The rest of my time in Austria was split between visiting schools and socialising. On the Wednesday afternoon we were invited to meet the Head of the School Board for t
he County in which we were visiting. This part was really interesting as we got to hear first hand the experiences of adults and children who had fled to Austria from other countries (mainly Turkey and the former Yugoslavia). I got into a bit of a 'discussion' with the main man when he took offence at my suggestion that the school system didn't allow the immigrant children to achieve their full potential. I don't think I quite ruined Anglo-Austrian relations, but I won't be expecting a Christmas card from him.On Thursd
ay we went to a school that is housed in a working monastery, what a beautiful place. We were given a tour of the church by the Abbott, and a glass of wine that had been made by the monks. There are several institutions on the estate, including a school that selects and trains the cream of the crop of youngsters at skiing and other winter sports. According to the Abbott they have had very good results with many of their students achieving highly in major competitions.Friday we visited Salzburg, leaving our hotel at ridiculous o'clock to make the journey there; briefly crossing over to Germany on our way. After visiting a fantastic primary school, that momentarily made me want to teach 'little ones', we w
ent on a tour of the city. To be honest, Monday's tour of Innsbruck had been more than enough for me and I would have been quite happy to sit down and have a coffee, but tour we did. After more than two hours walking the streets of Salzburg, I feel that there is so much that I can tell you about Mozart, his Dad, his Sons, his next door neighbour, the lady that sold flowers on the corner of the street half a mile from where he was born; but I won't. I wanted the the tour guide to dish the dirt on the man; I asked if he'd gone mad and OP said she was sure that he'd had syphilis, but both of these were vehemently denied by the guide.We ate dinner in a fantastic traditional restaurant before returning, via Germany, to the hotel.
After a well earned lie-in on Saturday morning, we managed a small amount of shopping; OP and I picked up some ski stuff in the sales for a forthcoming trip we are going on. A quick drink at the 360 degree observation bar, with it's magnificent views over the city and then back to the hotel to collect our luggage and head for the airport.
Luggage Update - My case arrived in London the day after me and was delivered to my house by Speedy Baggage Company.
2 comments:
Mel, I'm curious - in what ways do you think that the school system fails to allow immigrant students to reach their potential? I know we have issues here regarding english language acquisition that result in students lagging behind.
Hey Brenda, I'll try and be concise!
Now I should state that this opinion is based on hearing the stories of a immigrant father who had put 3 children through the school system, 2 young men that had arrived in Austria at an early age and gone through the school system and a man who has spent the last twenty years fighting for the rights of Turkish immigrants.
At 10 yrs old the students have a choice of going to two different types of school; one of which I felt was seen as more prestigious than the other (although this was denied), access to these schools is based on grades given by teahers at their primary schools - not on externally marked tests.
(From the stories I heard and my observations at the school we visited I concluded that the vast majority of immigrants were in the 'other' schools) The teachers at the 'better' schools are thought of more highly by society and they are paid more than other teachers. At 14 yrs old the children in the 'other' schools have to choose to go somewhere else; either trying to get into one of the prestigous schools or to a technical college to learn a trade. Again it seemed that the immigrants were going to the technical colleges and not the prestigous schools. Granted, going to the technical college meant that they were being equipped with a trade, but what about being encouraged to go to university. We did ask for stats on how many went on to study at a higher level but they were unable to provide them.
Education for all the students in the 'better' schools ends it 18 yrs old and in the technical colleges at 19 yrs old. At this point all students have the oppurtunity to sit an exam that will enable them to go to university; if they pass the exam they then have the right to go to ANY university (in Austria) to study for ANY degree. I think that at this point the majority of immigrant children are 'happy' to have a trade and be able to work...
(of course there is nothing wrong with having a trade, many a millionaire has made their money from being good with their hands - just look at IKEA)
The Head of the School Board told me that students received the same education regardless of which school they were in and the opputunities were the same for all students.
Nobody (Austrian) disagreed with him at the meeting, but things were said later on that reinforced my initial thoughts.
It is only fair to point out that at this meeting we did hear about some really good work that was being done; particularly with a view to addressing the language issues you mention.
Now I've read my reply back I'm not sure if I've answered your question properly! let me know...
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