Kindergarten to Gymnasium, and everything in between with Anke and Annette
March 6, 2020
Miho Egon, part of our cohort for our IFE, was kind enough to set up a zoom meeting dedicated to learning more about the German education system.
Anke Duerr McCown grew up in Germany and is now a professor at Marshall University. Her sister Anette teaches grades 1-8 and is an assistant principal in Frankfurt, Germany.
Schools in Germany are attended year-round, yet most school days only go to mid-day. This is just one difference from most American schools
Anke and Anette were a wonderful resource when beginning to understand how German schools are operated from kindergarten through university. While there were some similarities in classes, the overall structure of the school system is quite different! Here are some of the major differences:
School is year-round with breaks between sessions
No homeschooling is allowed, all students must go to public or private schools. Less than 9% attend private schools.
The schedule is different each day, with different classes taking place at different times during the day. This is very different from American high schools where the students have the exact same schedule for a semester or year. It seems more similar to an American college schedule.
Extra curriculars, like sports and clubs, are not offered at school. Instead they are done in community or rec centers. Some schools are now offering more activities after traditional school hours to help accommodate working parents.
No dedicated art class in school!
Secondary school is divided depending on a student's academic achievement : Hauptschule (less academic, more practical), Realschule (intermediary) & Gymnasium (academic) OR: various forms of Gesamtschule, depending on the state.
University is FREE. Whether a student is studying to be a teacher, engineer, lawyer, or veterinarian, it is all paid for by the government,
Interested in finding out more about the German school system? Check out:
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