Yes, that is true. When I was in Highschool in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, the school moved from an old smelly building looking like a home for soldiers to a brand new, modern center with three schools and all amenities, including a pool for swimming lessons. The spirit was improving immediately as the atmosphere was getting lighter, friendlier and everybody was in a better mood there.
First and formost, there are no Highschools in Germany! There are at least three ore more secondary school types. They are completely different in their curricula.
American Highschool sounds like hell for me. All i wanted as a teen, was get out of school and don't think about it for the rest of the day. Full day school didn't exist back then and i'm so happy about that.
Das Abitur ist die Eintrittskarte für die Uni, damit wäre die Schullaufbahn am Gymnasium eher vergleichbar mit Highschool+ College in einem . Die Realschule kommt näher an die Schule mit der man eine High School vergleichen kann.
I am not sure if teenies nowadays still do it, but when I was young, it was normal to visit a dancing school when you were around 14 year old. Basically you learned ball room dancing, meet a lot of boys (though there were naturally always more girls than boys), and yes, we had balls, too. Basically we outsourced the dancing, too.
We did have a school dance, but it was with wine and beer and everybody got drunk at school and it was more like going to a club, but at school (of course, only when you were over 16). So, we got drunk with our teachers. One of our art teachers was usually joining the older students, who were smoking, during break, the younger students, who weren't yet legally allowed to smoke did so behind some buildings outside of the school yard. I passed them frequently, because they were on my way to the bakery, where I went, because the food at the cafeteria, as well as the coffee were shit.
Hello :-) Thank you for this nice information about the difference between german and american schools. I just want to say, that drinking in Germany is allowed at 16 Years, but only "soft" alcohol like beer. Every Alcohol with less than 10%. The harder alcohol is allowed at 18 Years. Germans make a difference there. But somedays I think the rules are not hard enough ;-)
I think such a comparison should be preceded by the fact that the school system is structured fundamentally differently and that there are basically no high schools in Germany as in the US. What you could compare with US high schools are the last classes of a german Gesamtschule, but most visit "Gymnasien" wich is more exclusive, or you would have to keep in mind that middle/junior and senior high schools form a unit in Germany. Besides, there are no colleges, but the Gymnasium includes the preparatory courses for university studies and thus offers direct access to universities.
Loved hearing your thoughts on this! We've shared with each other our high school stories and it's crazy how all these little differences can result in a totally different experience!
Around age 16-18 many german kids attend dance classes (Tanzkurs) at professional dance schools. That's not related to High School at all. However at the end of the course there is a big party (Abschlussball) which is somewhat similar to the prom in the US.
We had once a year a schooldance, called "Sockenball" (socks ball), because it takes place in the gym and we weren't allowed to wear our outdoor shoes in there. It was not only for the students but also for teachers, parents and siblings, even friends could be invited.
Hi Neeva, thx for your nice comparison, and I agree with many of the things you pointed out. I've spend a year in a US high school as an exchange student, and to be honest: it was no fun at all ! With most of the other students coming from a similar family background and all the school organized "off curiculum activities" (sports, proms etc.), schoolbus rides, I felt like being caught up in 3 interchanging ideologically shaped "bubbles" (family, school, church), with little to no chance to break out and to meet people from different backgrounds and exchange different views. Somehow I felt like being ideologically indoctrinated.
You could smokie cigarettes aged 16 back when I was a teenager. Yes, I am that old. The only two or so times we had kind of a party (only with the class not with the whole school) was when I was around 12 or 13 or so and they were not really formal. You make a really good point. I never thought of that but I found the idea ofa prom alsways kind of weird
That's not exclusive to Germany and the US at all, but I think that schools/years/courses which aren't mandatory any more generally have a better atmosphere and less bullying because nearly all remaining people are there voluntarily and don't have to feel like it's some kind of punishment.
Klingt als wäre für Teenager Deutschland das wahre "land of the free" 😉 Btw, da es ein aktuelles Thema ist: Deine Gedanken zur US-Wahl und zum US-Wahlsystem an sich? (Gerne auch im Vergleich zu Deutschland)
Worst thing about German school system doesn't get mentioned: the split into (typically) three different types of school after 4th grade. That maybe was an okay approach in ye ancient days, but shouldn't still be the reality in modern times. Worst thing about US school system isn't mentioned either: homeschooling isn't illegal. That maybe was an okay approach ... see above.
Proud prom date here. I agree with everything you said about high school in the US. All I remember about prom at this point was getting ready for it. I don't remember being there at all. It was fun fussing about it though!
I remember girls in my high school would spend $2000+ on a prom dress. Sometimes two years in a row. Normally prom dresses are like $100-$500. So stupid to have to buy that as a teenager for one night. It’s not our wedding!!
I am an Indian guy(31) from India, my childhood dream was and is to live in US, but unfortunately i couldn't fullfill my dream till now, i wish to could move and live in USA soon in future if i am lucky, you are a lucky person that you are born in USA. All the best wishes for your life and living in Germany.. ...Dream USA Guy...
Neeva, could it be that school spirit = allegiance to the flag = religion = belonging? Just guessing, but in the US so much seems related to so-called Christian values, as we knew them in the 50’s and somehow our societies got rid of all that crap in the late 60’s - probably influenced by the then liberal or hippie culture in California, whereas the majority of Americans turned inwards to those conservative values again.
I will write it once, and remain silent after that, and sorry for it anyway, but I can't help it, I have to write it at least once: You - are - so - cute. In so many aspects. Poke your husband into his stomach the moment he appears to have forgotten about that. Blame it on me when you do. After all, you're living in Germany now, where often enough the old and stupid "an order is an order"-rule still applies. You and your husband, please enjoy your life. Never forget how great it is to have each other. God bless!
Btw. how much is true about what we always see in movies about all these "Alpha Gamma Kappa" whatever stuff where the kids just the whole day party with 100 people in their club house and drink and fuck all day and behave just like crazy animals ? Is that already university, but are they already all 21+ there when you say there maybe only 18 in the last school year ? Also in germany we can smoke already at 16, and at least when i was young (im 56) it was quite normal that a lot people already started smoking and drinking beer with 14-15, and yeah partie were normally "buddel parties" what means that everybody just brought a bottle of hard stuff like Vodka, Whiskey, Bacardi or whatever to the party as a gift. On the other hand it was strange to meet people who never did that at that young age and then suddenly started to get crazy at 18+ when we had that already more or less behind us. I guess that also what is going on in the universitys in the US then.
Interessante Ansichten. 👍 Die Trennung zwischen Sport und Schule finde ich auch sinnvoll. Den Schulgeist bzw. das Gemeinschaftsgefühl sehe ich in Deutschland eher unterentwickelt und finde das ein bisschen schade. Andererseits sind deutsche Schüler/ innen ja mit ihrer Schule eine viel längere Zeit verbunden, nämlich 8 oder 9 Jahre lang, je nachdem ob sie eine Gesamtschule oder ein Gymnasium mit G8 oder G9 besuchen. Man beginnt in Klasse 5 im Alter von 10 Jahren. Eine High School wie bei euch gibt es hier nicht und das Wort irritiert mich immer. Denn wörtlich übersetzt heißt es Hochschule und das ist in Deutschland ein anderes Wort für Universität. Eure High School heißt hier gymnasiale Oberstufe und es sind einfach die letzten 3 Jahre auf der Schule, in die man seit dem 10. Lebensjahr geht. Nichts wirklich Besonderes. Schulfeiern gibt es in der Tat eher selten außer den Abivorfeiern zur Finanzierung des Abiballs. Abifeier, Abizeitung und Abiball werden von Jahr zu Jahr teurer. Du hast recht: Gefeiert wird eher privat außerhalb der Schule. Denn Rauchen und Trinken darf man ja schon ab 16, also zu Beginn der gymnasialen Oberstufe. Stolz auf die eigene Schule ( also alle Klassen ab der 5 bis zum Abi) entwickelt man eher durch tolle Konzerte und Theateraufführungen und Erfolge in sonstigen AGs und nicht nur bei sportlichen Wettbewerben. Und beim Tag der offenen Tür. Obwohl unsere Schulsysteme so verschieden sind, wissen unsere deutschen Teenager bestimmt - im Gegensatz zu mir - bestens über die amerikan. High Schools Bescheid, weil es darüber so viele Filme und Fernsehserien und Romane gibt. Was sie daran so faszinierend finden, dass sie sowas dauern gucken oder lesen, weiß ich nicht, weil ich sowas selber nicht kenne. Mehr lernen tut man vermutlich bei uns. Nur diese Debattierklubs würde ich mir auch für Deutschland wünschen.
I have a Theater,it is a Nonne,and she was For Biologie and Chemie ouer Todor,i have a great time whit her ,she was my insperachons,and i do my way,! Gruß Hans 😀😹👋🤘
Whether there is a school spirit 👻 in germany depends on the age of the school building. 🤣🤣🤣
Yes, that is true. When I was in Highschool in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, the school moved from an old smelly building looking like a home for soldiers to a brand new, modern center with three schools and all amenities, including a pool for swimming lessons. The spirit was improving immediately as the atmosphere was getting lighter, friendlier and everybody was in a better mood there.
First and formost, there are no Highschools in Germany!
There are at least three ore more secondary school types.
They are completely different in their curricula.
American Highschool sounds like hell for me. All i wanted as a teen, was get out of school and don't think about it for the rest of the day. Full day school didn't exist back then and i'm so happy about that.
Highschool is hell, therefore exists the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer... ;-)
Das Abitur ist die Eintrittskarte für die Uni, damit wäre die Schullaufbahn am Gymnasium eher vergleichbar mit Highschool+ College in einem . Die Realschule kommt näher an die Schule mit der man eine High School vergleichen kann.
I am not sure if teenies nowadays still do it, but when I was young, it was normal to visit a dancing school when you were around 14 year old. Basically you learned ball room dancing, meet a lot of boys (though there were naturally always more girls than boys), and yes, we had balls, too.
Basically we outsourced the dancing, too.
We did have a school dance, but it was with wine and beer and everybody got drunk at school and it was more like going to a club, but at school (of course, only when you were over 16). So, we got drunk with our teachers. One of our art teachers was usually joining the older students, who were smoking, during break, the younger students, who weren't yet legally allowed to smoke did so behind some buildings outside of the school yard. I passed them frequently, because they were on my way to the bakery, where I went, because the food at the cafeteria, as well as the coffee were shit.
Hello :-)
Thank you for this nice information about the difference between german and american schools.
I just want to say, that drinking in Germany is allowed at 16 Years, but only "soft" alcohol like beer. Every Alcohol with less than 10%. The harder alcohol is allowed at 18 Years. Germans make a difference there. But somedays I think the rules are not hard enough ;-)
I think such a comparison should be preceded by the fact that the school system is structured fundamentally differently and that there are basically no high schools in Germany as in the US.
What you could compare with US high schools are the last classes of a german Gesamtschule, but most visit "Gymnasien" wich is more exclusive, or you would have to keep in mind that middle/junior and senior high schools form a unit in Germany. Besides, there are no colleges, but the Gymnasium includes the preparatory courses for university studies and thus offers direct access to universities.
Loved hearing your thoughts on this! We've shared with each other our high school stories and it's crazy how all these little differences can result in a totally different experience!
Around age 16-18 many german kids attend dance classes (Tanzkurs) at professional dance schools. That's not related to High School at all. However at the end of the course there is a big party (Abschlussball) which is somewhat similar to the prom in the US.
We had once a year a schooldance, called "Sockenball" (socks ball), because it takes place in the gym and we weren't allowed to wear our outdoor shoes in there. It was not only for the students but also for teachers, parents and siblings, even friends could be invited.
Hi Neeva,
thx for your nice comparison, and I agree with many of the things you pointed out.
I've spend a year in a US high school as an exchange student, and to be honest: it was no fun at all !
With most of the other students coming from a similar family background and all the school organized "off curiculum activities" (sports, proms etc.), schoolbus rides, I felt like being caught up in 3 interchanging ideologically shaped "bubbles" (family, school, church), with little to no chance to break out and to meet people from different backgrounds and exchange different views. Somehow I felt like being ideologically indoctrinated.
You could smokie cigarettes aged 16 back when I was a teenager. Yes, I am that old. The only two or so times we had kind of a party (only with the class not with the whole school) was when I was around 12 or 13 or so and they were not really formal. You make a really good point. I never thought of that but I found the idea ofa prom alsways kind of weird
That's not exclusive to Germany and the US at all, but I think that schools/years/courses which aren't mandatory any more generally have a better atmosphere and less bullying because nearly all remaining people are there voluntarily and don't have to feel like it's some kind of punishment.
Well, in Germany, we had some bad experiences with too much enthusiasm and fancy uniforms. That is the main reason why we did away with that...
Klingt als wäre für Teenager Deutschland das wahre "land of the free" 😉
Btw, da es ein aktuelles Thema ist: Deine Gedanken zur US-Wahl und zum US-Wahlsystem an sich? (Gerne auch im Vergleich zu Deutschland)
The legal age for smoking was 16 not too long ago. So even in front of middle school people would smoke.
Schönes und interessantes Video! :)
Worst thing about German school system doesn't get mentioned: the split into (typically) three different types of school after 4th grade. That maybe was an okay approach in ye ancient days, but shouldn't still be the reality in modern times.
Worst thing about US school system isn't mentioned either: homeschooling isn't illegal.
That maybe was an okay approach ... see above.
You should do this one in German too. Are there as high incidences of drunk diving accidents for German kids as Americans.
Proud prom date here. I agree with everything you said about high school in the US. All I remember about prom at this point was getting ready for it. I don't remember being there at all. It was fun fussing about it though!
Omg 🥰 yes!!! You looked like Cinderella!! The after party was exciting though!!!
@@neevabee_ the after-party was the best part. You were the best date a girl could a asked for 💜 wouldn't have been as fun without you.
I remember girls in my high school would spend $2000+ on a prom dress. Sometimes two years in a row. Normally prom dresses are like $100-$500. So stupid to have to buy that as a teenager for one night. It’s not our wedding!!
And because of our drinking laws no one has to pimp the punch.
I am an Indian guy(31) from India, my childhood dream was and is to live in US, but unfortunately i couldn't fullfill my dream till now, i wish to could move and live in USA soon in future if i am lucky, you are a lucky person that you are born in USA.
All the best wishes for your life and living in Germany..
...Dream USA Guy...
Neeva, could it be that school spirit = allegiance to the flag = religion = belonging? Just guessing, but in the US so much seems related to so-called Christian values, as we knew them in the 50’s and somehow our societies got rid of all that crap in the late 60’s - probably influenced by the then liberal or hippie culture in California, whereas the majority of Americans turned inwards to those conservative values again.
I will enjoy it, thank you. First?
I will write it once, and remain silent after that, and sorry for it anyway, but I can't help it, I have to write it at least once:
You - are - so - cute. In so many aspects. Poke your husband into his stomach the moment he appears to have forgotten about that. Blame it on me when you do. After all, you're living in Germany now, where often enough the old and stupid "an order is an order"-rule still applies. You and your husband, please enjoy your life. Never forget how great it is to have each other. God bless!
I hated the entire school spirit thing.
Also Hall Passes. Like wtf.
Why would you hold it against me, if I don`t subscribe. I never get that. Is that an American thing ?
Btw. how much is true about what we always see in movies about all these "Alpha Gamma Kappa" whatever stuff where the kids just the whole day party with 100 people in their club house and drink and fuck all day and behave just like crazy animals ?
Is that already university, but are they already all 21+ there when you say there maybe only 18 in the last school year ?
Also in germany we can smoke already at 16, and at least when i was young (im 56) it was quite normal that a lot people already started smoking and drinking beer with 14-15, and yeah partie were normally "buddel parties" what means that everybody just brought a bottle of hard stuff like Vodka, Whiskey, Bacardi or whatever to the party as a gift.
On the other hand it was strange to meet people who never did that at that young age and then suddenly started to get crazy at 18+ when we had that already more or less behind us.
I guess that also what is going on in the universitys in the US then.
Interessante Ansichten. 👍
Die Trennung zwischen Sport und Schule finde ich auch sinnvoll.
Den Schulgeist bzw. das Gemeinschaftsgefühl sehe ich in Deutschland eher unterentwickelt und finde das ein bisschen schade. Andererseits sind deutsche Schüler/ innen ja mit ihrer Schule eine viel längere Zeit verbunden, nämlich 8 oder 9 Jahre lang, je nachdem ob sie eine Gesamtschule oder ein Gymnasium mit G8 oder G9 besuchen. Man beginnt in Klasse 5 im Alter von 10 Jahren. Eine High School wie bei euch gibt es hier nicht und das Wort irritiert mich immer. Denn wörtlich übersetzt heißt es Hochschule und das ist in Deutschland ein anderes Wort für Universität. Eure High School heißt hier gymnasiale Oberstufe und es sind einfach die letzten 3 Jahre auf der Schule, in die man seit dem 10. Lebensjahr geht. Nichts wirklich Besonderes.
Schulfeiern gibt es in der Tat eher selten außer den Abivorfeiern zur Finanzierung des Abiballs. Abifeier, Abizeitung und Abiball werden von Jahr zu Jahr teurer.
Du hast recht: Gefeiert wird eher privat außerhalb der Schule. Denn Rauchen und Trinken darf man ja schon ab 16, also zu Beginn der gymnasialen Oberstufe.
Stolz auf die eigene Schule ( also alle Klassen ab der 5 bis zum Abi) entwickelt man eher durch tolle Konzerte und Theateraufführungen und Erfolge in sonstigen AGs und nicht nur bei sportlichen Wettbewerben. Und beim Tag der offenen Tür.
Obwohl unsere Schulsysteme so verschieden sind, wissen unsere deutschen Teenager bestimmt - im Gegensatz zu mir - bestens über die amerikan. High Schools Bescheid, weil es darüber so viele Filme und Fernsehserien und Romane gibt. Was sie daran so faszinierend finden, dass sie sowas dauern gucken oder lesen, weiß ich nicht, weil ich sowas selber nicht kenne.
Mehr lernen tut man vermutlich bei uns. Nur diese Debattierklubs würde ich mir auch für Deutschland wünschen.
Mein Englisch ist nicht so gut,aber ich hoffe dass Du mich doch verstehst! Gruß Hans 😀😹🤘
7:23 Nein, ist es nicht!
I have a Theater,it is a Nonne,and she was For Biologie and Chemie ouer Todor,i have a great time whit her ,she was my insperachons,and i do my way,! Gruß Hans 😀😹👋🤘