People like to say that 50 is the new 30. I must admit that I feel 51 years young instead of 51 years old. It's funny when other women talk about how they feel so old because they're going to be turning 30. My response is, "Been there, done that, lived to tell about it and the same thing for 40 and 50." I feel that life gets better as you get older.
When I turned 50 last year, I was so different from my image of what a 50-year-old woman should be. That image was formed when I was younger from observing my mother and other women her age. My image of a 50-year-old woman was someone with the following characteristics: Big beehive hairdo (with a dye job), polyester pantsuits, gravelly voice from too much alcohol and cigarettes, slightly overweight, takes various prescription drugs, and doesn't exercise.
Let's go over these things one by one...
Beehive hairdo: Let's just say that the women of the B-52s don't need to worry about any competition from me. I have a fairly short haircut and my hair is my natural brown with a touch of grey. I haven't bothered to cover up the grey because there isn't that much. Also, I view each grey hair as a life lesson learned.
Polyester pantsuits: OK, I do admit to wearing polyester because my work uniform is made with lots of it. But when I'm at home, I'm in jeans and cotton shirts or wool sweaters. My technical running gear is made with polyester, but at least it has a nice feel and doesn't look like traditional polyester.
Gravelly voice from too much alcohol and cigarettes: Nope! I definitely don't have a gravelly voice. My mother smokes and I always hated her cigarette smoke. I tried to smoke when I was in junior high but hated it. I did my share of drinking when I was in college, but now I hardly drink. I'll have a glass of wine with dinner once in a while. I don't like to drink much because it affects my running.
Slightly overweight: I'm at the low end of the normal weight range for my height and age and have never been overweight. In fact, as a child I was underweight.
Takes various prescription drugs: I just read a book which said that the average 50-year-old American takes between 7 and 11 prescription drugs. The only drugs which I take daily are a multivitamin and a calcium supplement. The last prescription medicine that I had was for a skin problem on my hands last year.
Doesn't exercise: Regular exercise is part of my life. I can't imagine my life without exercise. In the winter I do a mix of running and downhill skiing. When it isn't ski season, I run, hike, and ride my bike. If I'm going someplace in town, I either walk or ride my bike. I haven't started slowing down yet and finished in the top 20% overall among the women and in my age group during my most recent half-marathon in October. When I do an on-base race, I'm one of the oldest, if not the oldest, woman in the field. It's a fun feeling to be older and still be among the top women in the race. A couple of years ago I was the 4th place woman in an on-base race at age 49. It was the first time in a long time that I finished "off the podium" on base. One of the top three women, who was in her 20s, said that she hoped to still be running when she was my age. At first I was a little offended because it felt like she was implying that I was ready for the rocking chair instead of the race course. Then I decided to take it as a, "You go, girl!" At that moment I realized that I was a role model for what an older athlete can do.
One of my wishes is to be like the senior citizens that I see on the running/hiking/biking trails and ski slopes. I think it's wonderful that those folks are defying the stereotype of how an older person should be. They're probably not anything like how they imagined a person their age would be. I also want to be different than my image of someone my age.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Helicopter Parents and College Life Lessons
A while back I saw a "20/20" story about helicopter parents. It featured a single mother with two college student sons to illustrate the growing helicopter parent phenomenon in the States. The mother takes care of her sons' needs so that they can concentrate on their studies. Mom has both sons' class schedules and gives them a wake-up call so that they'll get to their first class on time. The sons don't even choose their own classes, Mom does. She has a copy of the boys' syllabi so that she knows when they have papers due and exams. Of course she calls them to remind them of upcoming tests and deadlines. On the weekends Mom drivestwo hours to the university, cleans her sons' dorm rooms, and does their grocery shopping and laundry for them. When the boys were questioned about how they felt about their mother doing so much for them, the response was that it helped to make their lives easier. No surprise there! If I had someone taking care of all of my needs, my life would be easier too.
Those boys have it much easier than when I went to college. I had an alarm clock instead of a daily wake-up call from Mom. If I missed a class because of oversleeping, it was my responsibility to find out what I missed. Nobody reminded me when I had exams or papers due; I had to read my course syllabi on my own and plan my study time. I even chose my classes without any parental input. I read the information about the required classes for my major and picked my classes accordingly. My half of the dorm room sometimes looked like a tornado came through it because nobody cleaned up after me. When I got tired of my room looking messy, I cleaned up. My mother did my laundry for me once when I came home for a weekend. After that one time she told me to buy a box of Cheer and read the back. At that time, Cheer laundry powder had directions for which clothing went into hot, warm, and cold water.
Being away at college on my own taught me a lot of real life skills. From my sophomore year on, I worked part time while going to school. I learned to use my time wisely because I had less time to study than non-working students. One of the most important things I learned was how to prioritize tasks. For example, if I had a limited amount of time in which to study, I had to decide which subjects were the most important to study at that moment. Prioritizing tasks is an important part of my life as a parent with a full-time job. Another important life lesson was doing a little bit of a project each day to meet a deadline instead of putting it off until the last minute. That has served me well in my various jobs because I always met my deadlines. Getting along with others and resolving problems with roommates through compromise was something else that I learned. It would have looked silly to call my mother to help sort out any minor roommate issues. She would have told me to fight my own battles. In college I really learned how to organize my things and follow the saying, "A place for everything and everything in its place." It was much easier to find my books and papers if they were in the same place and if I kept my part of the room clean. I also learned to sort laundry carefully so that my whites wouldn't turn to pinks due to errant red socks.
I wonder how the boys in the "20/20" episode, and other kids with helicopter parents, are going to fare when they graduate from college. They seem to be missing out on learning vital life lessons because they are not doing much on their own. Will their mothers accompany them to their job interviews and negotiate their salaries for them? Eventually those kids will have to leave the nest and have their own families. Will their mothers continue to micromanage their lives as they have kids because they never learned how to do organize their lives on their own? The mother in the "20/20" episode alluded to that when she said that she hopes to become good friends with her future daughters-in-law. I wonder how the grandkids of helicopter parents will turn out. Will they rebel and become more independent, like kids of previous generations, or will they also end up dependent on their parents (or grandparents) for every little thing? Only time will tell.
Those boys have it much easier than when I went to college. I had an alarm clock instead of a daily wake-up call from Mom. If I missed a class because of oversleeping, it was my responsibility to find out what I missed. Nobody reminded me when I had exams or papers due; I had to read my course syllabi on my own and plan my study time. I even chose my classes without any parental input. I read the information about the required classes for my major and picked my classes accordingly. My half of the dorm room sometimes looked like a tornado came through it because nobody cleaned up after me. When I got tired of my room looking messy, I cleaned up. My mother did my laundry for me once when I came home for a weekend. After that one time she told me to buy a box of Cheer and read the back. At that time, Cheer laundry powder had directions for which clothing went into hot, warm, and cold water.
Being away at college on my own taught me a lot of real life skills. From my sophomore year on, I worked part time while going to school. I learned to use my time wisely because I had less time to study than non-working students. One of the most important things I learned was how to prioritize tasks. For example, if I had a limited amount of time in which to study, I had to decide which subjects were the most important to study at that moment. Prioritizing tasks is an important part of my life as a parent with a full-time job. Another important life lesson was doing a little bit of a project each day to meet a deadline instead of putting it off until the last minute. That has served me well in my various jobs because I always met my deadlines. Getting along with others and resolving problems with roommates through compromise was something else that I learned. It would have looked silly to call my mother to help sort out any minor roommate issues. She would have told me to fight my own battles. In college I really learned how to organize my things and follow the saying, "A place for everything and everything in its place." It was much easier to find my books and papers if they were in the same place and if I kept my part of the room clean. I also learned to sort laundry carefully so that my whites wouldn't turn to pinks due to errant red socks.
I wonder how the boys in the "20/20" episode, and other kids with helicopter parents, are going to fare when they graduate from college. They seem to be missing out on learning vital life lessons because they are not doing much on their own. Will their mothers accompany them to their job interviews and negotiate their salaries for them? Eventually those kids will have to leave the nest and have their own families. Will their mothers continue to micromanage their lives as they have kids because they never learned how to do organize their lives on their own? The mother in the "20/20" episode alluded to that when she said that she hopes to become good friends with her future daughters-in-law. I wonder how the grandkids of helicopter parents will turn out. Will they rebel and become more independent, like kids of previous generations, or will they also end up dependent on their parents (or grandparents) for every little thing? Only time will tell.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Spring Skiing in November
The weather in Garmisch has been unseasonably warm. You'd think it was May or June instead of November with the warm, sunny weather. Even the mountains are warm compared to how they should be at this time of year. The snow that fell on the mountains in the ski area by my house has all melted away.
Right after the first snowfall a couple of weeks ago the Zugspitze glacier opened for skiing. The Zugspitze, which is Germany's highest mountain, has a small ski area. Because of its height, it's the only place to ski in the area at the beginning and end of the season. It's also the place to go when the other ski areas don't have much snow. The Zugspitze ski area improved several years ago when they replaced one of the t-bars with a chair lift. It's the only chair lift on the Zugspitze, but there are three different runs you can take from the top of it. The runs are rather short, and the hardest ones are intermediate level.
Because of my work schedule, today was my first day on the ski slopes. I went up on the Zugspitze. It was a beautiful, sunny day. The snow was soft, like spring snow. I started off with a short-sleeved technical shirt, a lightweight long-sleeved technical shirt, and my jacket. After a couple of runs I ended up shedding the long-sleeved shirt. It was even warm enough to eat lunch outside. As this post's title says, it was spring skiing in November, though it felt more like April. The down side is that there is a small base of snow (official report 85 cm) with a lot of rocks showing. At least it was easy to see the rocks and avoid them. For now it's best not to ski off-piste because of the rocks. But it will be a lot nicer after another snowfall or two. I felt like I skied pretty well for my first day, though I just skied for a couple of hours. Burning out on my first day wouldn't be any fun. I'll get stronger and gain more endurance as the season continues. It was also very uncrowded for a weekend. There was almost no waiting for the chair lift and the runs were almost empty, which was very surprising. I heard that it was very crowded yesterday because of the good weather. Maybe a lot of people got scared off from coming back today. I'm not complaining because I hate waiting in long lift lines.
During ski season I'll ski two to three times a week and run twice a week. My runs become a little longer to make up for not doing it as often. I'm looking forward to more snow and a good ski season.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Culture Night/Kulturabend/Kultyurnii Vyecher
Last night was Culture Night at my work. Let me explain what Culture Night is all about...
I work in a school where students from the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, the USA, Africa, and South America take special courses in democracy building, counter-terrorism, and national security. The students are military officers, police officers, or government workers in their countries. They come for various courses, ranging in length from 3 to 12 weeks.
The 12-week course is offered twice a year. The highlight of that course, at least for me, is Culture Night. For Culture Night the students cook their national dishes, wear traditional clothing, and even play music from their countries. They also display photos or other items from their homelands. The alcohol flows freely, with vodka, wine, and different types of schnapps (which could also be used as paint thinner) offered by almost every country. It's wonderful to see the national and personal pride that goes into preparing the food and displays.
Culture Night is always on a Saturday. The advantage of working on Saturdays is that the kitchen in the building where I work is next door to my office. I get to smell all of the good cooking and often be the official taste tester. Working the day of Culture Night also has its down side. There have been a couple of times where I’ve had so many free samples during the day, I was too full to enjoy the main event.
The most important thing to bring to Culture Night is an appetite. Every table that you pass has students calling you over to try their food. It’s almost like being in a room full of Jewish grandmothers telling you, “Eat this. It’s good for you.” I learned early to serve myself. If I let the students serve me, I’d get a portion large enough for a 300-pound man. The students are rightfully proud of their national cuisine and want people to enjoy it like they do. But they forget that there are about 40 other countries being represented, all with students wanting you to try their food.
I think that one of the questions on the application for the 12-week course at the school where I work is, “Are you a good cook?” People who answer, "No" have their applications rejected. The students do a great job cooking their national dishes and the food is always delicious. There are a couple of delegations who “cheat” and order food from local ethnic restaurants. But these are the small delegations with only one or two students. The Romanians have a fellow countrywoman in town who makes their Culture Night dishes. But everyone else cooks their food. The Kyrgyz students impress me the most because they make their noodles from scratch instead of buying pre-made ones.
Last night's Culture Night was a success. I had a lot of my favorites, such as: Tajik plov (a rice dish with meat and carrots), Afghan chicken and rice, Turkish pizza, Mongolian dumplings, Turkish and Moldovan stuffed grape leaves, and Romanian nut-filled pastries. Some new things which I had that were also great were: Pakistani chicken over basmati rice, Saudi dates with an almond rolled into the middle, Georgian eggplant that had lots of garlic, Latvian ham-filled pastries, Argentine meat-filled pastries, Libyan nut cookies, and a unique Belgian jelly-filled candy. Every Culture Night I also have a glass of wine from a country that is not usually thought of as a traditional wine producer. Last night I had good red wine from Montenegro.
The next Culture Night will be in May. I'm looking forward to having some of my favorite dishes and trying new ones.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Go Speed Racer!
Okay, so I'm not a "demon on wheels" like the cartoon character Speed Racer. I wouldn't even call myself a demon in running shoes. But this week I've been a real speed demon, at least by my standards. I think it has something to do with a combination of cool weather (but still above freezing) and the ice that was there last week melting away.
A couple of weeks ago we had our first snow. As is the case with October snowfall, it melted away quickly. But the combination of warm days and below freezing nights froze the melted snow and created lots of black ice on the trails where I run. The good thing about the ice was that it forced me into a slow pace. There was enough ice for the paths to be slippery, but not enough for me to put ice spikes on my shoes. Since I was still in recovery mode from my recent half-marathon, a slower pace was good to let some little nagging problems heal fully.
This week I was really flying and feeling like I wasn't expending extra effort. That's such a wonderful feeling, especially because all of the little aches and pains from the race are gone. I often get faster after recovering from a race, so this is not a new phenomenon. Being on terra firma instead of ice was an extra added bonus, as was the sunshine.
There won't be too many more days like this left. It's supposed to cool off and start raining on Sunday, and the forecast calls for snow on Monday. Ski season has already started with the local glacier opening last weekend. However, the snow is not very good yet. Once ski season gets in full swing, I will ski 2 to 3 times a week and run twice a week. My runs will be slightly longer to make up for the lower frequency.
I have always enjoyed winter running and am looking forward to it. Running while it's snowing is like being in the middle of a snow globe. I like running on fresh snow, before it has been packed down and hardened. There's something about running in fresh snow that makes me feel like a kid again. People who insist on running indoors on a treadmill during the winter are really missing out.
A couple of weeks ago we had our first snow. As is the case with October snowfall, it melted away quickly. But the combination of warm days and below freezing nights froze the melted snow and created lots of black ice on the trails where I run. The good thing about the ice was that it forced me into a slow pace. There was enough ice for the paths to be slippery, but not enough for me to put ice spikes on my shoes. Since I was still in recovery mode from my recent half-marathon, a slower pace was good to let some little nagging problems heal fully.
This week I was really flying and feeling like I wasn't expending extra effort. That's such a wonderful feeling, especially because all of the little aches and pains from the race are gone. I often get faster after recovering from a race, so this is not a new phenomenon. Being on terra firma instead of ice was an extra added bonus, as was the sunshine.
There won't be too many more days like this left. It's supposed to cool off and start raining on Sunday, and the forecast calls for snow on Monday. Ski season has already started with the local glacier opening last weekend. However, the snow is not very good yet. Once ski season gets in full swing, I will ski 2 to 3 times a week and run twice a week. My runs will be slightly longer to make up for the lower frequency.
I have always enjoyed winter running and am looking forward to it. Running while it's snowing is like being in the middle of a snow globe. I like running on fresh snow, before it has been packed down and hardened. There's something about running in fresh snow that makes me feel like a kid again. People who insist on running indoors on a treadmill during the winter are really missing out.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Competition: Everyone Can't Be A Winner
Academically, one of my main complaints is the existence of weeded-out courses. These are typically introductory level courses, often in the sciences. They are intended to lessen the number of biology majors and show pre-med students what they are in for. This fosters an unhealthy competition within the class, and the difficulty of the exams and the amount of studying expected are too much of an abrupt shock for many entering students. What is the point of attending an "elite" school if they institutionalize oppressive amounts of work? Learning can exist in a positive environment, and some schools need to catch on to this concept. --Cornell Freshman
The above passage was the second paragraph of a letter written to the New York Times about college freshmen. The first thing that I noticed was that he should have said "weed-out" courses instead of "weeded-out," unless everyone in the class is high on marijuana. Then the term "weeded-out" would fit.
My second, and more serious, thought about that paragrah was the student's complaint about how courses designed with a high washout rate foster "unhealthy competition." It made me wonder how a person lived for 18 years without having to compete for anything. Does this person really expect to get an A in class for simply showing up, or that the class should be dumbed down so that everyone gets a good grade? There are a limited number of spots in medical schools. I personally want the doctor who's operating on my vital organs to be one of the best and brightest, not someone who thinks that he should get a good grade because he has a pulse or who went through watered-down classes. When I was in college in the late 1970s and early '80s, biology majors accepted that there was stiff competition for a coveted medical school slot. Those who didn't make it through the demanding pre-med courses changed their goals, then moved on with their lives. They didn't whine about the competition being unhealthy because they knew up front that only a certain percentage would make it to medical school.
I realize that I'm generalizing about the writer based on one letter to the editor. But it appears that this person never had to compete for anything in his life. Somehow over the past 20 years people in the States got it in their heads that zero competition promotes self-esteem. The prevailing wisdom has been that kids who don't do as well as their peers, academically or athletically, will suffer from low self-esteem. The way to make every child feel good about himself was to eliminate competition and any source of disappointment. The "everyone wins leagues" in the US are a good example of how competition has fallen by the wayside. Kids get a trophy at the end of the season, no matter how poorly they fared. This sends a message to kids that they don't have to give it their best in order to get an award.
The "everyone's a winner" concept is wrong, mainly because it promotes mediocrity and a sense of entitlement. People will believe that they deserve an award for lackluster effort. Kids need age-appropriate levels of competition to realize that not everyone can win. Competition is also a good way to motivate someone to try his hardest. Back when I was a kid, children had to try out to get onto a Little League baseball team or high school sports team. The kids who didn't make the team either worked harder to try and make it the next season or did something else. Yes, they were disappointed about not making the team. But they didn't complain about it or have their parents demand that they get put onto the team. Competition also prepares a child for real life. When kids get older, they have to compete for limited spaces at a university or for jobs. Having experienced a certain level of competition early in life makes a child better able to handle having to compete for more adult things like a job. I wonder how kids who have grown up without experiencing any competition, like the letter writer, will fare when it comes time to apply for a job.
I've seen the "we're all winners" effect in races that I've done. In the past, only marathon finishers got medals. A marathon finisher's medal signifies that the runner accomplished something that very few people can do. It is really worth something. Then medals began being given out for half-marathons. A half-marathon is still a long distance, so I have no problem with a finisher's medal for completing one. But I recently ran a 5 km race on base where all of the finishers, runners and walkers, were given medals. The top overall and age group finishers also received trophies. When I mentioned to the organizers that medals for finishing a 5K seemed a bit over the top, the response I got was that not everyone is a competitive runner and that the runners and walkers who completed the course deserve something.
My 11-year-old son also feels that non-competition is wrong. He was in the on-base ski program for three years. On the last day of the program, there is an informal race. The instructors record the times, but aren't supposed show them to the kids (some do anyway). After the race, there is a ceremony where all of the kids in the program get a certificate and medal. During my son's last year in the program, he had just turned 9, but was in a group of 12-15-year-olds. He placed second-to-last in the race in his group and was ecstatic about not finishing last. When he came home from the race, he asked why everyone got a medal and not just the top three kids. He then said that he didn't really deserve his medal because he wasn't one of the top three in his group. I tried to explain that the medal was for participation, but it still seemed wrong to him. He had been in both German and on-base ski races where only the top kids in each group got an award and the others left empty-handed.
Maybe our college freshman letter writer needs to learn from a child that not everyone can be a winner and that we can survive a little competition.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Deutsche Schule (German School)
Over the years people have asked me why I put my son in German school instead of the American school on base. The short answer is that he went to a local German kindergarten (preschool) for three years and that most of his friends were the German kids in his class. I felt that it was best for him to start first grade with familiar friends. The base school was always there as a fallback if he didn't do well in German school. But so far he's doing very well in German school.
Here's a little background about German schools for readers from other countries. Grundschule, or primary school, is from 1st to 4th grade. There are three levels of secondary school, which starts in 5th grade: Gymnasium, Realschule, and Hauptschule. A student's marks in 4th grade determine which type of secondary school he'll attend. Gymnasium (5th-12th grade) is for the students with the best marks, Realschule (5th-10th grade) is the middle level, and Hauptschule (5th-9th grade) is the lowest. A Gymnasium has a university prep curriculum, while Hauptschule students get a good basic education equivalent to a US high school diploma and learn vocational skills. Gymnasium graduates who pass their university entrance exams have the equivalent of an Associate's Degree. Grading is on a 1 to 6 scale, with 1 being the best mark. A 1 is very difficult to get; a student must be virtually perfect to earn a 1. A 2 is above average, 3 is average/meets all standards, 4 is passing with some deficiencies, 5 is the highest failing grade, and 6 is the worst failing grade. Religion is also part of the German school curriculum at all grades, even though Germany is a secular country. Students who don't take Catholic or Lutheran religion classes take Ethics.
Here are some of the things that I really like about German schools. They'll help explain why my son goes to one instead of to the base school.
There is no grade inflation like in US schools. In American schools it seems like students get a B just for showing up with a pulse. If they have a pulse and are breathing, they get an A. German students have to earn their grades. German teachers go at a prescribed speed in class, which is geared toward the class average. I have worked in American schools and noticed that teachers go at the pace of the slowest kids in the class. The higher achievers are bored waiting for the rest of the class to catch up. Because my son is one of the better kids in his class, he would be bored if he had to wait for the teacher to explain the lesson to the slower kids. The pacing of lessons in a German school is a better fit for him. German students who don't "clear the bar" must repeat the grade. There is no stigma for repeating a grade. Many kids in Gymnasium repeat a grade. In my son's class there is one boy who repeated 5th grade last year and another who is repeating 6th grade this year.
In the States a lot of "frivolous" courses have been cut out because of standardized test preparation. Many US schools have no art, music, sport, or recess. Because of No Child Left Behind, schools prep their students to take state tests in reading and math. There is a lot of teaching to the tests instead of creative teaching. The schools' funding and ratings depend on test results. In Germany kids must also take standardized tests in German and English. But school funding isn't contingent on the test results, so there is no pressure to teach to the tests. Even before my son started school, I wanted him to have an education that included the arts and sport along with academics. My son is in 6th grade in a Gymnasium and has a very well-rounded curriculum. He's taking: German, English, Latin, math, biology, history, introduction to computers, art, music, sport (PE), and ethics. His schedule varies every day. One would think that a school for high achievers would cut out the arts and sport in order to make room for the academic subjects. That's not the case in Germany. The arts and sport are also considered important.
Another thing that I like about German schools is tracking. Tracking was eliminated in the States because it supposedly made the slower kids feel bad about themselves. By having the three levels of schooling, students are with those of their ability level. The high achievers can go at a faster pace, while the slower kids can get the extra help that they need without making the rest of the class wait for them. I've noticed in my son's school that the kids are proud of having good grades and are in competition with each other to see who can get the best marks. They really push each other to do well.
Teachers are treated by parents and students as the professionals that they are. The teacher's word is law and discipline is strictly enforced. If a child forgets his homework more than three times, he must stay after class and catch up on his work. Students who consistently forget their homework, or who act up too much in class, must help the janitors clean the school. Cheating and talking during tests is strictly forbidden. If students are caught cheating or talking during a test, they are given a 6 and the parents are called in to talk with the teacher. My son recently had a biology test where two kids were caught talking and given an automatic 6.
There are a few things that I don't like about the German school system. One is that I feel that 5th grade is too early to start tracking the students. Performance in 4th grade may not necessarily reflect how a student will do in 8th. I personally feel that it would be better to have the kids go to primary school through 6th grade and then track them. That would catch some of the late bloomers. The other thing has to do with the nature of Gymnasium. Because universities in Germany are free, the government only wants to pay for the best and brightest to attend them. Kids who go to Gymnasium are the future university students. There is a high washout rate in Gymnasium. Students who have trouble in Gymnasium end up dropping down to Realschule. Sometimes I have the feeling that the Gymnasium teachers are deliberately trying to make the kids fail to weed them out early. There are also not very many tests or quizzes. When I was in school, I took a lot of tests and quizzes. If I had a poor mark on a test, it didn't affect my grade so much. But kids in German schools take very few tests compared to their US counterparts. A bad mark on a test has a big effect on the overall grade for that class.
Here's a little background about German schools for readers from other countries. Grundschule, or primary school, is from 1st to 4th grade. There are three levels of secondary school, which starts in 5th grade: Gymnasium, Realschule, and Hauptschule. A student's marks in 4th grade determine which type of secondary school he'll attend. Gymnasium (5th-12th grade) is for the students with the best marks, Realschule (5th-10th grade) is the middle level, and Hauptschule (5th-9th grade) is the lowest. A Gymnasium has a university prep curriculum, while Hauptschule students get a good basic education equivalent to a US high school diploma and learn vocational skills. Gymnasium graduates who pass their university entrance exams have the equivalent of an Associate's Degree. Grading is on a 1 to 6 scale, with 1 being the best mark. A 1 is very difficult to get; a student must be virtually perfect to earn a 1. A 2 is above average, 3 is average/meets all standards, 4 is passing with some deficiencies, 5 is the highest failing grade, and 6 is the worst failing grade. Religion is also part of the German school curriculum at all grades, even though Germany is a secular country. Students who don't take Catholic or Lutheran religion classes take Ethics.
Here are some of the things that I really like about German schools. They'll help explain why my son goes to one instead of to the base school.
There is no grade inflation like in US schools. In American schools it seems like students get a B just for showing up with a pulse. If they have a pulse and are breathing, they get an A. German students have to earn their grades. German teachers go at a prescribed speed in class, which is geared toward the class average. I have worked in American schools and noticed that teachers go at the pace of the slowest kids in the class. The higher achievers are bored waiting for the rest of the class to catch up. Because my son is one of the better kids in his class, he would be bored if he had to wait for the teacher to explain the lesson to the slower kids. The pacing of lessons in a German school is a better fit for him. German students who don't "clear the bar" must repeat the grade. There is no stigma for repeating a grade. Many kids in Gymnasium repeat a grade. In my son's class there is one boy who repeated 5th grade last year and another who is repeating 6th grade this year.
In the States a lot of "frivolous" courses have been cut out because of standardized test preparation. Many US schools have no art, music, sport, or recess. Because of No Child Left Behind, schools prep their students to take state tests in reading and math. There is a lot of teaching to the tests instead of creative teaching. The schools' funding and ratings depend on test results. In Germany kids must also take standardized tests in German and English. But school funding isn't contingent on the test results, so there is no pressure to teach to the tests. Even before my son started school, I wanted him to have an education that included the arts and sport along with academics. My son is in 6th grade in a Gymnasium and has a very well-rounded curriculum. He's taking: German, English, Latin, math, biology, history, introduction to computers, art, music, sport (PE), and ethics. His schedule varies every day. One would think that a school for high achievers would cut out the arts and sport in order to make room for the academic subjects. That's not the case in Germany. The arts and sport are also considered important.
Another thing that I like about German schools is tracking. Tracking was eliminated in the States because it supposedly made the slower kids feel bad about themselves. By having the three levels of schooling, students are with those of their ability level. The high achievers can go at a faster pace, while the slower kids can get the extra help that they need without making the rest of the class wait for them. I've noticed in my son's school that the kids are proud of having good grades and are in competition with each other to see who can get the best marks. They really push each other to do well.
Teachers are treated by parents and students as the professionals that they are. The teacher's word is law and discipline is strictly enforced. If a child forgets his homework more than three times, he must stay after class and catch up on his work. Students who consistently forget their homework, or who act up too much in class, must help the janitors clean the school. Cheating and talking during tests is strictly forbidden. If students are caught cheating or talking during a test, they are given a 6 and the parents are called in to talk with the teacher. My son recently had a biology test where two kids were caught talking and given an automatic 6.
There are a few things that I don't like about the German school system. One is that I feel that 5th grade is too early to start tracking the students. Performance in 4th grade may not necessarily reflect how a student will do in 8th. I personally feel that it would be better to have the kids go to primary school through 6th grade and then track them. That would catch some of the late bloomers. The other thing has to do with the nature of Gymnasium. Because universities in Germany are free, the government only wants to pay for the best and brightest to attend them. Kids who go to Gymnasium are the future university students. There is a high washout rate in Gymnasium. Students who have trouble in Gymnasium end up dropping down to Realschule. Sometimes I have the feeling that the Gymnasium teachers are deliberately trying to make the kids fail to weed them out early. There are also not very many tests or quizzes. When I was in school, I took a lot of tests and quizzes. If I had a poor mark on a test, it didn't affect my grade so much. But kids in German schools take very few tests compared to their US counterparts. A bad mark on a test has a big effect on the overall grade for that class.
Overall, I've been very happy with the German school system. I feel that my son is receiving the same well-rounded education that I had when I was a child.
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