At the moment, it's mid-afternoon in Berlin, and a peek outside my window shows snow covering the building across the street, on the branches of the trees on the street, and a constant mix of snow flakes floating through the air. And it's freeeeeezing.
I took some pictures. Look!
The first one is down the street from me, where I stopped by H&M to finally buy those gloves. I used my gift card that I had saved from Marburg. The second picture is from the courtyard in my apartment building. You can't even see the path!
Anyway, according to the headmaster of the grammar school I visited this morning, this weather is unusually early for Berlin. This is normally reserved for January and February...so, if this is December, what's it going to be like in January and February?
Speaking of schools, I visited the same grammar school (Gymnasium) for the second straight day. Yesterday, as part of the "Meet US" Program through the U.S. Embassy, I gave a short presentation on "Conservatism in the U.S." and led a discussion with a group of 11th graders (or were they in 12th grade? I've already forgotten...). These students were all 17 or 18 years old (normal for German schools), and all of them spoke impeccable English, so I was able to present in English (although they wanted to hear my German, so I did the intro in German. Haha.).
Today, I went back and was able to speak with a few students in the 10th grade. Each of them had ambitions of furthering their studies and doing something awesome with their lives, even if they were still not 100% sure. But then again, who seriously knows exactly what they want to do or will be doing in 10 years?
Even among the few students I spoke with, I got a range of opinions on the question of access to higher education. Some of them were adamant that the school system works as it is (in short, stratified; split into either two or three tracks of hierarchy, where mainly only the top students have the opportunity to pursue higher education); others said they thought more students should have the opportunity to pursue higher education.
I am keeping a personal log of my Fulbright experience and will be using all these experiences to write a book of sorts for my final Fulbright project. While I won't share everything I've observed in schools already on my blog (saving it for the book or for my own personal thoughts), I will share this observation:
In comparing the two schools I visited—one a top-ranked grammar school (in the top 10% of all schools in Berlin) and a special hybrid secondary school of the lower two tracks of the traditional German school system (where strong relationships between teachers and their students are considered one of the top priorities), some stark differences are already obvious. I should also say though that I can't exactly make a direct comparison since I was also talking to different grades, but I think I can comment a bit on the atmosphere of both schools.
- In the grammar school, the students are greeted in one of the first halls with a new TV over the doorway with the day's schedule. On a table across from the main office, the day's newspaper sits in stacks, free for students to take (in some classes, reading the newspaper is required, according to some of the students with whom I spoke yesterday). As the students filed into the classroom where I sat alone at the table waiting to begin my presentation, many of them greet me politely and strike up a conversation. They reminded me of university students filing into a lecture hall.
As I began my presentation, a few of them are still whispering to each other, but the majority pay attention and then participate in the discussion, meanwhile the majority of the conversation outside of the intro was in English. A quick question about how many of them have traveled or studied in the U.S. before reveals that a few of them have spent some time in the U.S. already. During the 90 minutes I had with them, they also asked a number of questions about my research, about U.S. policies, about conservatism in the U.S., etc. What I noticed is that their questions were generally analytical questions.
- At the hybrid school, the students enter the building through a looming entryway with a cavernous hallway and staircase, freshly painted/renovated and where scattered pieces of the old wall or ceiling lay on the floor. Groups of kids scurry through the hall, avoiding a coat hanger lying in the middle of the hall. As they hop over it, a teacher calls them back, instructing them to take care of each other's things, since they ought to look out for each other. Reluctantly, they pick up the hanger and put it back in the open locker to their left. The teacher meets my gaze with a knowing smile and soft shake of the head: a group of students had skipped right over a backpack lying in the middle of the hall earlier in the morning, and she'd had to ask them to pick it up as well.
In one of the classroom of older students I visited, the 14-16 years old in the class erupt into a loud "Ohhhhhhhh!" when I entered the room. Apparently, visitors to the classroom are a rare occasion that my presence elicited such a response. Before their teachers can introduce me, there are already a wave of whispers and questions filling the room: "Can he speak German?" "Is he Chinese?" "Wong tong ting chong!" "Hahaha" "What's he doing here?" A student in the back of the room offers me the open space next to him. A few girls and guys on the right side stare at me with bored apathy. I assume that English may not be their favorite class. After a short intro and Q&A with questions asked in German and my answers in dragged-out, staccato-like English. Even my attempt to describe my work in the most basic English resulted in more than a few confused faces. Nevertheless, when it came time for me to chat one-on-one with two students, they eagerly volunteered and tried their best to speak in English. Although it was a struggle to form their sentences and find all the right words, they communicated their message just fine. As the students left the class, they said bye and expressed that they hoped I would return soon.
The two schools are, of course, different in their teaching style and infrastructure. However, what surprised me most was that when I shared with the students at the hybrid school that I was a research student affiliated with Humboldt University (in Berlin), they asked me where it was. To my surprise and even the surprise of the teachers, none of them knew that Humboldt University was even a university in their hometown. Not to mention the fact that it's arguably the oldest, largest, and most well-known university in Berlin...
I have only begun to get a bit deeper into my actual project (finally...after two months...), so I expect to learn much more as I travel to more schools. Unfortunately, it's the holiday season, which means I am going to be traveling for the next month and a half, so I really won't have many school visits between now and mid-January. Nevertheless, it's encouraging to know that I'm finally making headway on my work. Hopefully, it's as interesting for you to read about as it is for me to visit schools and process what I hear from students, teachers, and administrators.
Oh, which reminds me, one more observation: at the schools I've visited, the headmasters also teach. So it's not like they're just sitting in their office, doing paperwork all-day. Pretty fascinating.
Tomorrow, I fly to Zurich and then take a train to Konstanz to visit my buddy, Steffen. We're also heading to Freiburg this weekend for a birthday party and to watch a soccer match. Should be fun. Just hope my flight doesn't get delayed with all this snow...keep your fingers crossed. Thanks.
It's also my roommate Swen's birthday on Saturday, and I'm quite bummed to be missing his party as I'll be out of town. I did not know it would be his birthday when I booked this ticket two months ago, so I am disappointed to not be able to be there. At least, Ronny and I will be cooking a huge dinner for him tonight. Should be fun.
More when I return from Konstanz,
Sam
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