daycare center) – For ages 3-6, open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or later.
Kindergarten – For ages 3-6; half-day or full-day kindergarten.
Hort or Schulhort – Provides after-school daycare for elementary school pupils.
Elementary Schools in
After preschool, German pupils attend primary school (Grundschule, “basic school,” grades 1-4). Compulsory school attendance Schulpflicht starts in September after a child has turned six. All students attend elementary school from grade one to grade four in most states. Before beginning the fifth grade (seventh in Berlin/Brandenburg), students and their parents must choose the type of secondary school they will attend, in other words, which educational track they will be on.
Secondary Schools in
After completing their primary education (at 10 years of age, 12 in Berlin and Brandenburg), children attend one of five types of secondary schools in . The five kinds of schools vary from state to state in :
Hauptschule (grades 5-9 or 5-10)
The Hauptschule is generally considered the least demanding of the five types of secondary school, but it may be very appropriate for students who wish to enter the trades or go through an apprenticeship for certain types of industrial employment. The Hauptschule prepares pupils for vocational education, and most of the pupils work part-time as apprentices. Upon completion of the final Hauptschulabschlussexamination, after grade 9 or 10. They also have the option of earning the more prestigious Realschulabschluss after grade 10. With that, the next step is often a Berufsschule, an advanced technical/vocational school with a two-year course of apprenticeship and study.
Realschule
This is the most popular type of secondary school in . About 40 percent of German pupils attend this kind of school. The Realschule may be a step below the Gymnasium (more below), but it can be a very good school, with academic standards that usually exceed those of a typical high school in the US. For instance, Realschule students must study at least one foreign language (usually English or French) for a minimum of five years. (In Gymnasium a second foreign language is required.) Graduates earn a Realschulabschlussdiploma. In some communities a Realschule and a Gymnasium may share the same building, with a common library, and other common facilites.
Gymnasium
The German Gymnasium (where my smart German ass is •~•) is an academic secondary school that prepares pupils for a university education. It begins with the fifth grade (seventh in Berlin/Brandenburg). After grade 12 or 13 (depending on the state), students earn a diploma called das Abitur by ing an oral and written examination. The Gymnasium has a long history, dating back to 1528 in Saxony. Traditionally there was a heavy emphasis on the study of Latin and Greek, but modern languages are favored today. Until the 1970s there were separate Gymnasien for boys and girls. Nowadays they are co-ed. The Gymnasium curriculum is highly academic, with two foreign languages required, plus higher math and science courses. Students also have the option of taking more advanced “honors” courses (Leistungskurse).
Any student with an “Abi” diploma from a Gymnasium must be itted to a German university, but there are no guarantees concerning the field of study. Popular fields such a law and medicine are very competitive. Students often have to choose a second or third choice for their major, or have to enroll in a more distant university than they might prefer.
Gesamtschule (pretty similar to the high school)
Only some German states have this kind of school, which combines the three school types into a comprehensive school that is similar to an American high school.
ahhh there you go :")
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🖇 So many differences 🖇
The Grading System
The German grading scale runs from 1 to 6, with one being the best grade (A) and six the worst (F). Poor grades in several subjects can result in a student having to repeat an entire school year.
Class Schedule
A German class schedule is not the same every day. More like a college schedule, with some classes three times a week, while others are only two days a week.
School Days
German students attend school for 187-190 days in an academic year, depending on the state. The school year in the US lasts 180 days. German students only get a six-week summer vacation, but they have more frequent vacation breaks during the school year. In recent years, some US school districts have adopted a similar schedule, with more frequent breaks.
School Vacation Dates
In order to avoid massive traffic jams, German schools in the 16 states have a staggered vacation (Ferien) schedule that rotates each year. One year schools in Berlin may begin their summer vacation in June, while those in Bavaria begin in July. There is even a website where you can find a state-by-state Schulferien guide for the next several years.
No Substitute Teachers
If a teacher is absent, there is no class that day, or the class is taught by a colleague who has a free period. Substitutes (Ersatzlehrer) are only hired for lengthy absences.
School Trips
School trips are often more ambitious and more extensive than in the US. A typical English class in might have an annual trip by bus to London with their teachers for a week or ten days, staying in youth hostels.
No Hall es, No Study Hall
If a student has a free period, they is free to do whatever they wants during that time. There are usually no study halls (except in a Ganztagsschule) or hall es. German secondary students are not treated like babies. They are expected to be responsible.
Klassenlehrer
Beginning in the fifth grade in a Gymnasium (seventh for other school types), students are grouped into “homerooms” with a particular teacher Klassenlehrer. They stay together for the rest of their school years.
No School Bus
Although there may be school buses in some rural areas, in most German cities and towns, pupils walk or use public transportation to get to and from school.
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🖇 LGBT+ in German schools 🖇
I really couldn't find anything regarding the situation for LGBT youth in schools but as far as I know there aren't really GSA/QSA's in German school or a lot of representation either. It depens on the state how accepting people are. That's why I'm going to talk about LGBT right for German people in general.
Same-sex marriage has been legal since 1 October 2017, after the Bundestag ed legislation giving same-sex couples full marital and adoption rights on 30 June 2017. Prior to that, ed partnershipswere available to same-sex couples, having been legalised in 2001. These partnerships provided most though not all of the same rights as marriages, and they ceased to be available after the introduction of same-sex marriage. Same-sex stepchild adoption first became legal in 2005 and was expanded in 2013 to allow someone in a same-sex relationship to adopt a child already adopted by their partner. Discrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity vary across , but discrimination in employment and the provision of goods and services is banned countrywide. Transgender people have been allowed to change their legal gender since 1980. The law initially required them to undergo surgical alteration of their genitals in order to have key identity documents changed. This has since been declared unconstitutional.
So yeah in general is pretty accepting but as I said I don't think it has a lot of representations in school since there will always be many unacceptiong and conservative people. Especially teachers.
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Sources
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You reached the end of this takeover post, thanks for reading! I hoped you learned something new and enjoyed it. Stay tuned for the next weeks topic and stay fresh. See you then!
~ Nuri
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Comments (36)
I lived in when I was younger and went to one of their kindergartens but oof. I got bullied so much I had to transfer out. We also got these giant cones filled with school supplies and candy at the end of the year (I got mine when I left) as to prepare us for elementary school which is a pretty cool tradition
Your definelty not alone with the bullying
My girlfriend lives in , and I'm too scared to ask how school works there, so this post helped a lot lel, thank chu ;w;
the aesthetic of this blog is great but you got a lot wrong about the actual schools and the system in general. (Which is kinda weird considering you’re from )
Reply to: Layla
Saarland
Reply to: Kathy2378
Well, the Saarland seems special :joy:
Reply to: Layla
Special is a nice way of putting it :joy:
Thank you very much for this well-done blog about our school-system. :clap: 🏽 :clap: 🏽
Must‘ve taken you hours, eh!
Just two minor things!
As someone born, raised and still living in Jena: The teaching concept is called Jenaplan, not just Jena :'D
Which is also why we have a school named «Jenaplan Schule Jena» 🤷🏽♂ :sweat_drops:
And - even though you already spent quite an irably amount of your free-time on this, and we really can’t expect you to go any deeper - I really would’ve liked to see the Förderschulen included here. Especially since there are still so many and regular political debates about wether or not they should exist at all!
But that’s more my own curiosity about other people‘s opinions on this matter, heh.
Again, thank you very much and keep up the quality content :raised_hands: 🏽
Aye thanks for the probs and I will look up for that
#second
Wow, this was a very long post! Very well written!