PA School Librarian in Germany: Private Schools

On Monday we visited a private all girl's Catholic school. The school was founded 250 years ago, and at one time was run by nuns. This school offers both a gymnasium and a vo-tech education.

Although the school is a private school, they still receive funding from the state, and therefore is free for students to attend. Students do not have to be Catholic, or even Christian, to attend the school; however, they must have a very moral foundation. Likewise, teachers do not have to practice a particular religion, but they seem to be held to a high moral standard (not unlike teachers in the US). The school is founded on the ideas of respect, help, solidarity and a commitment to making the world a better place. In the 11th-grade, students must complete a 4-week internship at a social institution. Many students intern at hospitals or kindergartens in order to fulfill this work requirement.

God, of course, is important at this Catholic school. Students must periodically attend services at school, but these services do not occur weekly. Students do not necessarily attend church with their families every weekend, and membership in a church is not compulsory.

The sciences are a big focus of the school, and because of this focus, girls tend to perform well on their science exams. Music is also a big focus, and the school boasts two orchestras: one for the younger grades and one for the older. Students have the opportunity to perform at the beautiful concert hall in Mainz.

Many exchanges are offered with foreign schools, and students are required to learn English or French as the first foreign language, and Latin or Spanish as the second foreign language. Eighty percent of girls attending the gymnasium end up also attending university.

At the vo-tech program, girls have the chance to study economy and administration or home economics and nutrition. Students receive the Realschule certification from this program, and the school does accept students from other schools for just the two year vo-tech program.  After the vo-tech program is over, students can continue attending a specialist school in their field, or else they can choose to continue school and receive their Abitur.

We had the chance to speak with some fantastic English teachers who very generously gave of their time. The woman I spoke with had actually attended the school as a girl and then quite by coincidence was assigned to teach at this school by the state. She mentioned that she is thankful for this placement, and I must say that the teachers at the school all seemed very positive and they seemed to like their school and their colleagues very much. What a wonderful place for girls to be educated!