German Schools

[finknottle]

Get it off your chest

There are, as anywhere, good and bad aspects to the school system.

So if you want advice, help or an embittered rant - feel free.

On a postive note - anyone see the thread on Primary about security? I've just taken dd to kg and on the way back wanted to drop off a school library book ds2 has had since before Christmas and forgot again.
All I did is walk in, went to his classroom and left it on his PE kit so he'll see it at break.

No one worries unduly about security here. The caretaker has an office (all glass) outside the main building but he's rarely in it.

Is it only village schools? Looks so odd to me to have a school "locked down".

Seems mad that you have to pull your d out of school because the head won't let your agreed pick-up time run till the end of term.

Seems mad also because your d is on the whole happy at the school and it's better in many ways than other primaries, plus being bilingual.

The Zeugnis will only matter if she stays in Germany. I don't know if you'll be able to home-school her without getting into trouble with the authorities. The school will send her details to the Schulamt. I've read stuff about fines, threats of removing custody & prison Maybe there are parents who do it under the radar so to speak? You could join some underground movement

Poor girl. Is she really OK about it? I know how upsetting it's been for you and she may be trying to make it as easy as poss for you by going along with what you suggest?

What will the head do if you carry on with your agreed 2pm pick-up? Physically restrain d? Till you get it sorted with your h & decide what to do, I'd carry on with the 2pm, stick yer chin out and say, breezily, "We've been discussing it but haven't decided wie es weiter geht..."

No I could not homeschool whilst livig in Germany, I think there is no question of that. I meant after leaving Germany that is what I would do initially IYSWIM, I would not race to thrust her into a new school after all this crap the past 2 years.

She's happy enough to leave the school. She's ok there but she doesn't absolutely love it. She much prefers it to the school she had of course but she says she would rather change schools again than stay there longer - she knows how she felt when we had to do it you see.

Well anyway I am going to see the doctor at lunchtime for some advice. Atm I think I will not send her bck at all. In any case not this week and I will think a bit more over the weekend.

If I go at 2, they would not send her out so I would have to go into the classroom to collect her and the teacher would make a big scene about it in front of the kids and dd would hate it. That's why I don't want to go down that track finks

It's ludicrous that it should come to this. What does h say? Does the head realise you will have to leave the country? Maybe your h should tell her that on the phone, see if he can get her to be reasonable.

At our primary the children in the Ganztagsschule aren't allowed to leave early for parties, sports etc but only for things like doc appts. Have to be approved in writing by the head though. Some parents still use the Hort which is more expensive but allows pick-up any time you like, is open till 5 and during the holidays. Oh, and unlike the GTS is open after 12pm on a Friday

I've come to maon again! It's nothing compared to SSSandy's troubles but this really bugs me - every time ds's class has to be looked after because a teacher is off, one of the Erzieherin is meant to be in charge. Well at the moment they seem to be missing alot of lesosns and often at the last hour so when I go to pick up time they are all outside playing. I sit and wait outside too as dd is usually still upstairs in her classroom. As soon as the bell goes this Erzieherin comes over to where ds's class has been playing ball and shouts 'Ball und tschuss' meaning hand the ball over and go home I'm not in charge of you any more.

I've heard her do this 3 times now and I really want to go up to her and ask her if teh kids have doen something to upset her or if she really thinks that is a pädagogische or civilized manner to speak to dc. This morning ds said if a child fell behind the gym and bled to death the teachers wouldn't care anyway. That's how he perceives the way the school looks after them.

Anyone around? I need some good phrases to use when I phone dd's new primary school. I'm going to register ds at his Gymnasium on 1st of July and want to use the day in Hannover to visit dd's new school and if possible get a guided tour or atleast permission to look around and even maybe hang around for a while.

I HATE phoning places in Germany so I need some set phrases to use, so how should I put it so I get what I want and don't get fobbed off by the secretary? I don't know, should I ask to have an appointment with the head? How should I put it in German - you know I'm far too polite for the Germans and they grasp this early on and I just don't want some secretary to say no you can't come/see head/look around etc. I need this visit to reassure dd that it'll be a nice change. School grounds on google certainly look nice, big sports field, loads of grass and right next to a huge forest.

Admylin
I am not a native speaker but my German is pretty good. Do you still need help with some phrases for the phone call tomorrow?

How about something like:

Wir sind am 1. Juli in Hannover und wurden gerne einen Termin mit der Schulleiterin machen um die Schule genauer anzusehen.

Wäre es möglich, ein paar Stunden in der Schule zu verbringen? Vielleicht könnte sie auch das Klassenzimmer anschauen und die neue Lehrerin und Mitschuler kennenlernen?

Das wäre sehr schön wenn DD vorab sich ein Bild machen könnte von ihre neue Schule.

Native speakers, feel free to correct my grammar!

Thanks KS , I was thinking of some thing along those lines. I hate the way people are so unfriendly on the phone here in germany, so I am still sitting here thinking how to handle the secretary. If she says no what do I say etc, I have to try and get myself in an agressive mood just in case but still be able to switch to being nice!

Am waiting for a removal company now to check out our stuff for the move and to hopefully get a nice low quote! Then I have to phone.

Isthere a direct line on the school website to the head? If so call her direct and bypass the secretary. If you have to go through the secretary just say you would like to speak to the head, when would be a good time to call

I doubt very much they will bother showing you the school and they may not even see the point in you coming in to see the head. I'd be prepared for that, then if they are forthcoming, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I have never heard of anyone being given a guided tour of a state school here.

I know, that's my problem because when we moved to Berlin I moved 4 days earlier than I neede to because I wanted the dc to see their school before starting as I knew on their first morning, business as usual so just bring in and drop them in it. Itwas awfull for both of them becaus ethey started mid-term and all the other dc kne wthe ropes and where everything was. As dd is going into year 4 all the groups will have been made up and they will all know their way around. I just want to walk around the school with her, find the loos, check out the play ground and a couple of potential classrooms if possible.

I have to ask but I'v e put it off again today - somehow my hand won't even touch the phone like an invisible force! Got all weekend to get hyped up for calling on Monday anyway!
We went to get our train ticket at the Hauptbahnhof last night and the dc still keep asking if that is the ticket for us to go for always or are we coming back. They can't seem to figure out the time scale, maybe that's normal at their age, no idea.

Forgot to say, when we moved here 4 days earlier we were told on the phone by the secretary to come in on the last Friday of term (before the October holiday) but on that day she wasn't there - no teacher as all were in class and we just walked away. Waste of time, but that's typical of our Grundschule here. There's a big row about the Schulleiting not doing her job properly and lots of Europaschule families are fed up, hate the long day, are all apparantly jealous of us Regelklassen getting out at 2pm etc.

write a very brief letter addressed to the head by name instead of calling and fax it?

Yes, I was just going to suggest that! Would of course need help with correcting it but I could compose one over the weekend and then try to get it corrected - or even come on here. I feel so ashamed to send one with too many mistakes.

well this last time I went in with dd and stayed with her the whole day. I just sat outside the classroom the entire time reading a book and I made SURE everything was ok. The hell I was going to just leave my dc at the school and trust it went well, not after the last school experience she'd had. I'm sure they thought I was a raving looney but I didn't care in the least. I was there the entire first week

Could you arrange that she goes for a morning "zur Probe"? But what would you do if she didn't like it?

Lol at raving looney! We get into Hannover at about 10:30 so I think I could get in a taxi straight to her school and there would be time for her to try one lesson maybe - then after 13 Uhr I can go to ds's school to register him for the Gymnasium. Then back on the 4.30 train. I hope they will be nice to us but have heard that they are very friendly as compared to other parts of Germany and as I think I have lived and survived the worst part (scwabenland) I should be able to cope!

when do the summer holidays start there I wonder. They could be on Klassenfahrt.

Well I don't know Schwabenland at all but Berlin I find quite tough. Maybe they'll be just lovely there in Hannover. What Bundesland is it?

Niedersachsen - and Schwabenland is tough which is why I have felt a bit better living in berlin than down there, I was really on the verge of leaving Germany back then!
Holidays are 1 week before Berlin which is why we have to move on the 18th as new year starts on 25th - a week less summer break for my 2. I'm off to collect them now, if you get a good idea for an email to the Hannover school and what to put in it then put it on here will you or mail me, thanks alot.

I sent this email to the new Grundschule yesterday and still no response. How long should I wait do you think? I don't have that long to look around as I've read ds's times and it's only BIS 13 uhr for the anmeldung (I thought AB 13Uhr) so can't hang around too long at the Grundschule anyway.

Sehr geehrte Schulleitung, Frau Venskaitis, Herr Staeglich,

Wir ziehen im August von Berlin nach Hannover. Wir werden im Einzugsgebiet Ihrer Grundschule wohnen und wir möchten unsere Tochter für die nächste 4. Klasse anmelden.

Zufällig, sind wir wegen der Anmeldung unseres Sohnes, im Gymnasium am 1. Juli in Hannover und wollten fragen, ob Sie einverstanden wären uns einen kurzen Blick in die Schule werfen zu lassen und vielleicht schon die Anmeldung in die Wege zu leiten. Es wäre schön für unsere Tochter ihre zukünftige Schule im Voraus und nicht nur von draußen zu sehen.

Wir könnten gegen 11 Uhr direkt vom Hauptbahnhof in die Schule fahren und würden uns freuen Sie zu treffen und einen kurzen Rundgang machen zu dürfen.

Mit freundlichen Grüße,

I would have sent it by fax admylin. Could you do that? IME our school doesn't respond to emails at all although I found the JFK school did. Perhaps they haven't read it.

I would probably send it by fax and follow up a day later with a phone call.

I agree you should fax it and then follow up with a phone call - ime people often don't read/respond to emails here.

Sssandy, sorry that you're having problems with the school again. They sound very inflexible. I hate that attitude here that you've got to fit in or else, especially when you're not allowed to take them out of the system altogether. How is your dd this week?

Wow, they answered and sound really organized, such a difference to the school here in Berlin! This is what they wrote:

wir bedanken uns für Ihre Mail und freuen uns auf einen Besuch Ihrer Familie am 01. Juli. Selbstverständlich steht Ihnen Frau Venskaitis für ein Gespräch zur Verfügung. Vielleicht möchte Ihre Tochter auch schon eine Probestunde in Ihrer neuen Klasse mitmachen? Sie wird voraussichtlich Schülerin der jetzigen Klasse 3b mit Frau Hundt als Klasselehrerin.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen
i. A. Sekretariat

Now the only hurdle is to get dd to accept the idea of a Probestunde. I could go and do the other Anmeldung with ds in that time, although I could stay with her too I suppose. I bet she won't want to stay. Can't believe they even know who her teacher will be.

That's a very friendly non-bureaucratic letter for a German institution, admylin! They sound like v. good news. Hope it all works out for you.

Great admylin. They sound very nice. I would definitely have dd do the Probestunde since they were so nice to offer it. Can't dh accompany you and go and do the Anmeldung with dh whilst you stay with dd at her school?

Thanks taipo! We are just hanging in there on a thread till the end of term really and then I don't know what happens, I am just waiting for a miracle at the moment! How are you and dd?

what kind of a name is Venskaitis I wonder, could it be Finnish?

Admylin
Sounds good, very friendly reply. Perhaps your DD could meet some of her new school classmates before the Probestunde? Do they have a lunch break? It might be easier for her than in a formal classroom situation where she has to walk in alone and face the class.

That's a very positive answer, admylin. It's amazing what a difference it can make if someone takes the time to answer promptly and in a friendly manner.

Thanks for asking, Sssandy. We're OK atm, although the pressure is not easing off as the year comes to and end. For the last couple of weeks Dd's class have been practising for the play they put on for the Schulfest last Saturday which means there was not so much time for normal work. Now they have to catch up and this week she has a maths test as well as an Aufsatz and I think there's a French test as well at some point. Luckily she is taking it all in her stride atm although I think she is pretty worn out with it all. She's had a ridiculous amount of homework this week.

I really hope things work out for you.