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".

Tbh, NbN, and imo (and assorted acronyms) you wouldn't have a hope of moving ds from 3 to 4 in March anywhere - far too late. Even 1 to 2 or 2 to 3 but esp 4 with secondary coming up. And this is Germany. So wird's nicht gemacht
He may be just repeating material but you could look at it as form of Nachhilfe in itself. He has the chance to really grasp the basics and the structure of Y3 & Y4 work which can only help him in the all-important Y4. Thus stand a better chance of Gym, or at the least have a really good report which will stand him in good stead for Realschule. Not to mention the confidence, rewards (!) etc.

Maybe when you have a chance to look more closely at his work, you'll find areas to concentrate on more, maybe get other Uebungshefte etc - most Verlage have websites where you can find stuff in detail and order, or I find it cheaper to copy&paste the ISBN number and get them post-free on Amazon.
Hth

Good Luck today Sandy. I expect a blow-by-blow account

Kindersurprise - ime, Y1 & Y2 are worlds apart from Y3 & Y4.
Plus you'll have the benefit of asking on here if you need to.
Plus my dd is starting too so we can compare what Erstklaessler are up to or not

Finknottle
I am not too worried about DD, she is keen to go to school and the school seems ok. They are hoping to start English in year 1 here so that will be interesting.

One of my neighbours was an English teacher, I think year 4 and 5. Her English is so bad that I do not understand her. I have heard that they are having problems finding enough Englsih teachers in NRW and are taking on anyone at the moment, even without a teaching degree (or any degree for that matter)

OMG, it's past 10 am - SSSandy must be in the lions den right now - sending positive vibes and stand-up-to-the-old-battle-axe wishes!

Ks, I think most of dd's problems stem from the huge shock from going from one system to another completely different one. Ds is starting Y1 in September and I am hoping it will be a lot easier for him because he'll be eased in more gently and will have had 1 1/2 years at KG here. Perhaps everything will become clearer for me too. I still don't really get what is required of school children here. At least I can ask on here now!

Taipo I think you are right. I knew a british family and the dd who was taken out of her primary school in UK to join the German system had a really hard time but the brother managed quite well because he went straight into German kindi. If you don'
t know any different it is easier - still doesn't stop us parents from being constantly baffled by it all though!

I'm off out to buy plants for ds's classroom - a request has been sent out!

hi finknottle,
thats what I am afraid of. why cant they come out and say so, instead of stringing me along?
Eg, last year when they put him down, they said that he would be able to go back up again when he spoke german. I suspected at the time they were bullshitting just to make me agree to the going down (I didnt, but they forced it anyway).

sigh - I think we are going to have to move out of bayern. ds REALLY wants to be back in his right class, and I can see his point - why should he have the stigma of being the biggest in his class for the rest of his school career.
Words cannot express how much I resent and hate these little despots who run my childrens school.

Hate to depress you further, NbyN, but I suspect they had no intention of letting him back up. It would be v unusual and exceptional circs etc. and the head doesn't sound the sort to allow anything.
You really picked the short straw with Bayern, it seems. I've known several families move here with no German and they just go to the local primary.

NbyN that sounds like the best idea, get out of Bayern fast. I know of other dc with no German who have joined dd's class this year and they get extra German lessons and I think do some private lessons too but they are in the year for their age. In ds's class a boy came with no German but he was a year older but had to learn from scratch.

Are you in an area where there aren't many foreigners? In our school maybe it's dealt with the way they do it because Germans are in the minority anayway.

Doesn't sound good, NbyN. The only thing I know about schools in Bayern is that they have the reputation for being the toughest in Germany and have the smallest number of pupils getting into the gymnasium. Where else could you move to?

anayway ? Ignore me I've got so much homework for dd to do this afternoon, we're going to be at it into the night so that she can go and do her Aikido tomorrow. I shouldn't really be on here now.

Admylin - bet you were checking on Sandy too
I've been in and out of the house 5 times today and each time I came in, trekked up 2 flights of stairs to my study to see if she's posted. My little legs are worn down to stumps.
No news = bad news?

Mmm, no email either.

Nighbynight,
We may have to move to Geneva in the next year of so and I have looked into schools there. The normal state schools have a provision for incoming children with no French. They get put into a special class to learn the language quickly then go into the proper class as soon as possible. Sounds like a good plan, don't know why the German schools do not have provision for immigrant children.

finknottle, I was checking, she's maybe going to keep us waiting - today is the only day her dh is home this week so might be busy.

Dd was sitting doing homework till 8pm tonight and some isn't done but I told her to tell the teacher if he asks that mum said I wasn't allowed to do it and if he isn't happy then I'll sort it out at hometime! Ds has complaints about the English teacher, she always says 'what that?' instead of what's that or even what is that but he doesn't want to tell her!

Kinder, they do have provision in bavaria, trouble is, it is unacceptably bad for your child, and always seems to include being put down a year. When we first came, I asked about extra German classes for the children, but they were not offered. The authorities give the impression that they just want to keep foreigners down, whether it's intentional or not.
funny you should say that, I was thinking about switzerland only today. dc already speak french, as were in school in france for 3 years. The ds's both say they would be happy to move on. Are the schools in Geneva more like French schools, and would the ones in Zurich be the same, I wonder?

taipo, I have been pondering the where to move question ever since splitting with my ex! Nowhere feels like home any more, but the mountains are growing on me.
Theres no point moving anywhere else in Germany now, as ds's school year would follow him, I think, even outside Bavaria.
I am going to give the private school option one more go, before jobhunting outside de.

Hope SSSandy hasn't fled the country.

Admylin - either Lidl down here didn't have the greenhouses or they were all gone when dh went. Have heard that people queue up for the special offers outside the shop and the best deals are gone by 8.30. It's like the Soviet Union.

Thanks for pointing it out, though

sorry girls, bl* dh messed up. I think he totally messed it up and I was FURIOUS with him. He asked me beforehand what the plan of action was and I told him. Then when we were in there and everything was going according to plan, he suddenly started going off on this weird track and I kept kicking his leg trying to get him to shut up but he went on and on regardless and screwed up badly.

Then he was saying one thing which was absolutely NOT what I wanted and I was having to say something different since he was totally ignoring me trying to get him to shut up. The head was looking all irritiert because she didn't know what the hell was going on anymore and we were not presenting a united front. I could have strangled him.

Geez so much for the man-in-a-suit effect. I've come down with a horrible bug thing which I think we caught at the doctor's surgery last week whilst getting the A and being cooped up with horribly sick little toddlers and the windows firmly shut as usual, then the worry of it all did the rest.

I will mail the details later. Bottom line is it achieved nothing at all in the end I think. We are right back where we were in the beginning. Dd and I are off to the Kieferorthopäde in a minute and then I'll give you all the horrendous details, so you know better than to ever do the same!

NN I'm still thinking about this and what you could do. COuldn't imagine trying to sort out 3 dc's school problems at once. You do have a lot on your plate. I know moving overseas might not be on the cards right now but I was thinking yesterday whether you had ever considered Norway. Lots of German engineers are employed in Norway, the schools are supposed to be very good and welcoming. Lucky for you, you studied something so practical. I think too, the answer is probably going to be to get out unfortunately. Get back to you later.

Oh no, SSSandy how could he have messed it up like that? I was sure it would be a good thing to take him, the respected man in suit thing usually helps.

Good luck at the kieferorthopäde, hope you chose one near to home because you're going to be spending alot of time in and out of there.

Sssandy, sorry your meeting went so badly.

Finknottle, shame about the greenhouse but as you say they seem to sell out of things fast - our Lidl opens at 7am and by the time we get round there after school drop off at 8:20 most stuff has gone. Went today with a friend as they had a Fahradhelm for 6.99 or something like that and she got the last one at 8:20am!

I suppose you can't order online with Lidl like you can with plus?

Thanks for the sympathy everyone! COuld you please check your mails and give me some advice on how best to inflict severe pain on dh when he gets back from Brüssels? dd and I are off now.

All is not lost.
I have a cunning plan.
See mail.

oh ssandy, how annoying. Really sorry your meeting went so badly.
A single mother here took a friend with her, in order to have the man in a suit effect at a meeting with the school! Crazy isnt it.

I am ill too today, not sure if the illness is caused by worrying about the school or vice versa!! Norway is an interesting idea - someone I know moved to Sweden and found it full of crime and fairly unfriendly. Hadn't considered going further north.

Hope you feel better soon.