A group of 20 German exchange students are visiting SLHS for about two weeks. These students have been learning about American culture by following their host families. Each person goes to each of their host student’s classes and extracurricular activities. The exchange students were welcomed to America by attending the Homecoming football game, Homecoming dance, and have even been on a few field trips.
One exchange student I talked to, Emilia, mentioned why she decided to join the exchange program: “I love to travel and experience new things. I wanted to experience American high school.”
Another perk of the program was that the students go on trips to experience more of America. They have gone on field trips to D.C. and Mount Vernon and they will also go to New York for a few days before going back to Germany.
“I love [America]. Because of the landscape and the people are very nice,” Emilia said. She has also been enjoying her host family and the experiences they have given her. “My host family is very nice, good food, and very talkative people.” They went on little trips to places like Luray Caverns, Costco, Georgetown and her host’s family’s cabin to get more experiences.
Emilia also described the differences between American schools and German schools. One of the main differences was the school schedule and structure. In Germany, there are 90 minute class periods with 5 minute breaks to go to the bathroom, relax, talk to friends, or eat a snack. These breaks allow students to regain their focus to make a better use of class time. After the 90 minutes of class the students also get a 20 minute break where they can go outside and talk to friends. Then they have 90 minutes with the 5 minute break before their 15 minute break. They then have another 90 minute period before they are released for the day. Students eat their lunch after school where they can eat at home.
Some other differences between the U.S. and Germany are the grading system and security. “We don’t have any security guys in our school and you can just go out of the campus.” Emilia also mentioned that there is more freedom at schools in Germany as they can leave when they don’t have class. “You just have to be in school when you have lessons.”
When students do leave campus, they can go home or to a cafe before they go back for class. Most students bike or take a local bus to school, so it is easy for them to just hop on their bike and leave. 60% of grades in Germany are based on how you interact in class and only 40% are the exams. Most of their grades are focused on what they do in class and how they help the school.
“I thought it would be a new experience,” Charlotte, Emilia’s host, said about hosting an exchange student. Charlotte is taking German and she wants to go to Germany with the exchange student. “I thought it would be fun to see it both ways.” Charlotte said.
The exchange program seems to be a positive experience for both the host students and the exchange students, allowing them to learn about different cultures.
