German Listening Practice | Alltag in Deutschland: Schule (Slow Podcast)

Hello and welcome to the Eleos German Podcast I'm Eleo and I'm a language teacher And this podcast is a great way for you to practice your German listening comprehension You can listen to the podcast on Spotify and other podcast platforms or watch it on YouTube and turn on the subtitles if you'd like to follow along with the text Today I'm talking about a topic that has accompanied every person in Germany—and many people around the world—from the very beginning Today I'm talking about the school and the education system Many of you come from different countries and school works a little differently everywhere Today we're taking a closer look at how school actually works in Germany and what makes the German education system unique I'd also like to share a few of my own experiences from my school days with you and talk about what I think today as a language teacher about my school days or school in general Let's get started beginning right from the very beginning Before children go to school in Germany they attend kindergarten They are then about three to six years old and in Germany kindergarten involves playing and going on outings Children learn their first social rules and by around six years old they typically start primary school The first day of elementary school is a truly special occasion—the enrollment ceremony The children then have a school bag—a large colorful pouch filled with sweets—that they bring to school Photos are being taken there's a small celebration at school It's a very exciting day for the children starting school I was certainly very excited I was thrilled to meet my class and my homeroom teacher Primary school typically lasts four years from first grade to fourth grade However education in Germany is the responsibility of the individual states That means Germany has 16 federal states such as Lower Saxony Bavaria or Thuringia These are federal states and each state independently determines its own schools school holidays and curricula What is taught in schools varies by region which is why we say education is a matter for the individual states There is no unified school system Schools vary slightly from one federal state to another But what applies throughout Germany is compulsory schooling In Germany children must attend school There is a school attendance requirement in Germany and homeschooling—meaning education conducted at home—does not actually exist there What's particularly notable about German primary schools is that they typically don't run for very long So a primary school day is usually over by around 1 p m On one hand it's nice because children in elementary school still have plenty of free time but on the other hand it's also a challenge for many families because parents are usually still working in the afternoon and face childcare challenges While Germany does have after-school care centers known as Horte there are still insufficient numbers to meet demand There children can go after school to eat do homework and play However there are not enough childcare spots for all children a issue that is widely debated in Germany at there are not enough childcare spots available and many families face childcare challenges And of course there are grades in elementary school and even though the atmosphere in elementary school is generally quite relaxed and although the children have plenty of space for creativity and movement grades are still assigned Specifically grades range from 1 to 6 1 is the best 6 is the worst and at the end of each school year students receive a report card listing their subjects and grades If a child has many poor grades they will have to repeat the grade and stay back And if a child has very high grades or for example can already read and write by the first grade Then it can skip a grade and be promoted to a higher level So stay back and skip a grade After fourth grade something happens that surprises many people from other countries: the children decide which secondary school they will attend After primary school children go on to a secondary school There are different types of secondary schools which mainly differ in terms of How long the children will attend how many years and what qualification can be obtained in the end Naturally what opportunities that qualification opens up One can study one cannot study And in Germany this is widely discussed with many arguing that ten years is still very young to make such a decision Children don't make this decision on their own parents naturally have a say and teachers provide their recommendations But still ten years is really quite early At this point I’d love to hear your thoughts Feel free to vote in the poll Do you think it's too early to decide which secondary school to attend at the age of ten Or do you think now is a good time Please vote I'm really looking forward to seeing the results Now let's take a look at the different types of secondary schools I personally attended a gymnasium and earned my high school diploma The school leaving qualification the Abitur With the Abitur one can go on to study at universities Yes the Abitur is the highest school-leaving qualification in Germany The transition from elementary school to high school was truly intense and many children find it overwhelming Suddenly one has many more school subjects New subjects such as biology politics and additional foreign languages are introduced In Germany children typically begin learning English at a very young age in elementary school which is also a distinctive feature And then at the gymnasium additional foreign languages are added Usually French or Latin or sometimes Spanish There are thus many new subjects and many new teachers School days are much longer now and classes are significantly larger Typically there are about 30 children in a classroom That's truly a lot of children This means it is also very difficult or impossible for the teachers o address the individual needs of children I later realized especially in language instruction How important it is to address different learning styles And to start actively speaking I learned Spanish for example after school through immersion —by listening speaking and experiencing the language And that was completely different from traditional classroom teaching And even now as I'm learning Portuguese I'm reminded once again how helpful and important it is o have a personal space where I can naturally begin speaking actively and also to learn with someone who supports me throughout my learning journey as needed and aligned with my learning goals That's why I use italki On italki you can book one-on-one lessons with native speakers What I find especially practical is being able to search for teachers very flexibly—by price availability skill level or your own learning goals There's no subscription—payment is per hour And many teachers also offer three trial lessons at a discounted rate Yes that way you can first test who suits you best I' ve found a fantastic Portuguese teacher His name is Theo My goal is to speak more fluently And Theo supports me wonderfully in that It's a lot of fun learning with him If you're also looking for language lessons that support your personal learning goals feel free to use the code eleo3 He's in the description And with that you get 5 euros off your first lesson over 10 euros By signing up through the link you also support my channel here So feel free to stop by and have fun Now let's continue with the gymnasium The gymnasium can be divided into three stages: the lower level from 5th to 7th grade After that comes the middle level up to 10th grade And then from there to the high school graduation exam is the upper level In general it can be said that performance pressure steadily increases with each level and class The pressure to perform—this is the stress children feel to achieve good grades and excel academically That's the pressure to perform I'm thinking many children suffer under this intense pressure at grammar school Let's take a look at the period before the final exams In upper secondary school students take advanced courses— these are known as advanced level courses You can choose them depending on your federal state These are the subjects that are examined in the Abitur among others The Abitur examination includes both oral and written tests that students must complete And once everything has gone reasonably well they'll receive their high school diploma Around the time of the high school graduation there are numerous traditions in grammar schools For example there is the graduation trip The graduating students are going on a class trip a course trip There's a themed week Every day the graduating students show up at school in different costumes each with a new theme There's the Abischerz That's when the graduating students play a prank at school And there's the prom It's a ceremony where graduates and their families arrive dressed in formal attire and there the high school diploma is solemnly awarded That's a bit of a copy of an American prom I'd say But yes there are many traditions surrounding the Abitur The grade the final grade that you receive with your high school diploma is the NC the Numerus Clausus And it also determines which subjects one can study what one is allowed to study Yes but there's more than just the gymnasium After all there are many different types of secondary schools Let me quickly explain what the other schools look like For example the Realschule goes up to the 10th grade After that one earns the Realschulabschluss And can also go on to earn the high school diploma at a upper secondary school After completing secondary school one earns the secondary school leaving certificate and can then train for a practical profession And at the comprehensive school there are many different children ose who after primary school received a recommendation for either grammar school or secondary modern school And at the comprehensive school these children come together and learn side by side I also think there's a bit more room for that at comprehensive schools o support the children a bit more individually Comprehensive schools also extend through the 10th grade and after that students can attend a senior high school attend a high school and earn the high school diploma In Germany there is also a second educational pathway This refers to adults who later obtain their high school diploma Those who didn't do it as teenagers can catch up later through the second educational pathway This is also possible in Germany Yes I’ve now provided an overview of the different types of secondary schools about how the school is generally structured here and what unique features it has And now I’d like to briefly share personally how it was for me and generally any criticism there is regarding the school I have to say that I criticized the school particularly during the middle and upper levels quite a lot I found many things extremely frustrating For instance how much math I had to study yet how little philosophy I was able to learn in school Yes I've also criticized the fact that I can no longer learn according to my own interests and am being pushed in a direction I don't want And the performance pressure—yes I've also strongly criticized that And I've wished that schools would focus more on collaborative learning and learning relevant to everyday life I also wanted to learn more concrete up-to-date things happening in the world And I found the curricula and thus the content often irrelevant to me and my surroundings There were also many things in school that frustrated me After school I visited schools in other countries and realized there are actually some positive aspects to German schools as well For instance that in Germany all children can and must go to school That’s not the case everywhere and it’s good that it is this way here Even though it must be said that school attendance is compulsory meaning all children do attend school but that doesn’t mean all children have the same opportunities or the same access to education There are numerous studies confirming that children from academic families—those with parents who are academics— They have a greater chance of becoming academics as well Therefore educational opportunities are not equal for everyone Another issue widely discussed is the shortage of teachers in Germany There is a shortage of teachers Many people are therefore demanding that the government invest more money in education so that teachers receive higher pay more people are drawn to becoming teachers class sizes shrink and the quality of instruction improves Yes but many people demand that the government invest more money in education and schools not just for that reason but also because for instance many schools truly need to be renovated Yes that requires money too Many people also demand that the government invest more money in education There are still many aspects I could talk about Many interesting points of criticism and numerous topics surrounding theme of school and education which I could further explore Feel free to comment below if you'd like to see a second video on this topic If you have any questions I could answer in this second video about school the education system and schooling in Germany I'm naturally very curious about what it's like where you live What are some unique aspects of your school system Did you enjoy going to school Let us know in the comments Don’t forget to vote in the poll And exactly last time in the previous episode about Carnival I asked you in the vote whether you'd like to celebrate Carnival in Germany and a full 62 percent said yes I find that very interesting because Carnival is generally a divisive topic in Germany yet 62 percent of you said yes And many also shared in the comments how they celebrate Carnival where they are It was really fascinating to read And I'd like to read one more comment from Elijah on YouTube Wait a moment Elijah has written Hi Elio First of all I should mention that there is no such carnival in Australia I actually always considered this festival a uniquely German thing But that wasn't entirely accurate because here in these comments People from Brazil Italy the Netherlands and likely other countries celebrate a similar festival I think I seriously underestimated the scale of this celebration I still remember a scene from the German series Die Discounter where the staff were dressed up for Carnival I thought this part also belonged to the show's satire and presents an exaggerated reality But when you said that one can actually go shopping And suddenly the scene made perfect sense—especially when I realized it was being used by a pirate Would I live in a city where Carnival is celebrated with such passion Absolutely Best wishes Elijah Yes thank you so much for your comment and for all your many engaging remarks under the videos It's always a pleasure to read from you And yes indeed this was no satire—it was a remarkably realistic portrayal you're right Carnival is not unique to Germany but is celebrated in many countries And it was very exciting to read reports from other commentators as well And once again I'm really looking forward to the exchange and am eagerly anticipating your perspectives experiences and questions regarding schools and the education system And yes wish you a lovely day a lovely evening a lovely afternoon—whatever time it is And say see you very soon Bye