PA School Librarian in Germany: Grundschule

Yesterday and today, two local schools very graciously hosted our group. The grundschule we visited is a primary school that serves grades 1-4. Starting at around 6 years old, school is compulsory for all children living in Germany. The school is home to 320 children and 16 total classrooms. More than half of parents in the area are unemployed, and the school provides education for a very large number of immigrants. Families can choose to send students to full or half day schooling. Full day runs Monday-Thursday 8am-4pm with a half day on Friday. Half day school for grades 1-2 is 8am-12pm and 8am-1pm for grades 3-4. Afternoon schooling is often comprised of leisure activities, such as choir. Students learn English or French as their second language - the language instruction is up to the classroom teacher to determine. Students also remain with the same teacher for all 4 years of their primary education.

Our hosts kindly allowed us to observe some lessons. First, I sat in on a lesson for properly telling time, and then I watched a music lesson during which the students identified different instruments. I especially enjoyed hearing students introduce themselves and where they were from because so many had traveled from the Middle East and Africa. I had not considered before my arrival here in Mainz just how many immigrant students would be a part of the German education system. And for these children, German is their second language, and English would be their third! It is not terribly uncommon for children in this area to learn 4 languages before leaving school.

Compared to the US, we noticed a distinct lack of technology in the classrooms, something that also surprised me. The directer of the school told us that to them, basic education and learning the social constructs of school are much more important than technology at the elementary level. For so many of these students, just speaking and learning in German all day can be a struggle.

Several very impressive students made a huge effort to seek out our group and make us feel at home by speaking with us using an astonishing level of English fluency. This very first visit has already opened my eyes to the diversity present in the German education system. With this diversity brings both challenges and strengths that I am excited to explore further.