That’s fair. Frameworks like the Bavarian Education and Care Plan (BayBEP) are state-level guidelines, but they are not standardized curricula in the strict sense - in the sense of dictating exact lessons or teaching methods. Instead, they provide a structure within which kindergartens operate, allowing flexibility and diversity in early childhood education. There is no standardized testing of the children involved, but facilities monitor students to track development. But I can see your point!
@@usa.mom.in.germany We can agree on "depends on how strict you want your Begriff of curriculum to be". Schools also have no standardized tests except for final exams (which is a relatively new thing. Late 00s, iirc. Didn't exist when I finished school in 05).
As far as university, it is huge business in US America, like healthcare. Never happen. Where I live university is no cost. Higher education even gets stipends. At age 15 students graduate high school can go to a vocational school if they want, as well, at no cost.
Besides Hauptschule,Realschule and Gymnasium there are also comprehensive schools which offer all three tracks and offer a bit more time to determine the kids path.
Some say the absence of tuition fees encourages the waste of taxpayers' money on unprofitable subjects or on students who lack the discipline to finish their degree. On the other hand German employers can hire graduates without student loans for less. No tuition fees for foreign students is a give and take. Those who get a job in Germany are a gain. Those who go back often are informal ambassadors for the German industry. Doctors' and nurses' student loans inflate the cost of U.S. healthcare. It gets worse when lawyers with grinding student loans and performance-based fees negotiate compensations for malpractice that inflate the cost of insurance for healthcare providers.
Wow!... Enlightening to say the least. And thank you so much for your continuous stream of clear, well-organized & researched videos. Happy Holidays!!!
Being German and having experienced both systems, I would have to say, the German system has many flaws. The three track system splitting kids at the age of about 10 is one of its greatest faults, in my opinion. The US system, with curriculums decided on by local school boards, often with no educational background and arbitrary laws guiding what can and is taught is worse off, though. Neither is perfect, but at least children are given a broad general education in Germany, not the nitpicking some American states do, just because they don't like history 😅
@@mariont3806 one finds flaws anywhere - when you dig. But having free access all the way to Higher Education like University for very little money is the only way. Many good things in life must be taught by every parent - just having been to University MEANS NOTHING. I met many people in my 18 years in the US that spent a fortune on schooling - yet every rusty nail Beats their IQ 😂
Some federal states have changed the system somewhat and created regional or community schools. There is then a somewhat more open transition from Hauptschule to Realschule or even to Abitur
Free University is one of the biggest pros of the German system. And although it has become more flexible nowadays (I know, my husband is a teacher), the three tiered system still rubs me the wrong way. It was originally designed with class in mind (Gymnasium for upper class and academics, Realschule for mid level jobs and maybe small businesses, and Hauptschule/Mittelschule for the lower classes). And, although the system has become more geared towards each student's abilities, it still is heavily influenced by social backgrounds.
@mariont3806 yes, you are correct - that is even more to work on and improve on the system - perfect does not exist in many Countries. In my opinion we must change the people that have a saying in how it's done. If you have a different approach in every Bundesland is not a good thing. We need to get politicians out of the decision making - get an expert group on a national Level - go for their recomendations - and IMPLEMENT laws that allow a quick change if things do turn out not as predicted. We take too long - in many things. And yet, I am still confident and not panicked - like too many.
@mariont3806 True, education is influenced by the social background, but maybe in unexpected ways. I grew up in a small village, we were about 40 students in my class. In 4th grade the decision had to be made, how to continue with each child. 4 out of the 40 tried for Gymnasium, the parents of the other kids opted for them to do as their parents had done: Finish school as fast as possible and start earning money. I have been meeting many of the group of 40 fifty years later and it is hard to tell who had or has the better life. Would you rather be rich or play with your grandchildren in the garden where you grew up?
The very fact that we desperately need it and it would probably work means that it will never happen. The rich have been kicking down the ladder to the middle class for decades and the project is almost complete.
No home schooling and no religious academies would do wonders for the US. Well, Catholic school makes more atheists but I wouldn't put anyone else through that if it can be avoided.
I think no home schooling is a sensible idea. It’s essential that children are exposed to lots of different ideas during their schooling. Although I guess in the US your child is less likely to get shot at if they don’t go to school 😢
School shootings are one of the more significant reasons I homeschool. My son also has ADHD, so a traditional class environment isn't ideal. Then there is the fact that our local schools are not performing well.
Although a good video, it is missing a few points: Some states like Hamburg ditched the 3-track system. (I went to such a school) There the students are from grade 4 to 10 or 12 together, and everyone is able to get as far as they can, without needing to change tracks. My opinion is of course, that the three-track system should be ditched altogether, as it often is not accurate to say based on the grades and behaviour of a 10-year old person how they will do later in life. Then Realschule (the second track) leads to vocational training as well, but afterwards you can have a so called Fachabitur to go to a unitersity of applied science.
Ich komme aus einer Arbeiterfamilie und bin vom Maschinenbau über die Sozialpädagogik zur Politikwissenschaft und zum Journalismus gekommen und nicht verarmt...🤣🇩🇪 I come from a working-class family and have come from mechanical engineering to social pedagogy to political science and journalism and have not become impoveris... 🤣🇩🇪
Let's be honest. The US- system already segregates locally via funding. If a multi- track- system would be added on top, all the (if I write what I mean I would get banned) kids would end up in the lowest track, which in turn would resemble a prison in Central America. For the normal kids not much would change. They leave High School either dumb or dead like they do now. And only some kids with asian background or Nachhilfe (like in Korea or Japan) would attend the track that has requirements like a Gymnasium in Bavaria.
Poland has system similar, and in some places worse, but sticking to what was present in video, I think it's better. It's more centralized, but gives more freedom to parents and students. I will omitt how art schools work, because they are so different they even are under control of different part of the government. First, there is national curriculum for every 2-4 grades (it was 3 back in the day, but they changed it, and it's generally not a good change). Every school has to teach that, but also every school has their own curriculum, that is decided for every grade, and can be wider than that basic curriculum. Kindergarten is mandatory only in the last year, it's sometimes called grade zero, and it ends with assessment of if child is ready for school. If they aren't, there is a possibility to leave them for another year. Elementary school is 8 years. There used to be 6 plus 3 years middle school, but well, now it's 8. First 3 years kids have English (it can be a different language, but it usually isn't), religion (if parents sign them up) and the rest is with the same teacher, physical education and general education, that has things like reading, writing (in cursive), basic math, some science, some history, some music... Just general stuff. It's all in one subject. And there is no grades at the end of the year, teacher just writes an opinion. The next five years is divided into subjects, the same in the whole country, with the same amount of hours weekly in every school (it can be adjusted slightly, like an hour or two a week, if local government agrees). The subjects are not the same every year, for example there is science for like three years, and then it is biology, chemistry, geography and physics separate, also there is second foreign language added later, art subjects disapear... Elementary school ends in an exam in 3 subjects - polish, math, and foreign language. Then stufents are 14-15yo, and there is reacrutation to middle education, and what matters is grades, exam results, in a really small portion also stuff like being from a family with three or more kids, or volonteering. Some schools have their own exams, usually when they teach something extra, so they are art or bilingual schools. School is chosen by students and their parents (both child and parent have to agree if I remember correctly), you can choose up to three schools and as many profiles as those schools are offering. There is three kinds of school, that are similar to Germany ones: Vocational school - it takes three years, have easier curriculum when it comes to academic subjects, and gives student knowledge from a certain vocation. Then students can take another two year, which will give them more knowledge, and also more advanced curriculum from those academic subjects, and that's give them right to take a matura exam. Technical (?) school - it takes 5 years and teaches a vocation, usually more technical (examples: photography, chemistry, IT) and also gives right to take a matura exam Then there is standard highschool, which teaches only academic subjects, last 4 years and gives right to matura exam. Matura exam is what you need to go to the university, this is the only thing this exam does. Universities are tuition-free (there is a couple of really small costs you have to take), and they really rarely take anything else than matura in consideration (I'm studying a weird major, so I also had an interview, but it's really rare occurrence). And you get accepted into a certain major, not just the university. Homeschooling is legal, but homeschooled kids have to take exams from every subject they would have at school, every year. There is no way to finish vocational or technical school homeschooled.
I don't know about "still the case." I attended university in the USA 1969-73. I had to write papers for every course, including original poetry for an English course and original scientific research to qualify for my Geology degree. Some years later, I overheard a coworker boast that in her 4 years at a different US university, she did not have to write any papers at all.
So Kindergarden => would be daycare? plus a mix of preschool & pre-k. Main schooling 1-12/13 would basically be Primary school/elementray school 1-4 or 1-6 Secnodary School is basically 4/6 - 10 Then Vocational track is basically 11-13 Combined track is basically 11-14 with university college (reminds me a bit of dual enrollment tbh, like when in american high school you go university) University track is basically 11-13, then you go to college for 14-16.
An educational system that doles out positions solely based on measured ability would be doomed to fail among groups who believe that it should produce equal results for all groups.
*Public* Universities are free. Private Universities are from around €15,000 to around €22,000 per semester. Also interesting that English is taught. I suspect this is the case in most if not all of Western Europe and as a Brit out of all the nationalities I've encountered the Dutch (Nederland) seem to be the best. In my experience their English speaking skills range from very good to outstanding.
English isn't taught in german elemantary schools. She said it would look like that if implemented in the US. (Sure, education is a state thing, so I assume in some elementary schools or kindergardens, the kids will learn a bit of english - but german will still be the focus. Foreign languages usually start some time after grade 4.)
Hey, you forgot that you get the right to go to university when you complete your "Meisterbrief" as long as its a field of study that is close to your education. For example: A car mechanic can study engeniering ^^
Mit Mittlerer Reife kann man nicht an einer (Fach-)Hochschule (University of applied science) studieren. Dafür benötigt man mindestens die Fachhochschulreife. Und die Studiendauer dort beträgt regelmäßig genau wie an einer Universität sechs Semester für einen Bachelor und weitere vier für den Masterabschluss.
Indeed, the Fachhochschulreife is necessary to obtain and not automatic. That wasn’t my intention to imply but rather to highlight its alignment with this particular educational track. While the official duration is the same in semesters, in practice, degrees at Fachhochschulen often take less time to complete.
I feel the flexibility that American high schools offer is much better. You forgot to mention that each of these “tracks” requires a separate school. Students are separated and pigeon holed. There is not much “upward” mobility happening during the program, but rather after you finish 10th grade. students have to repeat a whole year, if they get failing grades in core subjects. The “gymnasium” college prep schools have such a superficial coverage of many subjects that people joke about it. Students have minimal elective choices. I have been in both school systems, and feel the American high school system is way better. You also fail to mention that it is REALLY hard for parents to find pre-school/kindergarten spots. So much so, that they start signing up for spots before the child is born.
You forgot religion as basic subject, at least going by the amount of weekly hours in some grades in Bavaria. It is next to insane that they (plan to) cut PE and art but keep 3 hours per week of religion in the 3rd grade.
Where would a student end up who had physical limitations that slowed down their studies by limiting attendance but got very good grades in certain subjects? Sounds like they might end up on the lowest track because of their physical limitations.
There are nomally rules for certain situations that differ depending on the limitations. But no one gets sent to the lowest track simply because. for example, my son is dyslexic and is allowed to do some of his work not in writing but verbal (english for example) and that is in the highest track mentioned. But of course they also try to challenge him a bit. there are also various rules and ways to help with physical limitations.
@@Ashorisk When I attended elementary school in a Bavarian cow village from 1973 to 1977, we had a handful of dyslexic pupils in our class. They were treated normally, but during dictation they sat in a special section where they only had to copy the text. We also had a girl with glass bones. She was often absent when another bone was broken, but the rest of the time she was a “normal” classmate for us with crutches, whom we treated especially gently without being specifically asked to do so, as far as I remember. One summer, gypsies camped in our village and their children attended our classes for a few weeks. And there was a black girl in my sister's class - in a cow village in the Bavarian Alps in the 1970s! I don't remember her being discriminated against, but of course one would have to ask her how she felt. All of us made our way through the school system without being forced against our will or above/below our capabilities but rather according to our own inclination (trade/office career/technician/academic). I myself initially went to Realschule (the intermediate tier) and then added a few years to get Abitur and studied at university.
I see. Well that’s sounding better than what we deal with in the US public school system. My son lives in physical pain that often prevents him attending school. He gets good grades in language arts, writing and speech and debate but fails in science and math year after year. He would need many more hours in a day to study for all his courses as he spends hours a day in physical therapy and needed rest. So we spend the hours we do have on the courses he likes and he always gets soaring grades in those and flunks his other classes. And all I hear from the principal year after year is how we need to get his grades up in the courses he fails.
Only here in the video, because she missed to say that the (West)German school system has been in a bad conditions since 19964 (Bildungskatastrophe). The run down school system was "thrown" on East Germany in 1991. Before we had a democratic, fair, equality supporting school system. That was the model where successful countries like Finnland learnes from. There is nothing to learn from the West-German school system!
All my children would be able to go to school. My 4 year old can read and do basic math, but because of an October birthday and American laws, he can't start kindergarten until 2026. School will bore and not benefit my child by then.
Yes!!! It’s so stupid how they delay their learning journey based on their birth date. My daughter was born ONE day after the cut off and we had to wait one more year to enroll her.
The old saying "too soon old, to late smart" applies to someone like me. I enjoy your reflections immensely but doubt Germany (or the EU in general) would welcome a senior citizen as an emigrant.
Although we have special schools, we follow an inclusive approach where children with special needs are taught together with their peers as much as possible to show them that they are a normal member of society and to teach children without special needs how to interact with other children who do have special needs. Of course, all teachers are trained in this inclusive approach.
@@hape3862Either the teacher is equipped or the school has the possibility to request a special trained aid. In case of the latter, the aid has to help the kid with the curriculum during the lessons or/and help with the special needs. E.g. a child with ADHS - when the kid gets to "squirmy", the Co-teacher takes the kid out of the classroom before it's behavior starts to irritate the rest of the class, to let the special run of it's anxiety...
@@DB-jk8vsSpecial needs schools "Sonderschulen" should only take in those with needs that a "normal" school can't handle, like blindness, deafness and certified brain damages (yes, the last sounds awful, but I don't know how to describe it in a better way 😢). In these schools there is always a nurse/doctor on stand by for obvious medical reasons. Deaf and blind children go to schools, where next to the same curriculum as their peers, they learn things specific to their needs, e.g. the blind learn braille and the deaf learn SL and lip reading. Btw. I would love to have SL integrated in the curriculum for all schools ... As you saw, I said 'should'. Regrettably, there are enough cases, where a child could be integrated with "normal" peers, but where e.g. the old school building isn't equipped accordingly - like a lift for wheelchairs.
It's weird to watch your Video. I don't Like our schoolsystem in Germany, It's creates alot of social Segregation, but you let it Sound Like It would be Something good. It's Strange.
We had a similar schoolsystem in Sweden many years ago but it was changed due to the social segregation and there is now no dividing in to three different lanes.
@LarthV i would disagree on that, WE could make the Separation later. Like other countries, where we don't See that effects way less. We do This early Separation since decades. So i would say , that fact that education success is highly dependent on the success of the parents is caused by that system. At least to some degree. But It's typically for Germany, our education system was Always very conservative and at least a half a century behind the modern ways to educate our childs. Thanks to your Most conservative politician...
@@asta7303 yes a lot of countries do that... Sometimes i Wish our politicans would Just be smart enough to Copy Things that Work, WE Just have to watch our neighboring countries and See what works. But there head is deeply buried in conservative think. With the some old Attitude. "I went to the system and turned Out fine .... So it has to be a good system by Default"
@ef9033 I am not so sure if the effect is less prevalent in all other countries. A problem with the separation is that either if it is the parents choice those with an academic background overwhelmingly push their children to Gymnasium, or if it is the teachers choice they have a similar bias. But that is the problem of _implementation_ I meant. It would significantly benefit from reducing the impact of the socioeconomic background (free tutoring for poorer kids, for instance), preventing sending children to Gymnasium just because their parents are academics (although the kids actually struggle) and allowing more options to change tracks, like every or every other year. But at the same time, purely because of personal experience, I basically have to die on that hill. My grades on Gymnasium where always better than in Elementary school, and I would have found prolonging Elementary quite horrific.
This makes so much sense!! But I’m truly getting concerned about the rise of the right wing right now in many countries, including in Germany. I had thought Germany was being so proactive against the rise of right wing ideology that it would not be following the disturbing trend in some other countries right now. What are your thoughts on that?
Don't be concerned. Whether a party is considered left or right depends on the individual standpoint. If the political spectrum reaches from far left to far right, I will try to position the political parties in Germany and the US along this spectrum. Beginning at the very left, you would find communists and then socialists. In Germany the party "Die Linke" would be considered socialist, but they dropped below the 5% threshold and are fading away. A new leftist party BSW was founded by ex Linke members, therefore with a lot of socialist and pro Putin DNA and was enjoying some success on state level in Eastern Germany lately. Next, but still left from the middle you find the SPD or social democrats, the current chancellor (who is on his way out) is from SPD. In the middle of the spectrum, you will find the Liberals, or FDP. Right of the middle, in the conservative area you find the CDU or christian democrats. IMHO the US democrats would be positioned somewhere here, between social democrats, liberals and light conservatives. Further to the right you find the CSU, sister party of CDU represented only in Bavaria, very Catholic hypocrites, conservative and too populistic for the rest of Germany. Finally on the very right spectrum you find the AfD or Alternative for Germany, of which you are concerned. Although the AfD made some inroads in state elections in eastern Germany, they are not governing anywhere because no other party would form a coalition with the AfD in order to achieve a governing majority. Germanywide the AfD currently enjoys approval rating of around 19%, which is IMHO embarrassing. Interestingly, major talking points of the AfD and the US MAGA GOP are identical, such as Isolationism, leave EU and NATO, racism and white supremacy, xenophobia and mass deportation, a fascist ideology, traditional family values only, rejection of any gender, woke, or non binary considerations. And the MAGA-GOP just won >50% !!! The good thing, in Germany, our checks and balances are well in place and have just been further reinforced. Unlike in the US our German supreme court is impartial, not corrupted and might even consider banning the AfD should the AfD continue to move outside the boundaries of our constitution. So if you are not concerned about the development in the US, there is no need to worry about the situation in Germany.
@ thanks so much for the explanation! Yes those are the things I’m concerned about. Being in the US, I’m horrified of what’s going on here, and it has made it feel even worse, even more concerning, with the right-wing trend that seems to be hitting around the world. Thank you for taking the time to share those details.
@@AH-xf3by, no you are not blind, but absolutely correct. The Greens have a very left wing and a more conservative wing called the "realos". The blend of both however is definitely left, strong dirigistic, i.e. they claim to know what is best for the people, however most of their top politicians lack any academic education and thus appear very incompetent Overall the Greens share the socialist view that the state should transform the people into better humans by micromanaging everybody's daily life which is perceived very intrusive. The clear opposite of liberal. In their wildest dreams the greens are even convinced, the world will follow the German way.
in Hamburg at least the 13th year is Stadtteilschule and is mostly for laggards who couldn't pass Gymnasium standards but are too good for Realschule and Hauptschule. They do in 13 years what we did in 12
I would have qualified for the low track in that system. I hold a master’s degree. As a child, i dealt with visual deficits. I have strabismus with nystagmus. I was being treated for these, but I was also nearsighted. Early work required copying work from a blackboard. I could not see it clearly. Board work or morning work as some teachers call it was exhausting and confusing. When nearsightedness was finally treated at 10, I improved immensely but too late in your system. I lived in Germany for few years. I loved the country and the people but was very glad that I did not go to school in their system.
I doubt your vision problem would be an issue in more civilised countries. I have a nephew who at under 4 has just been fitted with age appropriate glasses part way through kindergarten. Why weren't you given corrective lenses? Germany would probably be the same. And copying from a blackboard isn't teaching.
@ I am from the USA. I had vision card from 6 months on. But my case was complicated. I probably needed glasses in kindergarten but it wasn’t until my third grade teacher realized that I couldn’t read the board. Yes, never ask a child if they can see the board. It’s the big green, black or now days white wall in front of the room. If you have always had trouble reading it, that will seem normal. I had no idea that it was easier for others to see. Even today students learn things that are shown on the board.
*facepalm* Either you are full of it or there were other reasons but no, making the claims that you do proves you don't understand. I became nearsighted at around 10, took a while to be discovered... as in a few months because every year there is a medical that every student gets which look among other things eyesight, hearing and overall constitution. So unless you happen to be sick that day anything gets discovered in a years time. Changing of tracks happens, did you watch the vid at all, I kinda doubt it seeing as that she even explicitly mentioned it. Thinking that education in the USA is better than in most other industrialized countries is laughable if not ridiculous and we can prove that by looking at the international stats concerning it. Let's you forget, 20% of US adults can read or parse sentences past a FIFTH grade level. In other words, 20% of US adults have the comprehension level of an 10 year old.
Chances for a correct diagnosis would be challenging in all cases, but don’t get too hung up on the tracks. Being set on one of the „lower“ tracks is no lifetime decision. Compare it to being given the chance to take part in an all AP program at 10. If you would have difficulties there at 10 you can do so again at 16 - I have been in university and a PhD program with several people who did that and were quite successful.
Does Germany have a college legacy admission or rich people buying college diploma then becoming the US President problem like we do with Trump or Bush 2 easily our two dumbest Presidents.
There were attempts. One earned the University of Bayreuth the nickname Buyreuth. But when we need dump politicians in Germany, we can get them for free i.e. without bribes.
I like the idea of elementary going until 6th grade, and school overall until you're 18. But I don't like to put everyone in the same school. Academic high school and the others are there for a reason
I would recommend against 6 years of primary school. 6 years of primary school was the East German practice. I grew up in West Germany, where we have always had 4 years of primary school. Even today we have 6 years in the Eastern states and 4 in the rest of the country (except for some fine print). I experienced the Eastern practice in one year that I worked as a teacher at a lower/medium track secondary school in an Eastern state. 6 years of primary school no longer works now that society has started to disintegrate and discipline is low. The problem is that switching schools and the onset of puberty roughly coincide, creating all the wrong expectations for the new school in children's minds. I believe things work better if children switch schools 2 years earlier while they are still easily intimidated by the new school and older children there, and ready to adopt a new attitude with more active, self-determined learning than in primary school. The presence of the smaller children also has a calming effect on the secondary school. Not necessarily in terms of noise, but in terms of the severity of conflicts. Being grouped together in the same school with 10-year-olds gives a clear signal to the older children that no, they are not really adults yet.
@@johaquilaI see your argument and understand where you come from, but can only agree partly. I come from a country(!) with a 6-year primary school and now live in a state with a 4-year primary school with parental decision for the higher educational path(1). Teachers can only give recommendations. As a mother of 4, I had lots of discussions about who goes where. Other parents often overestimated the abilities of their children (in light of the upcoming curriculum), because "otherwise they won't be able to get a job ..."🙄. This argument came especially from those with higher income(2). With that in mind, the pressure on the children grows immensely and quite a lot have to "downgrade". One year it was so bad, the lower school (in this case from Gymnasium to Realschule"), basically a whole new class had to be formed. Those "downgradings" play havoc on the confidence of the children on top of the "failures" in the higher school. My argument for a 6-year primary would be, basic education (e.g. Math) could be more practiced (don't forget reading skills); lesson hours in crafts, music and arts(3) could/should come back in the curriculum. The children themselves also would have more understanding of their capabilities and would have more arguments on hand with their parents (exclud peer pressure in this statement, please). (1) Schools can deny entry when the grades are too bad. (2) Parents from a "lower" financial and/or social standing often don't have the means and/or understanding (even when they wanted to) to support their kid. Those children are often "late bloomers" in my experience. (3) These lessons were scraped to a bare minimum, due to changes in society, new inventions (Hello Computer?) and what the industry lobbied to be needed ... To me, these lessons help children to relax, to stay curious and investigative, as also stabilize personality traits. Disclaimer: I'm sorry, if my reasoning isn't clear enough, English is not my native language and I sometimes have problems to find the correct translation. Everything I wrote, is pure my opinion.
I agree that the colorful captions are distracting. However, Google auto captions can be complete garbage so the best solution is for creators to upload their own captions and add a flag at the beginning of the video so people who want good captions can turn them on. However, most of her audience is on TikTok, so it is faster and easier to just add open captions directly on her video and upload it to each platform rather than making and uploading captions for each platform. Also, since TH-cam and TikTok have different maximum video lengths this method makes it faster since I'm guessing that there are times where TikTok gets a longer video than TH-cam. Maybe she could make them less distracting, but I'm assuming that these "fun" subtitles perform better than plain subtitles because more and more creators are making videos this way. As technology advances I'm sure that auto captions will get better and then maybe we will see creators stop using open captions. As someone who has ADHD and hearing loss I really appreciate accurate closed captions that don't distract from the video, bonus points if I can adjust the color, font and size myself.
I find this horrifying. My second child was diagnosed with ADHD late. He lagged in his academics till middle school. Now that he is on meds, he is an honor role student. Germany's system would have limited him to working a trade, and he loves science. Or we would have had to pay to catch him up, because teachers ignored his issues and he didn't get the help he needed. (I had multiple PT conferences were I asked questions. The number of teachers who dismissed my concerns and implied I was just upset my child wasn't gifted... ugh. He was undiagnosed because he wasn't acting out, he presented his ADHD symptoms more like I did as a child- daydreaming through class. Distracted, unable to focus)
Because of the superior healthcare in Germany your child would likely have been diagnosed sooner than he was here. The same meds are available in Germany and he likely would have been tracked to be an honor student even earlier, saving your child some grief.
@@SimonBellaMondo did you even watch the entire video? There are multiple ways to change tracks if the student shows willing and capable. As all education is tuition free it is available at all times, even later in life. Compared to the USA where anyone on university track is stuck with one of three possibilities: 1. A very lucky stipend or scholarship. 2. Very rich parents 3. Crushing educational debt for at least ten years assuming they get a great job immediately after finishing their education. Still horrified?
You obviously did not listen closely enough. The tracks explained are what the teachers recommend based on the experience they have with the child they had up to this point. You can always choose a different path if you are smarter than the teachers. So can your child. One of my sisters changed from the path to university to trade, worked a few years there and changed her mind again to finish her Abitur, and started to study. Another sister finished her school with Abitur as well, but decided to become a (multilingual) secretary once finished. Exactly that was told in the video as well. If you do not understand this, how can you even assume to know what is best for your kid?
The United States can't use the German system, because their governments are built different. Germany has unicameral parlament (Bundestag) instead of a bicameral congress like the US. The US is legally structured more like the European Union as legally sovereign states who the federal cannot interfere beyond limited enumerated powers written down in the constituition, hence the name "united states". Germany's Bunderat has a level of top-down control over their states that the US Federal does not have, as Germany has nothing like the 10th Amendment.
And also note that the Bundesrat is quite exactly the opposite of top down, as it is _only_ made up of representatives of the federal states governments - imagine the Senate, but only Governors and their vices are senators.
German teacher here 👋🏻 Education is left completely in the hands of the different states of Germany. Bavaria has a completely different system than Berlin for example. Even the names of the schools can be different. The curricula are different too. So the Bundestag has nothing to do with the education system.
@@sammiller6631 a wonderful explanation - except totally wrong 😂 The US can not use the German system because all the Billionaires in Congress believe that only wealthy should enjoy an Education . And now that the full blown idiots are taking over House, Senate and geeeee - the Presidency 😱🙄 it will get even worse. The Red States , despite being dead last in pretty much everything since DECADES are now inventing history new, Bible studies and and and - most likely now the world in conservative States will be flat 😂 on every map. They already said that the Department of Education will be eliminated 😂 - since bible wielding Trump fans are soooooo smart that they don't need a Department for Education 😂😂😂 Gee , America - you really turned into a sh.thole - what am I glad I went back to Germany 🥳🙋
@@superwholockpotterhead9247 If education is different in each state, then what's the "German style" they're talking about? Various US states have vocational track programs, even if the US state she grew up in did not.
Home schooling being illegal is disturbing. I don’t personally home school my three kids but parents should be able to,do so if they desire. The German state has too much power over its citizens IMO, but I am American who has successfully “pulled myself up by my bootstraps” so my way of thinking is different for sure.
Yeah, stupid parents teaching their kids religious/ideological/conspiracy bullshit or nothing at all sounds like a really good idea to me! What could go possibly wrong?
@@hape3862 a teacher in Germany is a "State' employee. Upon certification/acceptance of the teaching license you can be assigned ANYWHERE in the STATE. If you for example do your DEGREE in another state & want to change back to your "Home state" or otherwise you may lose (TMK)your "status" as a govt employee. The German police also can be assigned ANYWHERE in Germany. So far the only way(I've seen)to tweak that is 2 blue stripes PDQ or have "legacy" such as your parent(s) having high level positions in the system such as "School director".
it is a little bit of a different view :) your view is heavily influenced by your US view: more power to the parents , less power to the government. Also keep in mind that in the US corporoeal punishment is allowed ... and e freedom of religion in case of children is always the freedom of their parents. If you overexxagerate you could say in the US, children are "property" of their Parents. In germany we have a slight different view on the government/state ... and our state sees the Children not as possession of their parents but as a small citizens that are worth of protection (like being free from corporeal punishment). the problem is not homeschooling itself but the risk that comes with homeschooling - they are more common than most US people think. The state simply decided that this risk is not worth to allow it in general but make it an exception ! Schools are great for local community - schooltime in germany is less than in the US .. and sport and other activites are organized in a different way - so even when you have trouble to fit in, there is plenty of time to find a club where you feel "home". The german state simply thinks his "children citizen" have a right to "multiple sources to knowledge" and no parent is allowed to "cut off" their children from the german society. (you can always teach your kids additional knowledge)
So much rainbows & fluffy clouds I doubt you can see the nose on your face. Germany pays the towns(Städte/Landkreis usw) 1800€/month per child for the "Kitas/Krippen". Instead of paying the parents of the newborn/infant. They're about to cancel "Elterngeld" which is CAPPED at 1800€/month(since 2007?) & can be less based on the income of the parent(s). So 1 year olds are basically forced into an overloaded/understaffed system instead of staying with a parent until the age of 5-7 as EXPERTS recommend. Because the parents can't AFFORD to stay home with their child(ren). 250€/month is nothing when dealing with a child. A "training" doesn't really teach you anything as you don't qualify for minimum wage & it certainly does not allow/grant you to attend "FH" OR ESPECIALLY 'UNI'. The "trades" wages are abysmal compared to say the US/CAN/AUS/UK?. as in a "journeyman' can make less than it costs to live in GERMANY. There is no easy way for someone who "sucked" in say math to be able to attain "Abi" as a trade also doesn't count Towards "Abi" or especially an "Abschluss". Yes tuition is basically "free' but almost every "Uni" is in the most expensive places in Germany where rent can be 1000€/month. The availability of "distance/adult education" is less than a podunk town in the US. Maybe you should look behind the curtain and see the old man instead of the "Wonderful wizard".
Thank you. I thought there may be an objectivity problem with some of these videos when she attacked the U.S.'s official reason for banning TikTok, and what you've said supports this thinking. As usual things are almost always more complicated than people make out, especially when they have an agenda to push.
Admittedly I do believe there is a problem with Bafög not taking into account where you live cause obviously living in Berlin or Munich is much more expensive than in smaller towns. But when I was in uni from 2016-2023 my parents were lucky enough to financially help me through. I had about 800€ per month and I was able to finance basically my whole life with that. Rent, semester fee, food, clothes, Wi-Fi, power, water etc. There are hundreds of unis to choose from, you just got to do the research into the cities and see which ones are in your price range.
@superwholockpotterhead9247 that's fking ludicrous. If you have to "budget" which school you attend then move to the US where a community College can provide you with "Uni" level education in areas that don't care what your parents or grandparents did. You should want to go to the best institution for what you want to learn. Of course Berlin, München etc are obscenely expensive but that's more the government/schools fault. Having a waiting list for med school is almost exclusively a German thing. In the US you can begin EMT & then midway go to med school. In Germany you can become Rettungssani(3.5 years)& still be waiting for a slot.
As always, sources for all my claims can be found in the public spreadsheet clickable through my main page 💚
Kindergardens have standardized curricula at the state level. Source: bin Erzieher ;)
That’s fair. Frameworks like the Bavarian Education and Care Plan (BayBEP) are state-level guidelines, but they are not standardized curricula in the strict sense - in the sense of dictating exact lessons or teaching methods. Instead, they provide a structure within which kindergartens operate, allowing flexibility and diversity in early childhood education. There is no standardized testing of the children involved, but facilities monitor students to track development. But I can see your point!
@@usa.mom.in.germany We can agree on "depends on how strict you want your Begriff of curriculum to be". Schools also have no standardized tests except for final exams (which is a relatively new thing. Late 00s, iirc. Didn't exist when I finished school in 05).
In 1983 "A Nation at Risk" was published. It was mostly ignored.
It's on the 'Net if you're interested. Of course, now we're even worse off.
In Portland, Oregon preschool is now optional, available in the public school system and paid for by the state!
As far as university, it is huge business in US America, like healthcare. Never happen. Where I live university is no cost. Higher education even gets stipends. At age 15 students graduate high school can go to a vocational school if they want, as well, at no cost.
Affordable healthcare and good education ruins so many business models in the US, no way!
😂
This would be SOCIALISM!
"Oh, I love the uneducated."
That was the only time orange man actually told the truth
@@karstenbursak8083I believe his exact words were “poorly educated”. 🤭
@@Raikage93you mean like K-12, libraries, LE, fire departments, etc? 🤷♀️ (these are socialist programs)
Besides Hauptschule,Realschule and Gymnasium there are also comprehensive schools which offer all three tracks and offer a bit more time to determine the kids path.
Some say the absence of tuition fees encourages the waste of taxpayers' money on unprofitable subjects or on students who lack the discipline to finish their degree. On the other hand German employers can hire graduates without student loans for less. No tuition fees for foreign students is a give and take. Those who get a job in Germany are a gain. Those who go back often are informal ambassadors for the German industry. Doctors' and nurses' student loans inflate the cost of U.S. healthcare. It gets worse when lawyers with grinding student loans and performance-based fees negotiate compensations for malpractice that inflate the cost of insurance for healthcare providers.
Wow!... Enlightening to say the least.
And thank you so much for your continuous stream of clear, well-organized & researched videos.
Happy Holidays!!!
Being German and having experienced both systems, I would have to say, the German system has many flaws. The three track system splitting kids at the age of about 10 is one of its greatest faults, in my opinion.
The US system, with curriculums decided on by local school boards, often with no educational background and arbitrary laws guiding what can and is taught is worse off, though.
Neither is perfect, but at least children are given a broad general education in Germany, not the nitpicking some American states do, just because they don't like history 😅
@@mariont3806 one finds flaws anywhere - when you dig. But having free access all the way to Higher Education like University for very little money is the only way. Many good things in life must be taught by every parent - just having been to University MEANS NOTHING.
I met many people in my 18 years in the US that spent a fortune on schooling - yet every rusty nail Beats their IQ 😂
Some federal states have changed the system somewhat and created regional or community schools. There is then a somewhat more open transition from Hauptschule to Realschule or even to Abitur
Free University is one of the biggest pros of the German system. And although it has become more flexible nowadays (I know, my husband is a teacher), the three tiered system still rubs me the wrong way. It was originally designed with class in mind (Gymnasium for upper class and academics, Realschule for mid level jobs and maybe small businesses, and Hauptschule/Mittelschule for the lower classes). And, although the system has become more geared towards each student's abilities, it still is heavily influenced by social backgrounds.
@mariont3806 yes, you are correct - that is even more to work on and improve on the system - perfect does not exist in many Countries.
In my opinion we must change the people that have a saying in how it's done. If you have a different approach in every Bundesland is not a good thing. We need to get politicians out of the decision making - get an expert group on a national Level - go for their recomendations - and IMPLEMENT laws that allow a quick change if things do turn out not as predicted. We take too long - in many things.
And yet, I am still confident and not panicked - like too many.
@mariont3806 True, education is influenced by the social background, but maybe in unexpected ways. I grew up in a small village, we were about 40 students in my class. In 4th grade the decision had to be made, how to continue with each child. 4 out of the 40 tried for Gymnasium, the parents of the other kids opted for them to do as their parents had done: Finish school as fast as possible and start earning money. I have been meeting many of the group of 40 fifty years later and it is hard to tell who had or has the better life. Would you rather be rich or play with your grandchildren in the garden where you grew up?
As a 🇨🇦
I very much appreciate your videos.
The very fact that we desperately need it and it would probably work means that it will never happen. The rich have been kicking down the ladder to the middle class for decades and the project is almost complete.
No home schooling and no religious academies would do wonders for the US. Well, Catholic school makes more atheists but I wouldn't put anyone else through that if it can be avoided.
I think no home schooling is a sensible idea. It’s essential that children are exposed to lots of different ideas during their schooling. Although I guess in the US your child is less likely to get shot at if they don’t go to school 😢
They are also less likely to get indoctrinated into what the government wants you to think and feel.
@@bwillanhowever more susceptible to what the parents what the kids to think and feel.
School shootings are one of the more significant reasons I homeschool. My son also has ADHD, so a traditional class environment isn't ideal. Then there is the fact that our local schools are not performing well.
You explained it in simple words
Aly formulates the new American dream
Most Americans couldn’t get through this video…..🧐
Most gringos couldn’t tell you where Germany is.
Loved this video, and I would be interested in seeing more long form content.
Although a good video, it is missing a few points:
Some states like Hamburg ditched the 3-track system. (I went to such a school) There the students are from grade 4 to 10 or 12 together, and everyone is able to get as far as they can, without needing to change tracks. My opinion is of course, that the three-track system should be ditched altogether, as it often is not accurate to say based on the grades and behaviour of a 10-year old person how they will do later in life.
Then Realschule (the second track) leads to vocational training as well, but afterwards you can have a so called Fachabitur to go to a unitersity of applied science.
Ich komme aus einer Arbeiterfamilie und bin vom Maschinenbau über die Sozialpädagogik zur Politikwissenschaft und zum Journalismus gekommen und nicht verarmt...🤣🇩🇪 I come from a working-class family and have come from mechanical engineering to social pedagogy to political science and journalism and have not become impoveris... 🤣🇩🇪
Let's be honest. The US- system already segregates locally via funding. If a multi- track- system would be added on top, all the (if I write what I mean I would get banned) kids would end up in the lowest track, which in turn would resemble a prison in Central America. For the normal kids not much would change. They leave High School either dumb or dead like they do now. And only some kids with asian background or Nachhilfe (like in Korea or Japan) would attend the track that has requirements like a Gymnasium in Bavaria.
Poland has system similar, and in some places worse, but sticking to what was present in video, I think it's better. It's more centralized, but gives more freedom to parents and students. I will omitt how art schools work, because they are so different they even are under control of different part of the government.
First, there is national curriculum for every 2-4 grades (it was 3 back in the day, but they changed it, and it's generally not a good change). Every school has to teach that, but also every school has their own curriculum, that is decided for every grade, and can be wider than that basic curriculum.
Kindergarten is mandatory only in the last year, it's sometimes called grade zero, and it ends with assessment of if child is ready for school. If they aren't, there is a possibility to leave them for another year.
Elementary school is 8 years. There used to be 6 plus 3 years middle school, but well, now it's 8. First 3 years kids have English (it can be a different language, but it usually isn't), religion (if parents sign them up) and the rest is with the same teacher, physical education and general education, that has things like reading, writing (in cursive), basic math, some science, some history, some music... Just general stuff. It's all in one subject. And there is no grades at the end of the year, teacher just writes an opinion.
The next five years is divided into subjects, the same in the whole country, with the same amount of hours weekly in every school (it can be adjusted slightly, like an hour or two a week, if local government agrees). The subjects are not the same every year, for example there is science for like three years, and then it is biology, chemistry, geography and physics separate, also there is second foreign language added later, art subjects disapear... Elementary school ends in an exam in 3 subjects - polish, math, and foreign language.
Then stufents are 14-15yo, and there is reacrutation to middle education, and what matters is grades, exam results, in a really small portion also stuff like being from a family with three or more kids, or volonteering. Some schools have their own exams, usually when they teach something extra, so they are art or bilingual schools. School is chosen by students and their parents (both child and parent have to agree if I remember correctly), you can choose up to three schools and as many profiles as those schools are offering. There is three kinds of school, that are similar to Germany ones:
Vocational school - it takes three years, have easier curriculum when it comes to academic subjects, and gives student knowledge from a certain vocation. Then students can take another two year, which will give them more knowledge, and also more advanced curriculum from those academic subjects, and that's give them right to take a matura exam.
Technical (?) school - it takes 5 years and teaches a vocation, usually more technical (examples: photography, chemistry, IT) and also gives right to take a matura exam
Then there is standard highschool, which teaches only academic subjects, last 4 years and gives right to matura exam.
Matura exam is what you need to go to the university, this is the only thing this exam does. Universities are tuition-free (there is a couple of really small costs you have to take), and they really rarely take anything else than matura in consideration (I'm studying a weird major, so I also had an interview, but it's really rare occurrence). And you get accepted into a certain major, not just the university.
Homeschooling is legal, but homeschooled kids have to take exams from every subject they would have at school, every year. There is no way to finish vocational or technical school homeschooled.
Is it still the case in the USA that students don't have to write out their answers to exams because they are usually multiple choice?
I don't know about "still the case." I attended university in the USA 1969-73. I had to write papers for every course, including original poetry for an English course and original scientific research to qualify for my Geology degree. Some years later, I overheard a coworker boast that in her 4 years at a different US university, she did not have to write any papers at all.
So Kindergarden => would be daycare? plus a mix of preschool & pre-k.
Main schooling 1-12/13 would basically be
Primary school/elementray school 1-4 or 1-6
Secnodary School is basically 4/6 - 10
Then
Vocational track is basically 11-13
Combined track is basically 11-14 with university college (reminds me a bit of dual enrollment tbh, like when in american high school you go university)
University track is basically 11-13, then you go to college for 14-16.
An educational system that doles out positions solely based on measured ability would be doomed to fail among groups who believe that it should produce equal results for all groups.
*Public* Universities are free. Private Universities are from around €15,000 to around €22,000 per semester.
Also interesting that English is taught. I suspect this is the case in most if not all of Western Europe and as a Brit out of all the nationalities I've encountered the Dutch (Nederland) seem to be the best. In my experience their English speaking skills range from very good to outstanding.
English isn't taught in german elemantary schools. She said it would look like that if implemented in the US.
(Sure, education is a state thing, so I assume in some elementary schools or kindergardens, the kids will learn a bit of english - but german will still be the focus. Foreign languages usually start some time after grade 4.)
in Lower Saxony English starts ib 3rd grade
@@BonniesFrauchenIn Bavaria, too ...
Hey, you forgot that you get the right to go to university when you complete your "Meisterbrief" as long as its a field of study that is close to your education.
For example: A car mechanic can study engeniering ^^
I just can't wait to move back to Germany.
Not sure where you are or what your background is but I'd at least recommend a hiatus first as it's not like it "used to be".
@@DB-jk8vs AfD?
@@arnodobler1096In my opinion - yes
@@HuberHans ziemlich sicher. Aber DB? Deutsche Bahn, müsste RB Reichsbahn sein, oder?
Mit Mittlerer Reife kann man nicht an einer (Fach-)Hochschule (University of applied science) studieren. Dafür benötigt man mindestens die Fachhochschulreife. Und die Studiendauer dort beträgt regelmäßig genau wie an einer Universität sechs Semester für einen Bachelor und weitere vier für den Masterabschluss.
Indeed, the Fachhochschulreife is necessary to obtain and not automatic. That wasn’t my intention to imply but rather to highlight its alignment with this particular educational track.
While the official duration is the same in semesters, in practice, degrees at Fachhochschulen often take less time to complete.
Yeah they read the propaganda not the KMK or anything.
I feel the flexibility that American high schools offer is much better. You forgot to mention that each of these “tracks” requires a separate school. Students are separated and pigeon holed. There is not much “upward” mobility happening during the program, but rather after you finish 10th grade. students have to repeat a whole year, if they get failing grades in core subjects. The “gymnasium” college prep schools have such a superficial coverage of many subjects that people joke about it. Students have minimal elective choices.
I have been in both school systems, and feel the American high school system is way better.
You also fail to mention that it is REALLY hard for parents to find pre-school/kindergarten spots. So much so, that they start signing up for spots before the child is born.
playing it back at half the speed. Better chance to get it all. lol
Most young people I meet these days can't conjugate a verb and don't know who Abraham Lincoln was. We definitely need a change.
You forgot religion as basic subject, at least going by the amount of weekly hours in some grades in Bavaria. It is next to insane that they (plan to) cut PE and art but keep 3 hours per week of religion in the 3rd grade.
Where would a student end up who had physical limitations that slowed down their studies by limiting attendance but got very good grades in certain subjects? Sounds like they might end up on the lowest track because of their physical limitations.
No, we have an inclusive approach that takes care of children with special needs _within_ their peer group.
There are nomally rules for certain situations that differ depending on the limitations. But no one gets sent to the lowest track simply because. for example, my son is dyslexic and is allowed to do some of his work not in writing but verbal (english for example) and that is in the highest track mentioned. But of course they also try to challenge him a bit.
there are also various rules and ways to help with physical limitations.
@@Ashorisk When I attended elementary school in a Bavarian cow village from 1973 to 1977, we had a handful of dyslexic pupils in our class. They were treated normally, but during dictation they sat in a special section where they only had to copy the text. We also had a girl with glass bones. She was often absent when another bone was broken, but the rest of the time she was a “normal” classmate for us with crutches, whom we treated especially gently without being specifically asked to do so, as far as I remember. One summer, gypsies camped in our village and their children attended our classes for a few weeks. And there was a black girl in my sister's class - in a cow village in the Bavarian Alps in the 1970s! I don't remember her being discriminated against, but of course one would have to ask her how she felt.
All of us made our way through the school system without being forced against our will or above/below our capabilities but rather according to our own inclination (trade/office career/technician/academic). I myself initially went to Realschule (the intermediate tier) and then added a few years to get Abitur and studied at university.
I see. Well that’s sounding better than what we deal with in the US public school system.
My son lives in physical pain that often prevents him attending school. He gets good grades in language arts, writing and speech and debate but fails in science and math year after year. He would need many more hours in a day to study for all his courses as he spends hours a day in physical therapy and needed rest. So we spend the hours we do have on the courses he likes and he always gets soaring grades in those and flunks his other classes. And all I hear from the principal year after year is how we need to get his grades up in the courses he fails.
Sounds intelligent to me
Only here in the video, because she missed to say that the (West)German school system has been in a bad conditions since 19964 (Bildungskatastrophe). The run down school system was "thrown" on East Germany in 1991. Before we had a democratic, fair, equality supporting school system. That was the model where successful countries like Finnland learnes from. There is nothing to learn from the West-German school system!
All my children would be able to go to school. My 4 year old can read and do basic math, but because of an October birthday and American laws, he can't start kindergarten until 2026. School will bore and not benefit my child by then.
Yes!!! It’s so stupid how they delay their learning journey based on their birth date. My daughter was born ONE day after the cut off and we had to wait one more year to enroll her.
The old saying "too soon old, to late smart" applies to someone like me. I enjoy your reflections immensely but doubt Germany (or the EU in general) would welcome a senior citizen as an emigrant.
Well, we might welcome an immigrant though. There are quite a few that got stuck here or returned after their time with the military ...
How do they handle students with special needs, such as autism?
(TMK)They have "Sonderschule" as supposedly they are screened in elementary for ADHD etc.
Although we have special schools, we follow an inclusive approach where children with special needs are taught together with their peers as much as possible to show them that they are a normal member of society and to teach children without special needs how to interact with other children who do have special needs. Of course, all teachers are trained in this inclusive approach.
@@hape3862Same in the U.K. Special needs kids generally have additional support but otherwise and where possible are taught alongside other kids.
@@hape3862Either the teacher is equipped or the school has the possibility to request a special trained aid. In case of the latter, the aid has to help the kid with the curriculum during the lessons or/and help with the special needs. E.g. a child with ADHS - when the kid gets to "squirmy", the Co-teacher takes the kid out of the classroom before it's behavior starts to irritate the rest of the class, to let the special run of it's anxiety...
@@DB-jk8vsSpecial needs schools "Sonderschulen" should only take in those with needs that a "normal" school can't handle, like blindness, deafness and certified brain damages (yes, the last sounds awful, but I don't know how to describe it in a better way 😢). In these schools there is always a nurse/doctor on stand by for obvious medical reasons.
Deaf and blind children go to schools, where next to the same curriculum as their peers, they learn things specific to their needs, e.g. the blind learn braille and the deaf learn SL and lip reading. Btw. I would love to have SL integrated in the curriculum for all schools ...
As you saw, I said 'should'. Regrettably, there are enough cases, where a child could be integrated with "normal" peers, but where e.g. the old school building isn't equipped accordingly - like a lift for wheelchairs.
It's weird to watch your Video. I don't Like our schoolsystem in Germany, It's creates alot of social Segregation, but you let it Sound Like It would be Something good.
It's Strange.
The segregation is a problem, but it is not so much an issue of the system‘s design than its implementation.
We had a similar schoolsystem in Sweden many years ago but it was changed due to the social segregation and there is now no dividing in to three different lanes.
@LarthV i would disagree on that, WE could make the Separation later. Like other countries, where we don't See that effects way less. We do This early Separation since decades. So i would say , that fact that education success is highly dependent on the success of the parents is caused by that system. At least to some degree.
But It's typically for Germany, our education system was Always very conservative and at least a half a century behind the modern ways to educate our childs. Thanks to your Most conservative politician...
@@asta7303 yes a lot of countries do that... Sometimes i Wish our politicans would Just be smart enough to Copy Things that Work, WE Just have to watch our neighboring countries and See what works. But there head is deeply buried in conservative think. With the some old Attitude. "I went to the system and turned Out fine .... So it has to be a good system by Default"
@ef9033
I am not so sure if the effect is less prevalent in all other countries.
A problem with the separation is that either if it is the parents choice those with an academic background overwhelmingly push their children to Gymnasium, or if it is the teachers choice they have a similar bias. But that is the problem of _implementation_ I meant.
It would significantly benefit from reducing the impact of the socioeconomic background (free tutoring for poorer kids, for instance), preventing sending children to Gymnasium just because their parents are academics (although the kids actually struggle) and allowing more options to change tracks, like every or every other year.
But at the same time, purely because of personal experience, I basically have to die on that hill. My grades on Gymnasium where always better than in Elementary school, and I would have found prolonging Elementary quite horrific.
This makes so much sense!! But I’m truly getting concerned about the rise of the right wing right now in many countries, including in Germany. I had thought Germany was being so proactive against the rise of right wing ideology that it would not be following the disturbing trend in some other countries right now. What are your thoughts on that?
Don't be concerned. Whether a party is considered left or right depends on the individual standpoint. If the political spectrum reaches from far left to far right, I will try to position the political parties in Germany and the US along this spectrum. Beginning at the very left, you would find communists and then socialists. In Germany the party "Die Linke" would be considered socialist, but they dropped below the 5% threshold and are fading away. A new leftist party BSW was founded by ex Linke members, therefore with a lot of socialist and pro Putin DNA and was enjoying some success on state level in Eastern Germany lately. Next, but still left from the middle you find the SPD or social democrats, the current chancellor (who is on his way out) is from SPD. In the middle of the spectrum, you will find the Liberals, or FDP. Right of the middle, in the conservative area you find the CDU or christian democrats. IMHO the US democrats would be positioned somewhere here, between social democrats, liberals and light conservatives. Further to the right you find the CSU, sister party of CDU represented only in Bavaria, very Catholic hypocrites, conservative and too populistic for the rest of Germany. Finally on the very right spectrum you find the AfD or Alternative for Germany, of which you are concerned. Although the AfD made some inroads in state elections in eastern Germany, they are not governing anywhere because no other party would form a coalition with the AfD in order to achieve a governing majority. Germanywide the AfD currently enjoys approval rating of around 19%, which is IMHO embarrassing. Interestingly, major talking points of the AfD and the US MAGA GOP are identical, such as Isolationism, leave EU and NATO, racism and white supremacy, xenophobia and mass deportation, a fascist ideology, traditional family values only, rejection of any gender, woke, or non binary considerations. And the MAGA-GOP just won >50% !!! The good thing, in Germany, our checks and balances are well in place and have just been further reinforced. Unlike in the US our German supreme court is impartial, not corrupted and might even consider banning the AfD should the AfD continue to move outside the boundaries of our constitution. So if you are not concerned about the development in the US, there is no need to worry about the situation in Germany.
@ thanks so much for the explanation! Yes those are the things I’m concerned about. Being in the US, I’m horrified of what’s going on here, and it has made it feel even worse, even more concerning, with the right-wing trend that seems to be hitting around the world. Thank you for taking the time to share those details.
@@christians6734 Am I blind or did you forgot the Greens?
@@AH-xf3by, no you are not blind, but absolutely correct. The Greens have a very left wing and a more conservative wing called the "realos". The blend of both however is definitely left, strong dirigistic, i.e. they claim to know what is best for the people, however most of their top politicians lack any academic education and thus appear very incompetent Overall the Greens share the socialist view that the state should transform the people into better humans by micromanaging everybody's daily life which is perceived very intrusive. The clear opposite of liberal. In their wildest dreams the greens are even convinced, the world will follow the German way.
The German school system has very mediocre outcomes. - So it all depends what you compare it with…
The average American reads at a third grade so…. Compare that 😂
in Hamburg at least the 13th year is Stadtteilschule and is mostly for laggards who couldn't pass Gymnasium standards but are too good for Realschule and Hauptschule. They do in 13 years what we did in 12
I would have qualified for the low track in that system. I hold a master’s degree. As a child, i dealt with visual deficits. I have strabismus with nystagmus. I was being treated for these, but I was also nearsighted. Early work required copying work from a blackboard. I could not see it clearly. Board work or morning work as some teachers call it was exhausting and confusing. When nearsightedness was finally treated at 10, I improved immensely but too late in your system. I lived in Germany for few years. I loved the country and the people but was very glad that I did not go to school in their system.
I doubt your vision problem would be an issue in more civilised countries. I have a nephew who at under 4 has just been fitted with age appropriate glasses part way through kindergarten. Why weren't you given corrective lenses? Germany would probably be the same. And copying from a blackboard isn't teaching.
@ I am from the USA. I had vision card from 6 months on. But my case was complicated. I probably needed glasses in kindergarten but it wasn’t until my third grade teacher realized that I couldn’t read the board. Yes, never ask a child if they can see the board. It’s the big green, black or now days white wall in front of the room. If you have always had trouble reading it, that will seem normal. I had no idea that it was easier for others to see. Even today students learn things that are shown on the board.
*facepalm*
Either you are full of it or there were other reasons but no, making the claims that you do proves you don't understand.
I became nearsighted at around 10, took a while to be discovered... as in a few months because every year there is a medical that every student gets which look among other things eyesight, hearing and overall constitution. So unless you happen to be sick that day anything gets discovered in a years time.
Changing of tracks happens, did you watch the vid at all, I kinda doubt it seeing as that she even explicitly mentioned it.
Thinking that education in the USA is better than in most other industrialized countries is laughable if not ridiculous and we can prove that by looking at the international stats concerning it. Let's you forget, 20% of US adults can read or parse sentences past a FIFTH grade level. In other words, 20% of US adults have the comprehension level of an 10 year old.
Chances for a correct diagnosis would be challenging in all cases, but don’t get too hung up on the tracks.
Being set on one of the „lower“ tracks is no lifetime decision. Compare it to being given the chance to take part in an all AP program at 10. If you would have difficulties there at 10 you can do so again at 16 - I have been in university and a PhD program with several people who did that and were quite successful.
Does Germany have a college legacy admission or rich people buying college diploma then becoming the US President problem like we do with Trump or Bush 2 easily our two dumbest Presidents.
no
There were attempts. One earned the University of Bayreuth the nickname Buyreuth.
But when we need dump politicians in Germany, we can get them for free i.e. without bribes.
@andreasarnoalthofsobottka2928 Ok how you manage that would be very interesting:)
no
This would never work in the US because it makes too much sense.
Completely free subsidized by the government. Use the word free. I don't think it means what you think it means.
I like the idea of elementary going until 6th grade, and school overall until you're 18. But I don't like to put everyone in the same school. Academic high school and the others are there for a reason
Academic High schools are called "Gymnasium"s in Germany
The 'tracks' she talks about are actually different types of schools usually.
I would recommend against 6 years of primary school. 6 years of primary school was the East German practice. I grew up in West Germany, where we have always had 4 years of primary school. Even today we have 6 years in the Eastern states and 4 in the rest of the country (except for some fine print).
I experienced the Eastern practice in one year that I worked as a teacher at a lower/medium track secondary school in an Eastern state. 6 years of primary school no longer works now that society has started to disintegrate and discipline is low. The problem is that switching schools and the onset of puberty roughly coincide, creating all the wrong expectations for the new school in children's minds. I believe things work better if children switch schools 2 years earlier while they are still easily intimidated by the new school and older children there, and ready to adopt a new attitude with more active, self-determined learning than in primary school. The presence of the smaller children also has a calming effect on the secondary school. Not necessarily in terms of noise, but in terms of the severity of conflicts. Being grouped together in the same school with 10-year-olds gives a clear signal to the older children that no, they are not really adults yet.
@@johaquilaI see your argument and understand where you come from, but can only agree partly.
I come from a country(!) with a 6-year primary school and now live in a state with a 4-year primary school with parental decision for the higher educational path(1). Teachers can only give recommendations.
As a mother of 4, I had lots of discussions about who goes where. Other parents often overestimated the abilities of their children (in light of the upcoming curriculum), because "otherwise they won't be able to get a job ..."🙄. This argument came especially from those with higher income(2). With that in mind, the pressure on the children grows immensely and quite a lot have to "downgrade". One year it was so bad, the lower school (in this case from Gymnasium to Realschule"), basically a whole new class had to be formed. Those "downgradings" play havoc on the confidence of the children on top of the "failures" in the higher school.
My argument for a 6-year primary would be, basic education (e.g. Math) could be more practiced (don't forget reading skills); lesson hours in crafts, music and arts(3) could/should come back in the curriculum. The children themselves also would have more understanding of their capabilities and would have more arguments on hand with their parents (exclud peer pressure in this statement, please).
(1) Schools can deny entry when the grades are too bad.
(2) Parents from a "lower" financial and/or social standing often don't have the means and/or understanding (even when they wanted to) to support their kid. Those children are often "late bloomers" in my experience.
(3) These lessons were scraped to a bare minimum, due to changes in society, new inventions (Hello Computer?) and what the industry lobbied to be needed ... To me, these lessons help children to relax, to stay curious and investigative, as also stabilize personality traits.
Disclaimer: I'm sorry, if my reasoning isn't clear enough, English is not my native language and I sometimes have problems to find the correct translation. Everything I wrote, is pure my opinion.
How do they find people to bag groceries?
The customers bag their own groceries.
This job, curiously, has never existed in Germany. German customers value price over convenience, and that job would increase prices.
@LarthV Walmart tried it. They failed.
We don't have enough people in prison either! (Sarcasm)
@@mreese8764 At many US stores, customers also ring up their own order. One cashier (and security cameras) monitor a dozen registers.
🤣😂
You know that TH-cam has the possibility to switch closed captions on or off? You putting your own, colored, almost like a karaoke, is so disturbing.
I agree that the colorful captions are distracting. However, Google auto captions can be complete garbage so the best solution is for creators to upload their own captions and add a flag at the beginning of the video so people who want good captions can turn them on.
However, most of her audience is on TikTok, so it is faster and easier to just add open captions directly on her video and upload it to each platform rather than making and uploading captions for each platform. Also, since TH-cam and TikTok have different maximum video lengths this method makes it faster since I'm guessing that there are times where TikTok gets a longer video than TH-cam.
Maybe she could make them less distracting, but I'm assuming that these "fun" subtitles perform better than plain subtitles because more and more creators are making videos this way. As technology advances I'm sure that auto captions will get better and then maybe we will see creators stop using open captions. As someone who has ADHD and hearing loss I really appreciate accurate closed captions that don't distract from the video, bonus points if I can adjust the color, font and size myself.
I find this horrifying. My second child was diagnosed with ADHD late. He lagged in his academics till middle school. Now that he is on meds, he is an honor role student. Germany's system would have limited him to working a trade, and he loves science. Or we would have had to pay to catch him up, because teachers ignored his issues and he didn't get the help he needed. (I had multiple PT conferences were I asked questions. The number of teachers who dismissed my concerns and implied I was just upset my child wasn't gifted... ugh. He was undiagnosed because he wasn't acting out, he presented his ADHD symptoms more like I did as a child- daydreaming through class. Distracted, unable to focus)
Um, no. ADHD is well known in Germany, too. Of course you can put your child on meds here too, if you want.
Because of the superior healthcare in Germany your child would likely have been diagnosed sooner than he was here. The same meds are available in Germany and he likely would have been tracked to be an honor student even earlier, saving your child some grief.
It is horrifying. Having a child’s “track” determined at age 10 sounds very restrictive. Give the kids a chance to improve at least.
@@SimonBellaMondo did you even watch the entire video?
There are multiple ways to change tracks if the student shows willing and capable. As all education is tuition free it is available at all times, even later in life. Compared to the USA where anyone on university track is stuck with one of three possibilities:
1. A very lucky stipend or scholarship.
2. Very rich parents
3. Crushing educational debt for at least ten years assuming they get a great job immediately after finishing their education.
Still horrified?
You obviously did not listen closely enough. The tracks explained are what the teachers recommend based on the experience they have with the child they had up to this point. You can always choose a different path if you are smarter than the teachers. So can your child. One of my sisters changed from the path to university to trade, worked a few years there and changed her mind again to finish her Abitur, and started to study. Another sister finished her school with Abitur as well, but decided to become a (multilingual) secretary once finished. Exactly that was told in the video as well.
If you do not understand this, how can you even assume to know what is best for your kid?
The United States can't use the German system, because their governments are built different. Germany has unicameral parlament (Bundestag) instead of a bicameral congress like the US. The US is legally structured more like the European Union as legally sovereign states who the federal cannot interfere beyond limited enumerated powers written down in the constituition, hence the name "united states". Germany's Bunderat has a level of top-down control over their states that the US Federal does not have, as Germany has nothing like the 10th Amendment.
But the decision on Education specifically is guaranteed by the German constitution to be decided by _only_ the federal states…
And also note that the Bundesrat is quite exactly the opposite of top down, as it is _only_ made up of representatives of the federal states governments - imagine the Senate, but only Governors and their vices are senators.
German teacher here 👋🏻 Education is left completely in the hands of the different states of Germany. Bavaria has a completely different system than Berlin for example. Even the names of the schools can be different. The curricula are different too. So the Bundestag has nothing to do with the education system.
@@sammiller6631 a wonderful explanation - except totally wrong 😂
The US can not use the German system because all the Billionaires in Congress believe that only wealthy should enjoy an Education .
And now that the full blown idiots are taking over House, Senate and geeeee - the Presidency 😱🙄
it will get even worse.
The Red States , despite being dead last in pretty much everything since DECADES are now inventing history new, Bible studies and and and - most likely now the world in conservative States will be flat 😂 on every map.
They already said that the Department of Education will be eliminated 😂 - since bible wielding Trump fans are soooooo smart that they don't need a Department for Education 😂😂😂
Gee , America - you really turned into a sh.thole - what am I glad I went back to Germany 🥳🙋
@@superwholockpotterhead9247 If education is different in each state, then what's the "German style" they're talking about? Various US states have vocational track programs, even if the US state she grew up in did not.
Home schooling being illegal is disturbing. I don’t personally home school my three kids but parents should be able to,do so if they desire. The German state has too much power over its citizens IMO, but I am American who has successfully “pulled myself up by my bootstraps” so my way of thinking is different for sure.
I'd rather a democratic government have too much power than unaccountable corporations
During the pandemic a friend of mine who is a certified teacher in Germany couldn't teach their own children.
Yeah, stupid parents teaching their kids religious/ideological/conspiracy bullshit or nothing at all sounds like a really good idea to me! What could go possibly wrong?
@@hape3862 a teacher in Germany is a "State' employee. Upon certification/acceptance of the teaching license you can be assigned ANYWHERE in the STATE. If you for example do your DEGREE in another state & want to change back to your "Home state" or otherwise you may lose (TMK)your "status" as a govt employee.
The German police also can be assigned ANYWHERE in Germany.
So far the only way(I've seen)to tweak that is 2 blue stripes PDQ or have "legacy" such as your parent(s) having high level positions in the system such as "School director".
it is a little bit of a different view :) your view is heavily influenced by your US view: more power to the parents , less power to the government. Also keep in mind that in the US corporoeal punishment is allowed ... and e freedom of religion in case of children is always the freedom of their parents. If you overexxagerate you could say in the US, children are "property" of their Parents.
In germany we have a slight different view on the government/state ... and our state sees the Children not as possession of their parents but as a small citizens that are worth of protection (like being free from corporeal punishment).
the problem is not homeschooling itself but the risk that comes with homeschooling - they are more common than most US people think. The state simply decided that this risk is not worth to allow it in general but make it an exception !
Schools are great for local community - schooltime in germany is less than in the US .. and sport and other activites are organized in a different way - so even when you have trouble to fit in, there is plenty of time to find a club where you feel "home".
The german state simply thinks his "children citizen" have a right to "multiple sources to knowledge" and no parent is allowed to "cut off" their children from the german society.
(you can always teach your kids additional knowledge)
So much rainbows & fluffy clouds I doubt you can see the nose on your face. Germany pays the towns(Städte/Landkreis usw) 1800€/month per child for the "Kitas/Krippen". Instead of paying the parents of the newborn/infant.
They're about to cancel "Elterngeld" which is CAPPED at 1800€/month(since 2007?) & can be less based on the income of the parent(s).
So 1 year olds are basically forced into an overloaded/understaffed system instead of staying with a parent until the age of 5-7 as EXPERTS recommend. Because the parents can't AFFORD to stay home with their child(ren).
250€/month is nothing when dealing with a child.
A "training" doesn't really teach you anything as you don't qualify for minimum wage & it certainly does not allow/grant you to attend "FH" OR ESPECIALLY 'UNI'.
The "trades" wages are abysmal compared to say the US/CAN/AUS/UK?. as in a "journeyman' can make less than it costs to live in GERMANY.
There is no easy way for someone who "sucked" in say math to be able to attain "Abi" as a trade also doesn't count Towards "Abi" or especially an "Abschluss".
Yes tuition is basically "free' but almost every "Uni" is in the most expensive places in Germany where rent can be 1000€/month. The availability of "distance/adult education" is less than a podunk town in the US.
Maybe you should look behind the curtain and see the old man instead of the "Wonderful wizard".
Seek mental help!
Thank you. I thought there may be an objectivity problem with some of these videos when she attacked the U.S.'s official reason for banning TikTok, and what you've said supports this thinking.
As usual things are almost always more complicated than people make out, especially when they have an agenda to push.
Schmarrn.
Just one thing: universities make rents in these cities more expensive, not the other way around.
Admittedly I do believe there is a problem with Bafög not taking into account where you live cause obviously living in Berlin or Munich is much more expensive than in smaller towns. But when I was in uni from 2016-2023 my parents were lucky enough to financially help me through. I had about 800€ per month and I was able to finance basically my whole life with that. Rent, semester fee, food, clothes, Wi-Fi, power, water etc. There are hundreds of unis to choose from, you just got to do the research into the cities and see which ones are in your price range.
@superwholockpotterhead9247 that's fking ludicrous. If you have to "budget" which school you attend then move to the US where a community College can provide you with "Uni" level education in areas that don't care what your parents or grandparents did. You should want to go to the best institution for what you want to learn.
Of course Berlin, München etc are obscenely expensive but that's more the government/schools fault.
Having a waiting list for med school is almost exclusively a German thing.
In the US you can begin EMT & then midway go to med school. In Germany you can become Rettungssani(3.5 years)& still be waiting for a slot.