School and Learning in Germany

Practicing pronunciation, mugging up on grammar and cramming vocabulary: these are a must in acquiring a foreign language. Many pupils come up against their limits when they have to learn two new foreign languages in the course of their schooling. Not so those at the Salzmann School in the Thuringian town of Schnepfenthal: there sixth-graders already have to learn two new languages, and those taking their high school diplomas even four.

Marie Burghardt is nineteen years old. This summer she had a grade point average of 1.2 in her high school examinations. The excellent score would be sufficient reason to be envious of her at a normal high school. But Marie’s results are even more impressive: the young woman took her exams at the Salzmann School.

The Salzmann School is a state-run special high school for languages and makes considerable demands on its pupils. Thus in her second year at high school Marie took Japanese in addition to English, which she already had in the fifth grade as a required language. Later Russian, French and Spanish were added to her lesson plan. “I speak English and Spanish fluently”, says Marie. “But I can also speak the other languages with people in the street.”

Six languages by the final exams

Marie Burghardt’s repertory of languages is no exception at the Salzmann School in the Thuringian Forest; on the contrary, it covers only its required range. The learning load at the school, founded in 1784, is tough. For example, beginning with the fifth grade, pupils there have 40 hours of lessons – and that continuously up to the final examinations. The normal load at other German high schools is from 33 to 36 hours.

In addition, by the time pupils take their finals they have had to learn at least four foreign languages. Along with English, the first required language, beginning in the sixth grade pupils can choose Arabic, Chinese or Japanese as their second foreign language. Later come Spanish, French, Italian or Russian, from which pupils must choose two further languages in the eighth and ninth grades. “Sometimes pupils have taken up to six languages before their exams”, says Marie. In some lessons the teaching is bilingual. History lessons are taught in English.

Hard tests for a good average

In order to be admitted to the Salzmann School, pupils need not be exceptionally gifted. But every potential new pupil must take a day-long entrance exam. This tests not only his or her proficiency level in German and, if applicable, a foreign language, but also the cognitive abilities of the ten year-old applicants. The University of Erfurt provides expert assistance in this admission process. A team of experts counsels the candidates and decides upon their eligibility. Of 120 applicants per school year, barely the half makes it in the end. They may then look forward, according to Senior High School Principal Birgit Jarry, to a successful scholastic career: “The first pupils taking their exams this summer had a grade point average of 1.8”.

In order to achieve such results the 410 pupils at the school have to “stay on the ball”, as the Assistant Principal Kerstin Bitter emphasizes. Instead of traditional homework, the girls and boys are given “work commissions”, which they have to prepare during study halls in the afternoon with the help of teachers and older pupils. “Acting on one’s own responsibility” is no mere catchphrase at the Salzmann School. For example, pupils are expected to help teachers in their supervision, to care for the grounds and to lead recreational and study groups. The offerings include ceramics, sports, theatre and debating clubs, discussion and photography groups and many sports.

Work experience abroad

Even traditional work experience internships really test the mettle of pupils at the school in the Thuringian Forest. For example, the school endeavours to find every eleventh grade pupil a work experience place abroad. The four-week contact with the work world has taken pupils as far as to Mexico, Cuba and Syria, where they have the opportunity to use their acquired languages at once. Marie Burghardt, for instance, had an internship at a news agency in Japan. “I wanted to get to know the country and improve my Japanese”, she explains.

As a state run high school, tuition at the Salzmann School is free. For accommodation, supervision and board at the affiliated boarding school, however, parents have to pay about 250 euros per month. But that has not diminished applications to the school: about 90 per cent of all pupils board at the boarding school. Since the language-learning concept of the school is unique in Germany, pupils come from all over the country, some even from abroad. “Naturally freshmen at the boarding school feel homesick for a while”, says Marie Burghardt. “But just for that reason pupils develop a strong solidarity with each other. And whoever wants to ring his parents can do so at any time on the telephone in the hallway or on his mobile”.

Learned tolerance

Marie herself would not like to have missed her experiences at the Salzmann School. “I believe I learned to be more tolerant towards other cultures”, she says. In this she was helped not only by learning the languages, but also by the teachers themselves. “They are nearly all native speakers. They teach not only the language, but can also tell us something about the culture of the countries.”

All this has not yet led Marie to decide upon a definite career. But it has made clear to her one of her big wishes: “I’m now quite certain that I would like to work abroad”. The five foreign languages she has learned will make that easy for her.