The School System – Entrepreneurial Lessons - Torture Of Choice

The School System – Entrepreneurial Lessons And The Torture Of Choice

On March 31, 2011, in Audio, Blog Series, Personal development in MLM, by Oliver

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From the previous posts in this series you know that we navigated our oldest daughter through the currents of the early selection process of German school system at the age of 10.

Now she got the recommendation for Gymnasium from her primary school teacher which allows us to have free choice among the various schools in our home town.

We weren’t fixated on Gymnasium and her opportunity to pass the exam there in 8 years (Abitur or High School exam), we wanted to choose the best school. That means the school that caters best to her slight dyscalculia and that gives her the time to overcome it.

So now the torture of choice began: We have 5 Gymnasiums and 3 different schools from type Realschule in our home-town – and a special school that teaches pupils from all different school forms together, an official school experiment.

They were presenting themselves all within one week just recently. My wife already had attended an event at this special school a couple of weeks ago and talked to the teacher about our daughter’s dyscalculia.

The next thing we did was making a pre-decision about which schools aren’t suitable at all.

This is determined mostly by the foreign languages they teach.

There is one school that teaches Latin from 5th grade on right from the start of Gymnasium which seemed completely useless to us even though they try to sell it to you logically. That’s what they’re good at, logic, right ?

Another one is very popular among parents and their kids and we didn’t really know what was so sexy about it. Real hype. And the odds getting admitted there were pretty slim, so we dropped this one as well.

So it all boiled down to three options:

1. A school that teaches French and English from the beginning simultaneously (they already have learned a little English in primary school). You can even attend bilingual French classes there and pass the French baccalauréat, the French High School exam.

2. Another one that continues with English in 5th grade and adds French in the sixth grade with the option to attend bilingual English classes.

3. A third one that offers this special official school experiment that sounded interesting to us because it integrates pupils from all walks of education. Let me add that our daughter absolutely didn’t want to go there because it’s a bit offside from our home and her friends wouldn’t go there.

We talked to math teachers at all these schools and got satisfying answers, at the first one we even got hold of the vice headmaster (himself math teacher) and the “boss” of all math teachers there. They said that they “even” had an autistic child in one class.

In addition to that, we had to consider some soft factors like time for travelling and our daughters inclination which is determined by her peers, which is understandable.

We already made clear to her that the school her best friend is going to attend is not a choice for us – this school that teaches Latin at the beginning.

The trouble with these decisions is that you’re trying to base your decision on what you know – and that’s not much, to be honest.

We don’t know yet who will be her math teacher and we don’t know when the therapy she’s attending will show results, if it will be linear or not. School teachers love linearity, even though it violates all rules of nature. Nothing in life is linear, with the possible exception of a school teacher’s payday.

But that’s only the known Unknown.

Everything in life is vastly determined by the unknown Unknown, I mean that’s the Black Swan idea.

And we try to nail everything by what we know, which is not much.

So we finally made an educated guess and made a decision for the first school with English and French at the beginning, but not for the bilingual French class. I would have liked that but our daughter didn’t really want to and my wife was neutral. So I’m fine with that as well.

She will have to walk two minutes to the train station from our home, travel 5 minutes on the train and then walk another 5 minutes to her future school – and has at least one friend who chose the same option – English/French, not bilingual.

And the school is open to cater to her dyscalulia.

So based on what we know the best decision.

Let me add that you have to be careful in Germany not to mess up with the foreign languages. English is always compulsory.

If we had chosen the third option however, she could have missed one year of French. Missing one year of French (or Latin) can be consequential because you can’t pass Abitur (High School exam).

That’s the weak spot of this experiment and the reason we took a rather conservative decision.

We were positively surprised by the variety of choices they offer – that was different when we went to school. That’s definitely a good thing. But everybody has to pass the same centralized exam no matter which Gymnasium they attended before – and math is always part of the game, until the very end.

Math – the most overrated school subject ?

What is your opinion ?

I always love your reaction, so please leave me a comment down below with questions, thoughts, or feedback.

And (yes, here’s my call to action) please share this post with your Twitter and Facebook friends by clicking on the share buttons.

I appreciate you telling others.

To a prosperous life,

Oliver Tausend
+1 201 984 5664 office North America (anytime)
+49 1512 9125216 office Germany & other countries (anytime)
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20 Responses to “The School System – Entrepreneurial Lessons And The Torture Of Choice”

Susan Maricle says:

March 31, 2011 at 16:36

Good morning Oliver: This was a very interesting post. In the States there’s a common saying, “Schools should be run like a business,” which usually means the person wants to cut their funding. I once interviewed a school principal when I was determining a school for my son. (We have open enrollment here.) The fact that the principal sent me a handwritten thank you card for my time made a huge impression with me.

I look forward to reading more! Susan

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 23:53
Hi Susan,

thanks for sharing your personal experience here, very much aprpeciated.

If running schools like a business means cutting their funding, then sayonara – or am I mistaken ?

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Mavis Nong
Twitter: MavisNong
says:

March 31, 2011 at 17:19

Hey Oliver,

I have been following this story with a lot of interest. Great to see that things are heading in the right direction.

So true, when you’re presented with multiple choices, it can be hard to make a decision.

All the best,
Mavis
Mavis Nong recently posted..iBlogZone – The Home of Online Business and Blogging Resources

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 23:50
Hi Mavis,

it’s true that a variety of choices can be confusing but I prefer living in country that offers these. But I admit that I long sometimes for more simplicity. When I attended Gymnasium, we only had one school in our small town and not 5 on 85,000 inhabitants.

Thanks for your kind comment.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Stacy
Twitter: growwithstacy
says:

March 31, 2011 at 17:57

Hi Oliver,

You definitely have a lot of options to consider! It is hard when the decisions involve kids because we want to make the absolute best decision possible. It’s not a decision to take lightly but I am sure that as you think through all of the options the right one will become apparent to you.

Good luck!
Stacy
Stacy recently posted..My Blogging Contest Entry on Free Traffic Generation Methods

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 23:48
Hi Stacy,

the decision becomes easier as soon as you realize that you base the decision on what you know and admit to yourself that this is not much. So you can let go of the fear of making mistakes.

If she gets an understanding math teacher, it will be a lot easier than otherwise and that is something they couldn’t tell us yet.

Thanks for your comment and your wishes.

Take care

Oliver

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Jayne Kopp says:

March 31, 2011 at 19:44

Oliver, as I have said before, I truly admire all of your efforts to find a suitable solution for Muriel.

These ‘choices’ or decisions certainly have required some effort. Bless Muriels heart too. I can understand she would want her friends around her.

It was very important as well to consider her desires. If you were to simply make the choice to send her to a school that is further away with no friends, chances are she would not have progressed as well if she was unhappy with the choice.

I am pleased that here in Canada, we are not faced with as many compulsary courses. Secondary languages are a matter of choice.

As far as mathmatics, I do believe it’s important to have a good basic grasp, but truly do not believe it is the ‘be all and end all’.

Good Job on making this process public. I hope you are able to help others in your country who face similar situations. I am sure there are many who would not have a clue how to take the steps that you did.
Jayne Kopp recently posted..Building Relationships Online Getting to Know Each Other

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 23:44
Hi Jayne,

many don’t have a clue, that’s right, first and foremost regular school teachers And then there are those who admit it and those who don’t.

I agree with you that a basic mathematical understanding is important, but most of the stuff they force feed kids with is of no relevancy at all.

The worst of all is statistics. It’s not possible to describe and predict social and economic events in a non-linear world with data. Most people are brainwashed however after their high school or college degree. They harbour the illusion they can. And this illusion of controlling reality with data from the past creates economic crises, even wars because people computed away wild randomness.

The other issue are foreign languages. Well if you’re native language isn’t English, learning English is the best thing you can do, right ?

Even though I love foreign languages I find it insane as well that a lot depends on whether or not you had second foreign language like French, or Latin, to make matters worse.

I know people who weren’t able to pass their High School exam because they sucked in French but were average or even better than average in English.

I love French, but it’s totally unimportant internationally. And if someone really needs it, they can always learn it.

The trouble is that the French think that French is important. That’s why most of them refuse to learn English, or are even proud that they only speak French. That’s the other extreme.

Of course, I am glad that I speak French because we spend our vacations in France very often and I occasionally run into people from Québec. But they speak English as well…

Thanks for your thoughtful comment.

Take care

Oliver

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Steve Nicholas says:

March 31, 2011 at 22:26

Great post, Oliver! I must admit, though, that it’s stories like these that make me glad that I grew up in a system where if you were in public school, you just had the one because of the size of the school district (there were only about 400-500 in my high school for 10-12) I just wanted to stop by to commend you for your due diligence and remind you that in the world of education, there really isn’t such things as a “perfect school” and that, as long as you do your best to look at all your options, you’ll find something that is a good fit.
Steve Nicholas recently posted..The Perfect Mile

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 23:21
Hi Steve,

thanks for your comment. What is the best ? It’s a philosophical question, isn’t it ? Not that philosophical question are bad, but we will probably never find an answer.

In addition to public schools, we have alternative schools such as a Rudolf-Steiner-school as well. However, they have other issues.

Thanks again for your appreciation.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Marcus Baker
Twitter: marcus_baker
says:

April 1, 2011 at 05:51

Hi Oliver,

I think by the end of this process you and your wife will be qualified enough to be able to set up a consultancy to help others in the same situation! LOL

Having followed this story from the start I feel confident that the best path for Muriel’s best interests has been chosen. Expect that it wull be the case Oliver and it will be.

~Marcus
Marcus Baker recently posted..Save Time- Organize Your Facebook Friends by Using Lists

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
April 1st, 2011 at 23:44
Hi Marcus,

sounds like a good business idea, lol

Thanks for your comment and your encouragement, very much appreciated.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Harriet says:

April 2, 2011 at 22:40

I agree with you that Maths is the most overated school subject. I mean obviously its important to have a grasp of basic maths but when they start teaching you things like algebra it gets silly. Surely it would be more beneficial to learn about how to work out VAT and things?

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
April 3rd, 2011 at 20:54
Hi Harriet,

that’s the issue that they don’t learn enough practical stuff, as you note.

Thanks for your comment.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Heather C Stephens
Twitter: stephensheather
says:

April 6, 2011 at 18:19

Hi Oliver,

We don’t have all these choices where we live. We actually moved 45 minutes from our home and over an hour from my husband’s work to get our kids into the school district we desired.

Even still, there are pros and cons to every decision we’ve made. I’m sure as parents we won’t ALWAYS make the right decision, but honestly I feel that whatever situations our kids end up in through school, as long as they get love, support, and supplemental lessons at home they will be okay in the long run.

We love to do things like take our kids to museums, galleries, plays, etc. so that they get exposed to things that they won’t get at school. Even canoe trips and camping on a sandbar in the middle of a river offer excellent opportunities to educate them, enhance their confidence, and show them love.

I’m sure that the decision you’ve made will end up wonderful!

Heather
Heather C Stephens recently posted..Decisions Create Our Destiny

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
April 15th, 2011 at 00:00
Hi Heather,

it’s a definitely a blessing that we have such a dense network of schools here (some call it a curse). It’s so much pressure wanting always to make the right decision. That’s not possible. But giving the best even though it be a mistake in hindsight, that is absolutely possible.

People who want to make “the right decision” usually focus on what they know. That is not a lot. We are vastly determined by what we don’t know.

Thanks for your insightful comment.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Ebenezer Adokwei says:

April 13, 2011 at 15:08

Hello fellows,

Nice to read your insightful comments and conversations on here.
I believe if the world is as peaceful in co-existence,social acceptance and respect of each others opinion like on here, things would have been much better than it is today.But all hope is not lost with people like us doing good work on here.Well to all.

Anyway i just passed by to say hi and hope you could check out my works and possibly have some comments from your end.

Thanks.Have a wonderful day.

http://ebenezer-adokwei.blogspot.com/

EBENEZER ADOKWEI,
(EBENDY)
Ebenezer Adokwei recently posted..“FREE YOUR MIND!”

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
April 14th, 2011 at 22:04
HI Ebenezer,

thanks for your comment, I appreciate it. You don’t have to include a url in the body of your comment because comment luv picks your most recent post automatically. Looks a bit like you wanted to spam us even though that might not be your intention.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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Darlene
Twitter: thetwodees
says:

April 16, 2011 at 02:20

Hi Oliver.

What a dilemma.

I remember you reading on the mental cleanse call about this issue with your daughter. I will admit that I was confusing Gymnasium with gymnasium, which her is physical education classes. Now that I have that cleared up, this is interesting indeed.

I had a horrible time with math, still do. I become very embarrassed if I have to do any kind of math calculations in front of anyone. Even the simplest equation becomes a nightmare. Surely not the same issue as your daughter Muriel.

I agree math is not the end all and be all subject in school but it is a necessary evil I guess.

We do not have a choice of which school to attend, at least not in my Province and Municipal area in which we live. There is just one school to attend regardless of your own concerns for your child. Unless of course you want to home school or send to a private school. The later is hard to find.

All the best and it sounds as if you have made a wise decision.

~Darlene
Darlene recently posted..Students Of Network Marketing – Termination Clause

[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
April 16th, 2011 at 18:53
Hi Darlene,

lol, a gym can be torture sometimes just like Gymnasium school

Thanks for your comment. I second you on that: Math is certainly a necessary evil. I simply say it’s overrated and it scares people out of profession who could do an amazing job in these professions.

Take care

Oliver

[Reply]

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