Abingdonian 2020

34 The Abingdonian German Exchange Going to Germany we knew that there would be obvious differences between the culture, family life and more importantly the food. However, I believe that many of us had not anticipated a major change within the actual school system, apart from the prior knowledge that the school day was a lot shorter than ours typically was. It soon became apparent that the way Germany looks at education differs drastically from Abingdon. The first day at the Ratsgymnasium took a bit of getting used to. The shortened timetable meant that classes were a lot more concise. You could say that this made them seem slightly less productive since some classes had very little time for students to get properly invested in the learning. The teachers, in general, seemed very relaxed and friendly with the students. The classes we attended seemingly being structured as more of an activity or a conversation rather than a teacher giving the class a specific presentation. The Ratsgymnasium gave the students similar learning opportunities to Abingdon with their curriculum involving extra languages, ancient languages and many other subjects to choose from. Hearing from my exchange parents that all German schools are free surprised me since in England we no longer have many state-run schools that offer this type of education. I was told that the German school system was split up into three different levels, one for less academic, one for intermediate and one for very academic students. This means that students can be kept around people of a similar mindset and be kept in a more appropriate environment. School finishing earlier meant that our exchanges had an array of opportunities to make the most of in the afternoon. Many played sports and went to different clubs and there was the ability to go into the city for lunch when we had time to spare. It was a nice break from England, away from the chaotic nature of the day, being able to loosen up and go and do activities as a group such as bowling or laser tag. Going to Germany and experiencing the changes gave us the option to try new things that we don’t have time to try back at home. After the first couple of days of school life in Germany, we were all wondering how the students seemed to get as good results as they do since we thought that the half days would affect the amount that they would be able to learn. It was also evident that they were not used to getting homework nearly as often. Having a conversation with my exchange family over dinner I realised that they were shocked by how much work we do and they found it funny that I still had more assignments than the students despite me being on holiday. They told me that the one way that the Ratsgymnasium makes up for the time lost during the day is slightly shorter holidays and a bi-weekly Saturday school. On the whole, I would like to say that the exchange to Bielefeld was a great experience. We had the occasion to see a different culture, practise our language skills and sightsee with new and old friends. I suggest that anybody who gets the chance to go on this exchange in years to come takes the opportunity with an open mind. Henry Skelson, 4RFM