Student Blog

There are countless differences between German schools and Canadian schools, but the one that still feels the most different is how relaxed school is here.

First of all, you don’t have to take so many subjects here. Back there I would have to do 12- 16 different subjects every year, and except for music, art and PE, all of them are things like math, chemistry, French or history, that you have to study for a lot.

The teachers are also so much nicer here. Them asking how my day was, or how I am doing, and having them tell me personal stuff about their life is something I still have to get used to. In Germany teachers are so much stricter, less personal and more focused on grades. 

Teachers are more understanding too, when you forgot something in your locker, want to fill your water bottle or need to use the washroom, you can almost always leave the classroom for these kinds of things, while German teachers just tell you that this is your problem, and would rarely let you go.

I know that this is not the case in all schools in Germany, but at my school there, we aren’t allowed to use phones, so it was very surprising when I went to my Canadian school for the first time and saw everyone with earbuds in and using their phones all the time.

In my school back home, missing a week or even a day of school to go camping or skiing is not possible without getting permission from the principal. And she doesn’t give permission for these kinds of things very often. You don’t even really want to miss school for an unimportant reason because making up for the time missed is a lot of work. Here, kids skip school for whatever reasons all the time, and they don’t even need to get permission. 

Over all, I like school here more, because I love that it isn’t so stressful but more fun, and I also really appreciate that it is so much more focused on the individuals, as you can choose subjects that you enjoy.

Photo and blog post submitted by Kathrin from Germany, a grade 11 student at Fernie Secondary School.