The Belgian educational experience is definitely different than the one I grew up with in the US, for a few reasons. So here are some comparisons and contrasts:
-In the US, there are (usually) 3 tiers of education before you go to college. (Elementary School, Middle School/Junior High, High School) In Belgium, there are 2. (Primary, which is ages 5-12, and Secondary, ages 12-18)
--(From here on out all of my points are in refering to secondary education in Belgium, as I have rather limited knowledge on primary)--
-Whereas in the US the teacher will generally remain in the same classroom throughout the day, with the students changing rooms instead, Both the students and teachers change classrooms here on a regular basis.
-Here schedules are arranged in more of a college format, rather than the "typical" (for me, atleast) same classes every other day or same classes every day.
-All classes here are full year, and the year is split into trimesters. (Sep. 1-Dec. 23, Jan. 9-Mar., Mar-Jun. 30)
-Only a few select classrooms here will have a computer or clock. No classrooms have phones. All grading and role-taking is done by hand
-You will rarely have a textbook for your classes. The only exception I know of is History, where you recieved a book with documents, maps, and so forth. Also, you will typically have a workbook for a language class.
-Education is very serious here. Students will pretty much always write in their planners, have all the supplies that they need, and have there homework done.
-Virtually every school in the country is linked with the Catholic faith. (I go to the Institute of St. Joseph) There are crucifixes in every room and virtually all students have a Religion course.
-(This also applies to society in general) Students dress more nicely here. You will never see a student arrive to school in there pajama pants, as is commonplace in the US. The casual dress here is closer to what we would consider formal.
-School is from 830-430 on Mon, Tue, Thur, and Fri, and from 830-12 on Wed.
-Students have an hour for lunch. (Quite long for me considering I typically have freetime during my 30 minute lunch in the US)
-Students have a little bit of say over their courses, but not nearly as much as in the US. Here you can choose different specialities (like Math, Language, or even Art if you go to a large school), but outside of that there isn't much wiggle room.
-Every student has a class of other students which they will have most of their courses with, save for some of the specialty courses.
-In most schools you will not find courses such as Cooking or Art, save for the first year. You will also never find a school sports team or a school music group.
-Instead of a Letter grading system, your grade here is a certain number out of twenty. (Ex: Mathematiques 14/20)
-Math and Science courses are a mix of the things we learn in seperate years in the US. (Geometry, Algebra, and Trigonometry/Calculus; Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
-In a language class here, you can expect to learn as much in 1 semester as an American student will learn in 2 years.
-There are no Honors/AP/IB courses, but the courses in general are more difficult.
-Gym is a required course for all the students.
-Parent/School communication is of major importance here. Whenever you take a test your parents have to sign saying they got the score, and they have to sign for a slew of other communications as well.
So that ended up being alot of contrasts with no likeness'. Oh well. There is the Belgian education in contast with the American one! I will hopefully be back later this week with an update on my life! Tantôt! (Later!)
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Not a Second too Late!
So, I realize I haven't had a post in almost 2 months. *dodges rotted fruit* Between my lack of time and intense case of writer's block I have done many things, though, which I will now describe to you!
October 1st I spent the day kayaking with Rotary students on the Lesse River. It was a 12 km trip which took about 5-6 hours on an absolutely beautiful day! (+/-23°C) It was incredibly scenic and we got to view a castle on a cliff almost directly above us, as well as paddle within a couple of meters of some cows drinking from the river. (Moo!) The water was a little low due to it being late in the season, which made for difficult passage at a few spots, but nevertheless, I had an amazing time! Also, that day was a great oppurtunity to really get to know the other students because we we two to a kayak. I got to know Kanen, a student from Canada!
On October 5, I had a chance to visit the Fort Eben-Emael, which dates back to WW2. We got a tour which included the living quarters, hospital/medical area, the platform with the giant guns for defense, and an area of the fort that was destroyed when Germany dropped bombs on it. It was really intense to see the giant metal doors marking the entrance into the last area ballooned and warped as if they had been made of paper. It makes you wonder what the inhabitants of the fort must have felt at that exact moment.
I visited another site related to the war shortly after on 16 with my family. They took me to the American Cemetary in Henri-Chapelle, a town about 5 minutes away from where I live. Again, it was really thought-provoking to see the nearly 8,000 crosses and stars of David spawling out infront of you, each inscribed with the name of a soldier who never got to go home. It was a beautiful place, nonetheless.
After we had made our tour of the American Cemetary, my family took me to Le Trois Frontières, the place where the borders of Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands merge. Unfortunately, the actual point was fenced off, but I did get a photo at the small monument dictating the location of the Netherlands! My favorite part of this trip was going to the top of the tower there and looking out at the three countries!
Next on my list is my trip to Brugge!!! On the 5th of this month I had a chance to visit Brugge with a few other exhange students, which was fantastic! (and well worth the total of 6 hours on the train!) We spent the day wandering the old town, which is exactly what the average person thinks of when they imagine the stereotypical quaint European town. Quite, cobblestone roads, and old buildings and houses everywhere! You might think that you had been transported back to the 17th or 18th century if it wasn't for the occasional automobile that passed you by! We also took the boat tour, which gives you a wonderful view of the city. And it didn't rain, which was a bonus! The atmosphere was amazing and I definitely recommend you go to visit if you ever get a chance!
So those are the major points of what I have been up too! Interspersed between those events are music rehearsals for my orchestra, Rotary meetings, and other random happenings! I plan to start updating on a regular basis again, starting with an entry on Holidays and an entry on school here in the near future! Tantôt! (Later!)
October 1st I spent the day kayaking with Rotary students on the Lesse River. It was a 12 km trip which took about 5-6 hours on an absolutely beautiful day! (+/-23°C) It was incredibly scenic and we got to view a castle on a cliff almost directly above us, as well as paddle within a couple of meters of some cows drinking from the river. (Moo!) The water was a little low due to it being late in the season, which made for difficult passage at a few spots, but nevertheless, I had an amazing time! Also, that day was a great oppurtunity to really get to know the other students because we we two to a kayak. I got to know Kanen, a student from Canada!
On October 5, I had a chance to visit the Fort Eben-Emael, which dates back to WW2. We got a tour which included the living quarters, hospital/medical area, the platform with the giant guns for defense, and an area of the fort that was destroyed when Germany dropped bombs on it. It was really intense to see the giant metal doors marking the entrance into the last area ballooned and warped as if they had been made of paper. It makes you wonder what the inhabitants of the fort must have felt at that exact moment.
I visited another site related to the war shortly after on 16 with my family. They took me to the American Cemetary in Henri-Chapelle, a town about 5 minutes away from where I live. Again, it was really thought-provoking to see the nearly 8,000 crosses and stars of David spawling out infront of you, each inscribed with the name of a soldier who never got to go home. It was a beautiful place, nonetheless.
After we had made our tour of the American Cemetary, my family took me to Le Trois Frontières, the place where the borders of Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands merge. Unfortunately, the actual point was fenced off, but I did get a photo at the small monument dictating the location of the Netherlands! My favorite part of this trip was going to the top of the tower there and looking out at the three countries!
Next on my list is my trip to Brugge!!! On the 5th of this month I had a chance to visit Brugge with a few other exhange students, which was fantastic! (and well worth the total of 6 hours on the train!) We spent the day wandering the old town, which is exactly what the average person thinks of when they imagine the stereotypical quaint European town. Quite, cobblestone roads, and old buildings and houses everywhere! You might think that you had been transported back to the 17th or 18th century if it wasn't for the occasional automobile that passed you by! We also took the boat tour, which gives you a wonderful view of the city. And it didn't rain, which was a bonus! The atmosphere was amazing and I definitely recommend you go to visit if you ever get a chance!
So those are the major points of what I have been up too! Interspersed between those events are music rehearsals for my orchestra, Rotary meetings, and other random happenings! I plan to start updating on a regular basis again, starting with an entry on Holidays and an entry on school here in the near future! Tantôt! (Later!)
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