Before I jump into a typical school day in Germany, I would like to first explain the educational system to give you a bit of context.
The school I work at is a Realschule (Secondary School), which is one of the options for middle and high school that students in Germany can choose to attend after Grundschule (Elementary School). Typically, Grundschule is from first to fourth grade. In fourth grade, students, with advice from parents, teachers and mentors, choose which type of school they would like to attend for continuing their education. At a Realschule, students will attend school from fifth to tenth grade and then decide if they would like to go to a vocational school or a university prep school. At a Gymnasium (Academic Secondary School), from grades 5 to 13, students prepare to attend university. At a Hauptschule (Secondary General School) students study from fifth to ninth or tenth grade and then enter a vocational school or apprenticeship program.
The class of tenth graders I am teaching right now are making that important decision on how they want to continue their education. I couldn’t imagine how difficult that would be. I didn’t decide I wanted to be a teacher until halfway through my Senior year!
