Another Brick in the Wall

So many people have been asking about school and now that I've had one week of it, it seems appropriate to write about it. I would have some pictures for you because the school is really nice, big, modernish, and new but my camera broke and I'm not sure what I'm going to do about replacing it yet. I need to replace it soon though. Anyway...

The school system here is a lot like that of Germany and just about as backwards as you can get from that of America. Mandatory school stops at grade 9, but most people go onto a Gymnasium which is like U.S. high school. There are three grades which are like 11, 12, and 13, but here they are called first, second, and third year. Unlike the U.S. system you don't really pick your classes, you pick a line. Different schools offer different lines. There are 9 classes at my school and about 4 different lines. You can have a more math and science related line, a language related line, a social studies related line, or a more mixed related lines. The line you pick determines which subjects you get. With in that you will probably get to choose something like art, drama, or music or spanish, french, or german. I'm in a language line and have chooses art and spanish.

Now for the classes. This is perhaps the most confusing part of it. I have 8 classes - method of naturalscience, danish, english, spanish, math, art, gym, and social studies - but you don't have all the classes everyday. Actually I only have math once a week and social studies once a week because thoes aren't enphazied as much in the language line. I have danish, english, and spanish twice a week and have a lot of my mehtods of natural science. Because I'm a first year some classes, like my methods of natural science class, are only intro courses. The first year is built so that you can have a semester of you choosen line and see if it's the right line for you. If it isn't than you can change classes. Another interestingly difficult to understand aspect of the school system is that your schedual changes from week to week and your classes are almost never in the same class room. To check to see what you have when and where you have to log onto the school webpage to get your schedual. It's recomended that you check it dailly because some times a class will get canceled. It seems that here they don't have substitute teachers. So, if your first modul class is canceled then you don't have to be to school until 9.30!

Now for some of the basics. School starts at 8.00 and ends about 14.00. You get a 15 minute break inbetween each class, which totally rocks, and usually only have 3 to 4 classes a day. We only get a 30 minute lunch, but that's really no big deal. Things here aren't strick in any way shape or form. In America you have to have a hall pass to be out of your classroom, here they don't have people walking around making sure people are where they are suppose to be. If you don't have a class during one of the moduls then you aren't restricted to a certain area, in fact you can leave and come back if you want to.

Some shockers.... Smoking is fine as long as you're outside. Every friday the school holds a little 'cafe' like deal where students and teachers hang out after school in the Cafateria. There is loud playing music, giant pieces of practically cheeseless pizza, and beer. Yes, you read that right, they sell beer and both students and teachers are drinking and the people out side are smoking and yes, this is all in the school. Not everyone drinks and not everyone smokes. In fact I think the system works well because people have the option. In America I'd say that young people abuse alcohol and smoking because it is something that they can't do. Here some people won't have a beer, some will have just one, and others might have two or three, either way whatever you choose is okay. Only the people who want to smoke, smoke and if you don't that's fine too.

For now that is fine. Please leave questions so I know what to write about next time concerning school. Sometimes it's easy to miss things when they become everyday typical things. Oh, and 50 points to the first person who 'gets' the title.

P.S. The school website has been changed from what has been up there.