After we returned
from our trip, summer break was almost over and school was about to start. I
was a little nervous, but also very excited to see what high school is like in
other countries. On the first day of classes we got our lockers and class
schedules. I had psychology, bio, math and language arts. At first I was a bit
disappointed because these were not the classes I really wanted to take, but
the alternatives I had to choose. But actually I started to love these classes!
Psychology was really interesting. We did assignments about the human brain,
intelligence et cetera and even if I didn’t think about psychology as a normal
school subject, it was great to take a class that is not offered at my German
high school. Biology was very interesting too because it was completely
different from the bio classes in Germany. In Canada the class was less
theoretical than in Germany and we even got to go on a field trip and do our
own projects, so the class was never boring. But on the other hand I noticed
that in Germany it’s more about understanding the connections between different
mechanisms, while in Canada I had the impression the students rather memorized
the course work than actually understanding the topic. This also applied to my
next class, math. The students merely memorized some formulas and then applied
them to the questions. Our teacher only told us how to solve a problem, not why
it is solved the way it is. That is why I found this class particularly
difficult, but this may also be caused by the fact that I got into an AP
(advanced placement) class. This is actually kind of funny because at home
everyone told me that math in Canada was so much easier than in Germany and
that I should sign up for a 20 level (grade 11) class, which I did. The
teachers at my Canadian high school must have thought that all Germans are math
geniuses too, because they put me in an advanced course without asking me.
After a few weeks I couldn’t keep up with the dozens of new formulas we learned
every week, so I dropped math and joined my exchange partner in her drama
class. This was probably the best decision I have made! Everyone in the class
was so nice and welcoming and I became friends with some of the people there.
Sadly I couldn’t have a role in the play they were doing because I had to go
home before their performance, but it was still great. I participated in the
games and activities the class did, I always watched the rehearsals while
reading the script, and sometimes I even got to play a small role when a
student was absent. The class did a so-called Question of the Day every day:
The teacher asked a question, for example “If there was a big fire in your
house and you could only grab one item, which one would you save and why?” and
everybody answered it. I thought this was great because most of the time people
actually listened to each other (which is often not the case at my German
school), and nobody made fun of others for what they said. This gave people the
chance to say what they really think, and sometimes they even got really
emotional in front of everyone. I think it is great that the students were so
respectful and understanding of each other, which certainly can’t be taken for
granted. Drama was probably the class that helped me most, both becoming more
fluent in English and speaking in front of an audience.
My last
class, language arts, was quite different from what I knew from Germany too.
The biggest difference was probably the fact that we had 15 minutes of reading
time every day, during which we read books or magazines we brought from home or
borrowed from the school’s big library. In the first weeks of school we learned
how to improve our own writing. This was really useful because we were assigned
many essays later on and because a good writing style is not something one will
never need again after high school.
In general,
high school in Canada is pretty different from Germany. I found it more relaxed
as the teachers were more like friends for their students, the classes are a
little bit easier than the ones in Germany (well, except for the accelerated AP
classes of course) and the students get less homework. In Canada, high school
students can create their own schedule based on their interests and talents.
There are only four core subjects that everyone has to take every year, the
rest they can choose from a wide range of subjects, such as Cosmetology, Foods,
Mechanics, Art, Gym, and so on. There are only four periods every day and
everyone has the same subjects every day for one semester. At the end of each
semester students receive their report cards, but they can see their marks and
attendance at all times on a website called PowerSchool where the teachers put
up the marks for every single assignment. Canadian high schools in general use
modern technology and new media a lot, for example there is a computer with a
projector in every room and the students do many assignments in one of the
school’s computer labs.
All in all,
it was an amazing experience to see what school is like in other countries. All
of my classes were interesting and I learned a lot, but I think it wouldn’t
have been as great if it hadn’t been for all the friendly people I met.
Everybody at school was so nice to me and they were really encouraging and
understanding, even at the very beginning when I couldn’t say a proper sentence
without stuttering or forgetting a word at least once. These people made my
stay absolutely unique!
