Germany

Culture Paper

Michelle Hicks

EDF 2085

Professor Blaine

November 14, 2012
History

The most important facts that can be found about Germany are connected to wars.

The World Wars were a disaster for Germany. It led to the divide of Germany. One of

the major theme of German history, according to William Spencer (1994) is division.

This seems to be a common occurrence but doesn’t represent a departure from German

history. Spencer noted that Germany has had difficulty during its 2000 year history in

becoming a nation-state and maintaining that form, even with the development of a

strong ethnic and national identity. The Holy Roman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian

Empire have been apart of Germany. Germany in its early history resisted being taken

over by the Roman Empire. In 1871, a separate German Empire was created but not until

Bismarck. The German state remained even after losing in World War I. Germany

became two separate entities after World War II including the representation of the

opposite hegemonies which was directed by the United States and the Soviet Union.

(Germany then and now, 1994)

Politics

Germany started out as tribes but now has the third largest economy in the world

and the largest in Europe. The country went through several rulers or ruling parties.

Germany has become a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic.

Germany follows the 1949 constitutional document called the Grundgesetz, their Basic

Law. In 1990, after some changes they tried to replace the Grundgesetz with the

constitution. Any changes to the Grundgesetz required 2/3 majority of the parliament.

(How to Germany, 2012)

The Chancellor who exercises executive power is the head of government.
In 2005, the first woman Chancellor in German history was elected and was re-elected in

2009. Members of the Bundestag are elected in to office and the Bundesrat are

appointed. Their state cabinet removes the Bundesrat members from office.

(Visual link® languages, 1995)

Languages Spoken & Religion

Most of the population in Germany speaks German. Small amounts of the people

Speak other languages which include Serbian, Danish, Romani, Turkish, and Kurdish.

(Visual link® languages, 1995)

Most of the German populations are Catholic or Protestant. The others are atheist

or agnostic. The remaining being Muslim, Jewish, or unknown. (How to Germany, 2012)

Education System

The German education system is very extensive and produces highly educated

students. The federal states run the education system. Like the United States, you can

find differences in the education should you go to another state. (How to Germany,

2012)

Children age’s three to six go to kindergarten. It is required that children go to

school in Germany for 9 to 10 years. The elementary school is called the Grundschule.

The children go to the Grundschule from grades 1 to 4. All children are taught the same

math, reading, and english. Based on there academic achievement, the children are then

separated. There are three different kinds of schools that can be chosen for the children:

Hauptschule, Realschule or Gymnasium. (How to Germany, 2012)

In most German states grades 5 to 9 are called the Hauptschule, which teaches at a

slower pace and has some vocational training courses. The Hauptschule, the Realschule

and Gymnasium all teach the same subjects. It leads to part-time enrollment in a

vocational school combined with internship training. (How to Germany, 2012)

The Realschule which children go from grades 5 to 10 leads to part-time

vocational schooling. The students with high academic achievement at the Realschule can

switch to a Gymnasium once they graduate. (How to Germany, 2012)

The Gymnasium leads to a diploma called the Abitur and prepares students for

college, dual academic or vocational credential. The most common education tracks

offered by the Gymnasium are classical language, modern language, and mathematics-

natural science. In recent years many States have changed the curriculum so students can

get their diploma at the end of the 12th grade. Other States are making the transition but

may still require a 13th grade. (How to Germany, 2012)

Grundschule teachers recommend their students to a particular school based on

such things as academic achievement, self confidence and the ability to work

independently. Germany is like the United States, at the end of the day it is the parents

who have the final say as to which school their child attends.

The Gesamtschule which has been recently developed takes the place of the

Hauptschule and Realschule and is only found in some of the states. The school enrolls

all students in the 5th through 10th grades. Students who complete the Gesamtschule

through the 9th grade receive the Hauptschule certificate and the students who finish

through the 10th grade receive the Realschule certificate. Regardless of what kind of

school a student attends, the student must complete at least 9 years of education.

(How to Germany, 2012)

German children only have to go to school in the morning. They do not serve lunch to the students because there is a lot of homework, heavy focus on the "three

R's" and minimal extracurricular activities. (How to Germany, 2012)

A German student can go to college for little or no cost. In order to attend the

college the students must take exams to prove they are qualified. “The whole German

education system, including the universities, is available to the children of bona fide

expatriates” (2012). It is required that the classes are taught in German. (How to

Germany, 2012)

Roles of Men and Women

Women’s roles in Germany are made up of the three "K" words: Kinder, Kirche

and Küche (children, church, and kitchen). Women received the right to vote in 1919.

Many changes were brought on by World War II. During the war, women

began holding positions which were traditionally held by men. In West Germany, the

Basic Law of 1949 declared that men and women were equal, but it was not until 1957

that the civil code was amended to conform to this statement (1995). Women did not

work outside of their homes. They became homemakers and mothers. Women in the

east remained in the workforce. Women’s participation in the economy was overseen by

the Soviet-style system. The government implemented this key objective by opening up

educational and vocational opportunities to women. (Women’s history, 1995)

In Germany, before going into war, all men age 18-23 have to attend a-nine

month training. In the first two wars, many men were forced into war by their family and

friends. In the 20th century, the military, political leaders, and the business world were all

men.

By the 1960’s, it was women who graduated in the secondary schools with intentions on going to college. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that women in west Germany

were able to go to college. That is because you found the more traditional families in

west Germany. The women did not have the desire to go to college or start a career after

graduation. (Women’s history, 1995)

In order for or a German student to have high academic success, a teacher must do

the following. Do everything you can to keep the student from feeling overwhelmed. The

student needs to be shown that the acceptable behaviors are different in the United States.

You can not call the teacher by his/her first name. You can not eat in class or speak out

when you feel like it. The acceptable behaviors are very different. Observing a typical

class with another student would give the student the chance to blend in. A new student

from any other culture needs to feel they belong. Common German classroom behaviors

might be; calling the teacher by his/her first name, informal/casual dress and behavior in

class, students eating and being off task such as reading another book. The roles of

teaching assistants and parent involvement/volunteering, direct communication styles:

speak up, speak fast, or the expectations of independent work from students is different.

(Women’s history, 1995)

We have learned throughout this semester how important it is not to ignore your

students’ culture. It doesn’t matter whether the student is from Germany or Alaska;

we all have the right to learn. As an educator, if we have a student from another country

in our classroom it might take for us to change our normal routine and try something new

for the incoming student. In order to show the student that being different is okay, here

are some suggestions in order to accommodate your student. For example, if you do a

PowerPoint and the student only speaks German, then have the completed translation of

the PowerPoint available for that student in German so they can access it and grasp the

concept that you are teaching. You can also include in your curriculum some topics that

would cover your international students’ culture and have different types of foods from

Germany so they feel accepted and respected. With the technology today, such as the

IPAD and computers/laptops, there is no reason why an international student should not

feel welcome and have the same learning opportunities as the other students so that no-

one is left behind.

References

Spencer, W. (1994). Germany Then and Now. Tallahassee, FL: Franklin Watts.

Visual Link® Languages was created by the U.S. Institute of Languages. (1995). Learn

Language. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from

http://www.learnalanguage.com/learn-german/german-culture/

Chuck Emerson Media Services. (2012). German School System. How to Germany.

Retrieved November 13, 2012, from

http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/germanschools.html

Germany: “A Country Study" published by the Federal Research Division of the Library

of Congress. (1995). Women’s History. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from

http://womenshistory.about.com/library/ency/blwh_germany_women.htm[pic][pic][pic]