A Whole New (Educational) World
I think it's safe to say that German schools and American schools are so different! Not only is there a difference in language, but the structure of the school day and the resources vary as well.
Rooms and classes
I've noticed that classrooms and class change is run similarly to college instead of high school. First, teachers don't have their own classrooms, or their own offices. There is a communal teachers lounge where all teachers congregate around large tables to plan and store their materials. I was so confused on the first day. I didn't know where to put my things, and the tables were full of books, assignments, and coffee cups. It seems to work for the teachers though. Each teacher has a locked cabinet for person items, and they've established their own place at each table.
School begins at 7:55am with two 90 minute classes, divided by a 20 minute break. There is another 20 minute break, then two separate 45 minute classes follow. There are so many scheduled breaks for teachers and students here. I was very impressed with this, and it seems to have some benefits as well. Students appear to be more engaged and prepared for classes.
No rush!
I was very caught off guard when the bell rang for class, and students didn't dart out of the classrooms. I was in an advanced English 12 class. We were wrapping up instruction when the bell rang. No one reached for their bags. The teacher didn't cut himself off to dismiss them. The students remained in their chairs until the teacher had finished what he was teaching and assigned the homework. This was mind blowing to me, because the students were very attentive and waited for the rest of the information, even though they were free to go to morning break.
google or apple
After my first day in the classroom, I was blown away that Anne-Frank didn't have Chromebooks. They didn't use Google at all! I suppose this was so shocking due to the strong partnership between Kentucky schools and Google Suite. We use tools such as Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Classroom so often; I was so surprised when I went through orientation and learned that the school uses all Apple products. Each student is issued an IPad in the fifth grade, and parents make payments on them throughout the school year. Instead of each classroom having a teacher computer, each teacher has their own IPad, and they use Apple TV to connect to the Smart Board.
This was really interesting because students can connect their IPads to the Apple TV and project their work as well. I've seen many classes review homework and edit writing assignments with this method.
language expectations
It has been really fascinating learning about the English program at Anne-Frank. All students are required to learn English, and several content classes are taught in English in the upper grades. This is so much different than how foreign language is taught in America. First, foreign language is still optional in many schools. The schools who do require foreign language often have multiple language offerings, giving students some choice.
It's interesting to see how different the expectations are for learning language. In America, at least in my experience, students take the class and do the assignments just to get a good grade or receive the class credit. At Anne-Frank, students are not only required to take the English classes, but the English language is a core content class and must be passed in order to complete their education. For example, students in my 12th grade classes are preparing for their final oral exams. This oral exam must be passed in order for students to go on to university and pursue a degree.
*Disclaimer. Anne-Frank Gymnasium is considered a university preparatory school and may not be representative of all German education.