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".

Here's the 2nd part. The 4th, 5th and 6th classes went to do a football competion while the younger ones used the track, long jump etc. Ds's class had to play against the 2 4th year Portugese/German classes where they have 24 to 26 pupils and therefore more choice of players (good ones) for their team. Our class didn't have a chance really as only 4 or 5 of them are sportlich. When they lost the 3 boys who play well, flipped out and started behaving like a 3 year old would when he doesn't win - the few girls who had played started crying and throwing themselves on the grass, throwing their water bottles down and the rest of the boys threw stones at a metal bin. The rest of the school kids were either still playing or sitting nicely on the side watching the games. Only ds's class was behaving like Schwererziehbare problem kids. Ds was standing on the side between staying with his class and knowing he should be sitting watching the rest of the games. The 2 Erzieher were talking to the dc but not really in control, half the class kept marching off and the Erzieher just went after them but not really telling them what to do. In the end I suggested they were all tired and should go back to the seating in the stadion to have a snack and drink and sit in the shade. After that they were down on the field doing athletics and every few minutes one would be running up for a drink/toilet/ food/whatever. No other class behaved like that - I don't know how many times one of them stormed off like a spoilt brat because he/she disagreed with the time/measurement or position told by the teacher. It certainly opened my eyes to ds's bad moods and his behaviour and lack of intrest in going to school as he just doesn't fit in with one single dc in his class, they're all badly behaved brats.

I presume they expected the dc to have the commen sense to walk back - tram stops aren't that far apart really but still, they didn't wait they just carried on. I noticed the bag at the side of the track with the teacher's/Erzieher's bags later on too but at the end it had gone so I guess he made it

wouldn't have expected that behaviour admylin. Maybe the class did hardly anything in sport all year. Our school doesn't do much, so I am assuming yours is the same and then suddenly having to perform academically when you have had no preparation at all really is I suppose hard on them. Odd that it was just ds' class though. So you feel a bit reassured that it is a good thing to be moving from that school now?

can't believe they didn't wait for that boy to come back. That's shocking. Anything could have happened to him. Don't they ever worry that they would be responsible if something did happen to these dc whilst in their care?

I would have thought one of them could have collected/met that boy and the others could have proceeded to the sports stadium if they really couldn't all wait.

I'm trying to think whether dd would have managed to get there by herself in a situation like that. I don't think so tbh and I'm not sure she would know what to do either. Really puts you off sending them on these excursions, doesn't it?

Yes pleased to be leaving and feeling guilty at not moving him. You did the right thing with your dd, even taking that mega journey on every day. I should have done it for ds but can't turn back time. Am trying to be abit nicer to him as we've been clashing with his bad moods and my stress at the moment. Poor lad I really feel sorry for him.

They've been training twice a week for this sports day for ages now, the sports teachers are excellent at the school, one of the few positives. Have also found out that the new Klassenlehrerin is also ill, she has mental problems another for the club as ds's old Klassenteacher was also ill because of her nerves, been off since January.

Actually I'm not that surprised they end up with mental problems.

I saw a bit of a programme on tv last night about Neuköln and why we shouldn't give up on it entirely and how it is not quite as bad as the Bronx yet etc (think in fact it is still LIGHT years away from the Bronx). Doubt there is anywhere in Germany as bad as that.

Anyway they showed a nice young German male teacher struggling with a class of year 6 dc who had ZERO interest in what he was teaching and he went around dealing with them all individually and I did feel very sorry for him. They didn't have paper with them, they didn't have a pencil, they couldn't get started (choose any one Aufgabe you can manage from a list and do it). It was a total waste of time/effort. It wouldn't take long for a job like that to rob you of any enthusiasm at all.

Had a v positive end of year - yep, indeedy.

S1 got a stunning report for Y5, his new school suits him so well & am v pleased he'll have the same Klassenlehrerin for Y6.

S2's report was expected to be a stinker, and while it was crap Noten-wise, his teacher had evidently massaged the Noten upwards as much as she could so it wasn't as depressing as expected and the blurb stated that his difficulty is being so strong in English V pleased to have it in writing re secondary school.

Then I had a positive meeting with the primary head re d starting Y1 in August. Friendly, accommodating, helpful, agreed to all my requests... I nearly fainted. She spent over a year ignoring me or looking right through me.

Who'd a thunk it? What's the world/German Schools thread coming to?

next thing you know she'll be offering you a JOB. Be warned!

Great that everything has wound up so well and you have your mind free to enjoy the holidays, busy as they sound. I think your hard work is paying off now, hope it will all be plainer sailing next school year though!

That sounds great for the dc finknottle. If they get a good report it does give them the encouragement to keep it up - dd was so down in maths and after she got a couple of 2's and a 1 in tests it gave her the 'lust' to carry on (I love that word in German!)

Well, ds might not even be getting a report as far as I understand - the teachers are ill, there are no marks in the book so another teacher can't even add them all up and do it - the maths teacher says he can give a grade for maths, same for sport but German, Sachkunde and Kunst will be really hard to work out. Don't really know what to do about it except to ask the other parents to also complain and keep asking what's going on. Don't care really - ds is in Gymnasium next term but for the other dc it's a pain.

Oh fgs they are useless, aren't they? Have you received an official acceptance for this gymnasium in Hannover then admylin or how does it work?

No I've got the Grundschulemphehlung form and his last report - and now we have to apply. All applicants don't get in of course but we have good chances because he has the grades and he's bilingual - both should be what they are looking for for their bilingual class and if the take the top grades first then he has 1,6 which should be OK I think. Will be a little bit of my stress gone if he gets in - if not he'll have to go to another bilingual Gymnasium which would mean a half hour journey on bus and tram but that's OK too.

I hope they can tell you right away, it would be good to know where you are. Is it the case that with this recommendation, they have to give him a place at the gymnasium nearest your home (if you don't get inot one of those bilinguals?). Mind you I'm assuming they would definitely take ds. Why shouldn't they?

I'm not sure if it also takes into account the distance etc but one form for another gymnasium did ask the name of the Haltestelle the child would take so maybe - we're really not far from Schillerschule so that's another plus I hope!

have a feeling everything will work out fine admylin

How are you feeling about the move these days or are you just too busy to think about it much?

Trying not to think about it. I have to get through the worry of dd being away for 5 days on this klassenfahrt and the worst is the bus trip (2 hours) to get there. I'll be a nervous wreck.

can you call her whilst she's on the trip?

No no phones aloud either - even h is worrie dand he said we should go out and buy her a mobile phone so she can say good night atleast - but it's against the rules and the teacher says it just makes things worse if the dc are slightly homesick.

stuff the rules, she's only 8 isn't she?

And if she got homesick, I would go and pick her up frankly

However I do think chances are she will really enjoy the trip.

I think she'll be OK too. She's looking forward to the big castle style house and riding and being 24 hours with her 2 friends.

www.schloss-altenhausen.de this is where they will be going

see they are near a lake too admylin. Looks like a nice trip. I would still give her a mobile ifyou can, why not? She can send you SMS too and no one would know.

I don't know, if it gets found they'll only confiscate it. We're allowed to write and my friend wrote 3 times last year to her son (when dd didn't go) - we'll get through it. Then in Hannover in autumn ds goes on a kennenlern trip with the new Gymnasium class for a few days too - it'll be his first time.

Just read about your sports day, admylin . I accompanied dd's class on her sports day too, on Friday but it was very tame in comparison. I was shattered by the end of it though as we had to walk quite a long way to get to the stadium which was basically a sun trap. Tis strange isn't it that schools don't have proper playing fields here. I know they're all being sold off in the UK but you'd think they'd be hot on that sort of thing here.

The Schloss where your dd is going looks great. I'm sure she'll be fine.

Something else shocking happened at ds's school today. I took the dc in the morning and saw a group of ds's class all cornering a boy (also from the class) and hitting him and pushing him, shouting etc. None ofthe Erzieher seemed to be looking in that direction (how convenient) - then I saw the boy break away and run crying out of the playground.

Then the bell went for 1st lesson so I went to the teacher and said I don't know if anyone noticed but this boy ran away and the other boys were ganging up on him and being very aggresisve. The boy suddenly came back - they all went to the gym as they had sport but the teacher stood and sort of tried to tell me that the bullied boy was getting on the others nerves, he's stolen mobile phones, money etc and he never has his books with him, no pencil, no pen etc. I had to tell him that no matter what the other boy did it never justifies that sort of aggressive behaviour and ganging up 6 to 1 is disgusting - the boy obviously needs out of school help as he has a problem and his family has a social worker as they are not coping with all their dc. Still I was doubly shocke dthat the teacher was trying to tell me they were beating him because he was in the wrong. What sort of Erziehung are those lads going to leave school with? Thank goodness were leaving is all I keep telling myself.