German School Systems

I have been asked so many times by so many people how exactly the German school systems work. I am sure it is a little different in every "Bezirk" (State), but this is how it was for me when I went to school there.

The public state-run schools are free, but charges and fees for books and general materials throughout the year do come up. Going to school from first to at least ninth grade is mandatory and there is no homeschooling in Germany. You generally start out with Kindergarten, which is more like Preschool in the United States. It is not required and you don't really learn anything.

Then you enter the Grundschule (Primary School), which lasts from 1st to fourth grade. You begin to learn English from first grade all the way until graduation. In first and second grade, you don't receive grades. In fourth grade, the grades you make will depend on which secondary school you are placed into for fifth grade until you graduate. If you grades aren't good enough to make it into the higher schools, you can take qualifying exams. If you pass, you're in, if not, you're out. That simple.

Secondary education in Germany is split up into three levels. The Hauptschule (secondary general school: prepares you for employment and ends with the Hauptschulabschluss dipoma after ninth or tenth grade, depending on which type of diploma you are on track to getting),
the Realschule (intermediate school: more intense and prepares you for either a further school to eventually lead to University or employment and leads to the Mittlere Reife after tenth grade) and the Gymnasium (grammar school: prepares you for University, ending with the Abitur diploma after twelfth or thirteenth grade).

• If you end up in the Hauptschule, and your grades are good enough in the first year, you can be placed either in the Realschule or Gymnasium, which requires repeating the fifth grade. You also have the opportunity to take the exams again. If your grades are good in sixth grade, you have one last shot at the Realschule, but no longer the Gymnasium. Most people I know who got the general Hauptschulabschluss ended up working as craftsmen (mechanic, carpenter, brick layer etc.), but some also went on to the Berufsschule (job school), where you receive training and education at companies and part time vocational schools. However, there are two types of grade 10: one is the higher level called type 10b and the lower level is called type 10a; only the higher level type 10b can lead to the Realschule and this finishes with the final examination Mittlere Reife after grade 10b.

• In the Realschule, you are required to choose an education track in seventh grade: math, art, language and business, which will offer you specific classes to your interest. After graduation, you generally continue on to the Fachoberschule (Vocational upper secondary school), which can lead to University.

• In the Gymnasium, you are required to chose a second foreign language (French, Latin, Italian etc.) in sixth grade, which you will take until you graduate.

A day in the life of a student:

School generally starts at around 8 AM. You go to your homeroom, where you will have all your classes with the same people in the same seat. (Acception: classes that can't be taken in a homeroom such as chemistry or PE) Your class schedule is different every day and takes a little while to memorize. Each class is generally around 45 minutes. After your first three classes of the day, you have a "Pause" (recess and snack time). In the Grundschule, it is about half an hour long and it secondary school, it is about fifteen minutes. There is usually a small area where bread, sandwiches, pastries, snacks and drinks are sold during this time. After the Pause, you have between one and three more classes before going home. If extra curricular classes are offered after school, such as band, volleyball or french conversation, you have an hour lunch break where you can either bring your own lunch or eat in the cafeteria.
After school, you come home, eat lunch (which in Germany is generally a hot meal, like the American dinner) and have an hour long "Ruhezeit" (quiet time). During this time, most stores are closed for a few hours and you aren't allowed to play loud music or make a lot of noise and disturb your neighbors. This time is mainly used for resting and napping. Homework and studying takes about as much time as it would in America.

Other little differences about the school systems:

• at the beginning of every class/day with a teacher, the whole class stands up and chants "Gu-ten-Mor-gen-Frau/Herr-___".
• in the Grundschule, you wear house shoes/slippers in the classroom. There is usually a place to hang coats and put shoes either inside or right outside the classroom
• throughout school, you either have a Catholic, Evangelic or Ethic religion class, which is required.
• when you raise your hand, you raise as if you were to tell your teacher you need to use the restroom; with one finger pointed up.
• from first through fourth grade, you are required to use special lined paper, to teach you correct penmanship
• from first through fourth grade, you are required to use only blue-inked fountain pen
• pencil is not allowed for ANYTHING but art class in Germany. Even math. If you need to erase something, you are recommended to cross it through with a ruler or use a special fountain pen eraser. Wite-out is discouraged.
• German school desks seat two people. They are long and have two spots underneath to put things under the desk. It is a smart thing to pair up with a pal quick or arrive early on the first day of school, because in most cases, you will be stuck there all year and not be allowed to switch.
• dress code is not very strict in Germany. Of course, there are limits; you shouldn't be walking to school in a mini skirt and a tube top on a daily basis, but you aren't going to get in trouble for crazy hair, a lip ring or ripped jeans.
• there are no hall passes. If you need to go to the bathroom, raise your hand and ask. Most teachers are okay with it.
• there are no lockers. Since you are generally in the same room all day, you have no need for one. You can leave things under your desk or at your seat. The risk of anything being taken is very slim...theft is not bad an issue in Germany as it is in the states.
• there is no student parking. Since you have to be eighteen to get a license in Europe, student parking isn't very necessary. If you do, however, have your own transportation besides a bike, such as a scooter, you're going to have to find your own parking spot.
• chalkboards aren't mounted to the wall. They can be adjusted up and down and even open up. Certain parts of the chalkboard are even with normal lines or graphing lines. They are not cleared off with American erasers. In Germany, you use a wet sponge and a squeegee. Most classrooms come with a sink and a mirror to clean the chalkboard and wash hands. (Germans are very hygienic people...and the girls love to crowd around the mirror between classes to retouch their makeup ;D)