Unlike most public schools in America, almost all public schools in Germany require students to take religion classes (historically, the only options were Protestantism and Catholicism, though now a lot of schools also offer other religions). If students are not religious or the school does not offer classes for their religion, they take ethics, where they learn about philosophy, morality, and good practices for living a happy and fulfilling life. Even though more students at Anna Seghers (our school) are Muslim than any other religion, the school does not offer classes on Islam so most Muslim students take ethics. Besides these graded subjects, Nika also takes OL (offenes lernen or open learning), which is kind of like advisory in American schools. There, students celebrate holidays and birthdays, discuss grades and managing stress, and discuss school-wide issues and policies.
Nika's favorite subjects are art, math, English, and sports. She said it was difficult to pick one because she likes most of her classes.
Nika does not usually get homework on Wednesdays, and she never has homework due on Mondays, since the school wants students to have time to relax and play on the weekends. When Nika does have homework, it's usually about 1-2 hours, though sometimes when she has an important assignment due, she spends longer on homework. In general, homework is manageable.
After school, Nika likes to rest a little and then do gymnastics and dance. She takes classes for both, but also likes to practice at home. Right now, she is working on improving her back handsprings.
