Two Sides of Learning

By Lisa Krmek

Culver has had its fair share of foreign exchange students, so they know school isn’t the same everywhere. School hours, subjects, and the overall atmosphere is different everywhere, but while some American students are complaining about school life here in America, German students are dreaming about it. 

While both countries aim to educate students and prepare them for the future, they take very different approaches. America combines learning with fun things like dances, prom, and other school activities, but German students don’t have anything like that. In Germany the focus is entirely on learning and education.

Also in Germany, students often finish school early in the afternoon, whereas in the US school days are much longer. 

“I hate how much time school takes out of my day”, said junior Chris Otteman. “When I go home I feel like I don’t have time for myself.”

The biggest difference is that Germany doesn’t have sports in school. If a student wants to play a sport, they have to join a club. In Germany, school is for nothing but studying. That means if they join a club, they’re playing that sport the whole year. Sports like football or baseball/softball don’t even exist in Germany, but soccer and tennis are very popular. However, American students are similar to travel leagues but they join with specific goals.

“Travel league kept me in shape until the season started again”, said senior Tyra King. “It also prepared me for possibly playing with my own teammates during club ball.”

Even though the day is shorter in Germany, the schedule is full and unlike American students it is different everyday but they are not allowed to choose their classes. Everybody in the same grade has to do the same thing. They have all periods with the same students. After elementary school (5th grade) students are assigned to a class that they stay in until their sophomore year. Then there is the “course principle” similar to the one in America. That’s where you have advanced subjects for your last three years of school. This means you have to choose two subjects in which the points up to the graduation are valued twice. Americans may like this idea. 

“I don’t like that we have the same classes everyday,” said junior Jada Vitale. “It kinda gets boring.” 

Although American and German schools are different in so many ways, each system has its own strengths and weaknesses. In the US, there is more flexibility and many out of school activities, which helps to build a better community. While in Germany, the focus is more on in-depth academics training and early specialization. In the end, it depends on what a student  needs and what their goals for the future are. 

“I’m really glad I’ve got the opportunity to experience the American school system and I really like it,” said senior Lisa Krmek. “I go to school every morning with a smile on my face.”