I have just finished my first month at Milwaukee School of Languages (MSL). Therefore, I feel able to give a first impression of my daily routine. My job is to help and assist the teachers at the German department and give the students insight on German culture.

I was a bit nervous on my first day of school. I knew the room I had to go, but I had never been to the building before. Thankfully, I had a very warm welcome and teachers as well as the other staff are very friendly and open-minded. During my first days of school, I continuously realized more and more differences between life at MSL and my experiences at German schools.

MSL is a combined Middle and High School (http://www5.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/school/msl/). The American school system does not separate the students based on their abilities in Elementary School. Middle School starts in 6^th grade and the students graduate from High School in 12^th grade. Unlike German schools, the schedule stays the same throughout the week. Each lesson lasts 50 minutes. The break between the lessons is four minutes long.

But first, this is my schedule:

The first lesson always starts with the morning announcements. The secretaries announce daily news like the lunch menu over the loudspeaker to all students. The announcements always start with the Pledge of Allegiance. Every room has an American flag in it which they turn to when they promise their loyalty (they say “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”).

The classrooms are very well equipped. Each room has its own computer connected to the Wi-Fi, a projector, a regular board and a smart board. Many rooms also have document cameras and even laptops for the students. During summertime, the rooms and hallways are endued with ventilators. As each teacher has its own classroom, they sometimes have refrigerators or microwaves in their room.

The first major difference between the German and the American school system is that the students are not separated based on their knowledge or working ability. In contrast to the German way of separating students by having Gymnasium, Realschule, Gesamtschule, and Hauptschule, all American students are taught on the same level. Even children with special needs go to normal schools like the MSL. The poorer students shall take advantage by the support of better students. Additionally, all students are supposed to have the same chance of receiving a good, basic level of education. However, this system does not seem perfect to me. It is even harder for the teachers to satisfy the needs of all students. In German class, the heterogeneity of the students’ knowledge and abilities becomes particularly visible. There are several students who finish their tasks earlier than the rest of the class. They even seem unchallenged most of the times. Thus, they often seem to be bored after doing their work sheets. On the other hand, there are many students who are not able to keep up with the rest of the class. Hence, the unified school system leads to greater heterogeneity within the classes.

The second and even more striking difference to German schools is the lack of students’ autonomy. It seems to me that this is greatly influenced by cultural differences. The students are less independent but more monitored than German students. I would like to give some examples: Elementary School students must be picked up by their parents from the classroom. They are not allowed to go out of the school independently. At MSL, all students must fill out a hallway pass whenever they want to use the bathroom during their lesson. The teacher needs to fill in the time the student goes and sign the pass. Then, the student must show this pass to the security staff of the hallway before he can use the bathroom. This procedure is obligatory. Speaking of security staff, the number of staff is bigger than in Germany. In addition to 64 teachers, the school employs 45 staff members for example as security officers, nurse, psychologist or speech pathologist.

Before school starts, the security staff checks that all school busses arrive on time. The whole school bus system is different, too. The students are picked up and dropped off right in front of their house. This requires a huge amount of different bus lines. Therefore, there are 54 (!) different bus lines arriving at school each day. This transportation system might be comfortable for the students. However, it also restricts their independence.

I have already discussed my observation of the children’s lack of independence with one of my German colleagues. She told me that this was the most striking difference between German and American students to her. The students do not need to prepare their breakfast or lunch, as they will get both at school. Those who do not take the bus, will be brought to school by their parents. I asked students of two different classes how they came to school each day. Only one student rides his bike regularly, no one walks to school. The students are guarded and monitored on their way to school, during school and on their way home. This restricts their ability to make individual experiences and gain independence.

To make sure that all students are aware of the rules and policies of the school, they had to read all 18 pages during class. Additionally, the students had to go to the auditorium to listen to the principal explaining the rules once again.

The lack of independence and autonomy has a negative impact on the students’ outcome at school. This became most striking to me when I evaluated surveys and pre-assessments the students had to fill out. The tasks were not only written down but the teacher also explained every task to the students. However, many students did not listen and read carefully enough to fill out the survey properly. Instead of labelling their interests as expected from 1 to 10 some students marked or encircled some topics.

The missing autonomy is surely the most striking observation I have made over the past weeks. This is, of course, only my individual observation. However, as the students are continuously monitored by their parents or teachers, they hardly get a chance to develop independence. Due to this, the teachers need to instruct the students more often than in Germany.

I really like the experiences I make at MSL. This is the most beneficial internship I have ever done so far. However, I really got to appreciate the independence of German students. Despite that, I enjoy being a language intern here. As I will be here for months, I feel that I will get a much deeper look at the job as a teacher. The students accept me, I have got lots of work to do and I have already led my own lesson. Therefore I am looking forward to the next months.