The last couple of months have been rather stressful, and not because I lost my hobby. Last fall we had Philip tested by a child psychiatrist for attention-deficit problems and for dyslexia. The good news is that he has neither ADD/ADHD nor dyslexia, but he does have problems concentrating and reading--he reads very slowly and often skips words or replaces words he doesn't know with more familiar words. The psychiatrist said this might be because he has been learning to read in both English and German.
Digression: Alex, on the other hand, seems to have no problems with reading in two languages. He learned to read German first, and then basically taught himself to read English. Of course, since Deutsch is read phonetically, he complains about all the exceptions to the rules in English.
The bad news is that there is very little help within the school system for children with learning disabilities, or for Ausländer (foreigners). Once a week, Philip attends a class at his school for help with German reading and writing, and twice a week we send him to a tutoring program (probably similar to the Sylvan Learning Centers in the US). In Chicago, Philip's class had a teacher's aide who helped the kids keep up with their in-class work, and if it hadn't been for her, Philip would have never learned to read and spell in 1st grade as quickly as he did (Philip was behind the rest of the class, because German kindergartens don't teach reading and writing). A friend from Erlangen moved to Boston last summer, and she wrote how wonderful it is that her children receive help with their English everyday from the teacher's aides.
It seems to me that here they teach to the "gifted" students, and to those who cannot keep up, "Sorry!" Philip comes home with pages of notes, and from these notes he's supposed to figure out how to do his homework. There are examples and he says his teacher explains things, but quickly and briefly to the class and not the individual. There seems to be very little tolerance within the system for students who cannot pick up concepts quickly. Those who have serious learning disabilities end up going to "special" schools. I've heard that other German states are trying to integrate these children, including Down syndrome students, but not Bavaria.
Philip is in the 4th grade and this is his last year of elementary school. In Bavaria, children start secondary school in the fifth grade, and depending on their grades, they end up following one of three routes. If their grades are good, then they can enter Gymnasium, which lasts through the 12th grade and prepares them for university studies. If they don't manage a 2.3 average (more on this later) but a 2.6, then they can attend the Realschule, which from what I understand, is similar to Gymnasium, except that they learn at a slower pace and Realschule lasts only through the 10th grade. Afterwards, students can begin an apprenticeship or enter a Fachoberschule/Fachhochschule, which like Gymnasium prepares them for the Abitur, or test, that they need to enter university. The lowest level of secondary education is Hauptschule, which lasts through 9th grade only, and although I've been told that one can work their way from Hauptschule to university, I've also heard that the chances are slim. As Philip put it, "Hauptschule is for losers." And this, unfortunately, is the attitude of many Germans I know.
Last week, Philip received his Zwischenzeugnis, or mid-term report card, and he received straight 3s in the three subjects that count toward deciding which secondary school he will attend. The German grading system consists of numbers 1 through 6, with 1 being the best and 6 failing. A 3, according to the footnote on his report card, is satisfactory, so I think it is the equivalent of a C in the American system. Straight Cs, in my opinion, is not terrible, but in the German system, this is enough to keep you from attending university.
Unlike the US, the federal government here pays for one's university education, with individuals paying a small fee of about 1000 Euros per year. Therefore, entry into a German university is more selective. Unfortunately, the system in Bavaria is set-up so that the selection process begins in the 4th grade, with children only 9 or 10-years-old. In Belgium, grade school lasts through the 6th grade, and I've heard this is true for some states in Germany. But, we live in Bavaria, where they seem to think that 10 is old enough to make final decisions about one's future.
Philip has three months to pull a 2 out of either math or Deutsch in order to attend Realschule, and his teacher seems to think his chances are better in math because he makes too many grammatical mistakes in Deutsch, even though his essays are very good. He has good ideas, changes his sentence beginnings, uses quotes, etc., but he still has problems with the articles and adjective endings, which change depending on gender and declension. In math, he can do all the calculations quickly and accurately, but he gets mixed up doing the word problems. In his defense, solving the word problems requires multiple steps using addition, subtraction, multiplication AND division. Even I find them overwhelming and I love word problems.
We're all very frustrated right now--Bob and I because we find the system so complicated, Philip because he knows many of his friends will be going to Gymnasium without him, and even Alex is worried about Philip's grades. In addition, I feel guilt for pulling him out of the Chicago public school system, where he was on the honor roll, and ashamed of myself for feeling disappointed. Right now, he needs confidence, and I need to help him find it, but I'm not sure I know how.
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3 comments:
This post makes me sad and mad. It seems your son is a perfecttly gifted student but the system is flawed. Grrrr.
I know that many parents wish that their kids go to the gymnasium, as if it is the only way to get to university. True, the gymnasium is the "direct" way to university, but there are many other ways, too. I went first to Realschule, and after finishing it, decided to spend three more years at the gymnasium. Some of my schoolmates at the Realschule, who were tired of going to school, made a "Lehre" and went afterwards to university.
I enjoyed the time at the Realschule very much and had no difficulties when I went to gymnasium later. In fact, many of the pupils, who went with me from Realschule to Gymnasium, had a better Abitur than the "normal" gymnasian pupil. I think, you can relax. Learning at school should be something enjoyable and not something worrying. In my eyes, a good time at the Realschule is quite more agreeable as a bad time at gymnasium. I know this is quite opposite, to what most parents nowadays seem to think necessary for their children, sending them at any cost to the Gymnasium. But I experienced that my way of education suited me well. I get angry when I see this concentration on the gymnasium. And beside - there are so many ways in Germany to get additional education after "Mittlere Reife" (Real- u. Hauptschule): Gymnasium, special Gymnasium (dealing with economy or music or...), Fachoberschule, Lehre, Abendgymnasium, Meisterschule. Yes, the german system of schooling is very confusing and needs some reformation, but don't worry. As long as your son can enjoy learning and working for school everything will turn out well.
" ... A 3, according to the footnote on his report card, is satisfactory, so I think it is the equivalent of a C in the American system. Straight Cs, in my opinion, is not terrible, ..."
A "3" is equivalent of a "B".
See
http://www.wes.org/gradeconversionguide/germany.htm
The german Noten are pretty enhanced.
An acquaintance of mine us moving to a hicktown in Illinois. Their boy, a very average10th grader at a Gymnasium in Baden- Württemberg, was pretty pleased that he, after a year of familiarisation , was now in the "A" and "B" spectrum at their local high school.
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