Christmas in Switzerland

While there are many similarities, Christmas in Switzerland is generally very different than in the US. I've found this wonderful completely description on the Rick Steves website: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/switz/swissxmas04.htm
Here are a couple of the key items from the article (but make sure you click the link to go to the entire article - very interesting):

Samichlaus

Each Christmas Swiss children receive a visit from Samichlaus — that's Swiss German for St. Nick — and his black-clad henchman, Schmutzli. Visits are traditionally on St Nicklaus day, Dec 6, but Switzerland's dynamic Christmas duo can arrive at any time. Samichlaus knocks on the door, frightened but excited kids answer. Samichlaus consults his big book of sins — co-authored by village parents — and does some light-hearted moralizing. Then he asks the kids to earn a little forgiveness by reciting a poem. After this and some assurances that they will reform, Samichlaus allows the children to reach deep into his bag for a smattering of tangerines, nuts, gingerbread, and other treats.

Swiss Tree and Christmas Eve

Traditionally the tree is cut and decorated on 24th. Pine houses — the open beams glowing with all the candles — feel ready to go up in flames but locals are bold with their candles. A classic Christmas dinner comes with scalloped potatoes with melted cheese and milk baked into it, boiled ham, walnut cake and finely-decorated gingerbread cookies. If the family is religious, they'll often have a Bible which has been in the family for generations. The Swiss and German equivalent of the St. James edition is their Martin Luther edition. The grandfather will read the gospel story.

The trees — good quality means a well spaced branches for candle placement — are decorated by the family. Candles, kept upright by dangling ornamental counter-balances, are then lit by the children. Presents are generally opened while the candles are lit. Trees stay up until Jan 2 as the candles are lit again on New Years eve for good luck.

Das Wetter in der Schweiz

Now that winter is almost here, we seem to have fallen into a rather consistent weather pattern. The 10-day forecast this morning read something like this: rain, rain, rain/snow, rain/snow, rain/snow, rain, rain, rain/snow, rain/snow, rain. Highs are in the mid 30's to low 40's. At least it is easy to plan how to dress in the morning.
In addition, the amount of daylight is getting very short. Right now we are at 9 hours of daylight heading toward 8 hours by the solstice. I am very much looking forward to June when we will have about 16 hours of daylight.

School Schedule

I am currently on a three week holiday. This is very common for Swiss schools. The "jahresplan" here looks something like this:

Aug. 10 - start of school
Sept. 26-Oct. 19 - fall break
Dec. 23-Jan. 3 - Christmas break
Jan. 17-22 - Wintersportwoche (the whole school goes skiing or other winter sports)
Jan. 23-31 - winter break
Mar. 27-Apr. 11 - spring break
July 2 - end of school

There are other religious holidays that my school observes which may fall in the middle of the week, so a Tuesday holiday is not uncommon. There is also a 3-day religious holiday in May (Ascension).

The school year is long, but there are ample breaks built in. I think, however, that I will be looking forward to a long summer break once May, 2011 rolls around.

I've been spotted in the local news papers lately.

Things I miss/will miss

What follows is an ongoing listing of all the things I miss about the US and the things that I will miss when my exchange is over and I am required to leave Switzerland. This list is not intended to offend anyone from either country, but to merely point out differences. Keep checking back because this list will change as I experience new things here.

What I miss about the US:
My family and friends
My dog
Air conditioning during hot weather
Ice cubes
Steaks, thick and juicy steaks
Affordable food, gasoline (benzin), clothing, and STARBUCKS
Bar soap (as opposed to liquid soap)
Being able to tell whether to push or pull a door just by looking at it
Free parking almost everywhere
Streets that are wide enough for parking AND two-way traffic
Grocery stores (any store for that matter) open evenings and Sundays
Sunshine on winter days


What I will miss when I leave Switzerland
My incredible new friends
Not having to take care of the dog
The scenery!
The Nespresso store
Rösti
Champagne toasts during morning break on teacher birthdays (yes, real champagne in school and during school)
No hall passes
The use of turn signals (almost always)
Mittagessen (we actually take time to taste lunch here)
Paprika chips
Chocolate!!!!!! (and lots of it)
Every day is jeans day.
Train travel

Hall pass? What's a hall pass?

One of the biggest differences I have found between US and Swiss education systems, and the cultures as a whole, is the philosophy toward trust and personal responsibility. While chatting in the “lehrerzimmer” (teacher room) the other day, I mentioned “hall pass” and received many looks of confusion from my colleagues. I had to explain that whenever a student is out of the room, they must have a signed hall pass. This explanation was met with disbelief because there is no such thin here in Switzerland schools. As I mentioned in my first post, students are allowed to be any place in the building without teacher supervision. The students are trusted to act appropriately and, for the most part, they do. In the instances where they do not act appropriately, they are talked to by school officials and parents are called. I don’t think there is any such thing as a suspension, but I’m not sure.

Another example is that teachers are not required to be at school from the first bell to the last bell. Teachers are simply trusted to be there to teacher their classes, be prepared, and take care of all necessary assessments. Not all teachers have the same schedule every day. For example, there are days when I am finished at 2:00, and other days when I go until 5:00, but I may not start until 10:00. So, I am required to be at school only for my class time and any time I may need to prepare.

Another difference is the level of tolerance for horseplay and rough housing. I have come across students wrestling in the hallway or playing very roughly outside, but this is OK as long as all students are willing participants. If someone happens to get hurt, they are taken care of and sent home if necessary. There are no lawsuits filed.

This, I believe, is the key issue. The US has far too many lawyers, so schools are required to take all precautions necessary to avoid being dragged into court. Never have I become more aware of this than since I have been in Switzerland. People are trusted to do the right thing, and when they don’t, it is their fault. Nobody looks for a lawyer to get them off the hook or to pin the blame on someone else.

The language barrier

Even though I have been studying German for a couple of years now, it has been a self guided course and based on tourist German, not real life language usage. Being immersed in the culture is definitely making my German skills better, but I am also realizing that I don't need to talk as much as I normally do when I rehearse in English. Simple instructions are often just as good as a long narrative. My students here are performing more during each class than my students in Centennial normally would simply because I am talking about half as much. I have always known that, in a music rehearsal, talking is bad and playing is good, but I now realize this truth in a completely different context.

Teaching in Switzerland

I have now been teaching for two weeks in Wil, Switzerland on my Fulbright teacher exchange. I think I am finally getting on a regular sleep schedule. I was warned that I would be very tired during the first two weeks, and they were right. The fact that I had to start teaching two days after my arrival didn't help. I have also spent a great deal of time taking care of non-school-related items such as getting my residence permit, setting up a bank account, and getting cell phones.

I have discovered so far that there are some major differences between Littleton Public Schools and St. Katharina. I specify the two particular schools since I'm not completely sure at this point what is typical and what is specific to LPS or "Kathi." Here's a short list:
1. School starts at 7:30 and generally ends at 4:00, but can go until 6:00.
2. Lunchtime is a major event in Switzerland (many businesses close for lunch) and the students have 1:40 for this. Many of them go home for lunch.
3. Students are allowed to be in classrooms during lunchtime and breaks without teacher supervision. Many just sit in the classrooms and socialize and others may go to the music rooms to practice.
4. Students take many electives, including a lot of music.
5. There is no such thing as a school bus. Students find their own means of transportation to school. Many students take a train.
6. Wednesday is a short day. Most students and teachers are finished by 11:00.
7. There are no school sponsored after-school activities. Any additional programs are privately operated.
8. Every student shakes your hand when leaving at the end of class.

So far, my experience has been wonderful, but also stressful. I am realizing that, even though I have been studying German for a couple of years, I need to get much better at it. On the other hand, I am learning how to deliver instruction without a lot of needless verbiage. The difficulty is having to translate things that I have said every day for the past 25 years. I can never teach on "auto pilot." I was also warned that I would feel like a first year teacher, and they were right. That is the wonderful thing about doing a teacher exchange. Not only does one get the cultural experience, but it also make one re-think your teaching methods from the ground up.