In Part I, I talked about the general structure of Germany's school system-- now, I'm going to focus more on everyday life in schools and how it differs from the US. Be prepared for a very rambly post!
In the US, students can choose each class in their schedule. Some students end up being in all of the same classes, but it's because they chose that level of class. When German students enter a Gymnasium, they are assigned a homeroom and take classes together all the way until 10th grade. Teachers, not students, run from room to room. Once German students get to 11th grade (now called 12th grade at My Gymnasium-- long story, it has to do with reforms), they can specialize in certain subjects, but it's still nothing like the AP, honors, regular, remedial distinction in the US. The classes are separated based on the number of hours per week that the class is conducted, not based on students' skill levels.
Compared to the US, the classroom is a more formal environment. At the beginning of every class, the teacher says, "Good morning, students," and the students are expected to respond, "Good morning, Mr./Mrs./Ms. X." (They still have not figured out my last name; there is always this awkward pause that's followed by a butchered version of my name.) One would think that the rooms would be nicely decorated because the same kids (for the most part) stay in them the whole day, but most of them are empty and plain with maybe just a few posters hanging on the wall. Students sit at short tables (long desks, short tables, whatever... flat surface, four legs) in pairs, and most rooms are either arranged in rows or a in horseshoe with a few tables in the middle. I've only seen one room where desks were arranged to form clusters.
In the US, students' classes are always in the same order. In Germany, students' schedules are different every day of the week. For example, a class might have French, biology, math, a double hour of English (2 45 minute periods with a break in the middle), chemistry, history, and physics on a given day of the week. The next day, the same class might have a double hour of chemistry, math, French, math, and physics, and leave school after the 6th period. It's confusing, and I still see my students checking their schedules between classes. This also makes substitute teaching a complete headache. There are no permanent subs in Germany. Instead, teachers at My Gymnasium check the online system to see if a class needs to be covered, and then those students will just have an additional lesson in that teacher's subject.
German teachers teach at least two subjects. Sometimes they are in the same department (e.g. modern languages); sometimes they are completely different. There are quite a few English/French teachers at My Gymnasium, but I also met a Sport/French teacher.
At a Gymnasium, German students learn at least two foreign languages. Most students begin English in 3rd grade, although a few start in 1st grade or in 5th grade, and they begin French somewhere around 5th-6th grade at My Gymnasium. I believe students at Hauptschulen and Realschulen are also required to take English until they graduate-- but don't quote me on that! I'm beginning to realize that the quality of foreign language instruction is very similar in the US and in Germany (e.g. it depends on the school, but Germans don't have any magic secrets to teaching languages); the biggest difference is that Germans start English so much earlier than Americans start a foreign language. I'd guess that the students in Leistungskurse are about at the same level as students at the 202-301 level at Miami.
Interestingly, there aren't as many discipline issues at My Gymnasium as there are at many schools in the US, including at My High School. Even the schools with the worst reputations, like the Ruetli-Schule in Neukoelln, are downright pleasant and calm compared to many inner-city schools in the US. Methods of disciplining students are much different at My Gymnasium than in the US. My Gymnasium does not assign detentions, but I can't speak for other schools. Instead, if a student turns around and talks to friends, it's acceptable to grab his or her shoulder and turn him around. In many areas in the US, this would be a great way to get fired and possibly sued. It's also normal for teachers to yell to get students' attention (one of the teachers yelled and swore at students for talking) or to assign extra homework for students who act out. The extra assignment is almost always something tedious, like copying vocabulary words or copying a page out of the book. I'm really not comfortable with manhandling students (and let's face it-- they're bigger than I am) or making them copy pages, so I've been enforcing discipline by walking around the class, consistently calling on students who are talking to their friends, and knocking on tables. I've done my share of, "LEISE, BITTE!" and "SETZ DICH, BITTE!" (that was the day a student was walking on a table), but I really prefer to have a voice at the end of the day.
As a side note, there seems to be a lot more repetitive work and worksheets in German classrooms than in the US. My students are more willing to participate when I ask them direct questions than when I give them a more open-ended prompt. I've noticed that students focus much more on being right than on exploring new ideas; even students at the Leistungskurs and Grundkurs levels constantly ask, "Is this right? Am I doing this right?"
All students in Berlin in certain grades are required to take ethics classes, and schools also offer optional religion classes. The interesting thing here is that the majority of students at My Gymnasium are Muslim, but My Gymnasium only offers classes in Protestantism and Catholicism. Berlin is a very secular city, so not many students actually attend these classes.
When students want to answer questions in class, they raise their hands. Unlike American students, German kids typically point their index finger in the air, and if they really want to answer the question, they'll snap. (Hint to German students going to the US: don't snap at American teachers!)
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