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.
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Dear Bruce,
ReplyDeleteI am a Spanish teacher in Connecticut and I have always dreamed of teaching in Switzerland. The Fulbright people have recommended that I find Swiss contacts, to increase the chance of a match. Would you be able to put me in contact with the Spanish teachers in your school? They would have to be qualified and willing to teach Spanish grades 3-5 for the next school year. My school is wonderful and only 45 minutes from N.Y.C. Below is my gmail account.
Thanks so much,
Laura Budzelek laurabudzelek@gmail.com
Your initial impressions of the Swiss school remind me somewhat of my experience teaching in Hungary: Teachers and students have much more freedom of movement during the day, the campus is "open" and people come and go as needed and teachers and students are expected to be where they are supposed to be at the right time. It's much more like an American college campus than a high school campus. As a result, I found the Hungarian students to be much more mature than the students in the US.
ReplyDeleteIt's the kind of freedom you enjoy and take for granted in europe... when you move to the US you suddenly find yourself in a country where everybody believes they are free but really they restrict and coerce themselves in a lot of ways, and to some europeans that will feel like prison.
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