Impressed

I am really impressed with Mia's Teacher/School. Mia is in the 1st class this year. There are no frills. No big plays, no games, no "song and dance." In my eyes, it is quite back to basics. Simple. The principal is a full time teacher (no huge administrative costs). No computers in the classroom. No smart boards on the wall. Just wooden desks and chairs. The teachers don't have to babysit, but instead they can simply teach. School gets out between 11 and 12:00 each day. Teachers have the rest of the day to plan. I have mentioned before that Kindergarten is just exploration through playing (no writing or reading at all). When the 1st class begins, most everything about "school" is new. (Kindergarten is not considered "school" in Germany). School started in the middle of September, and now just 5 months later, Mia is reading in German fluently, and her handwriting has improved tremendously. What is so amazing about it to me, is that 100% of what she has learned, she has learned in school. When I read to her, it is always in English - I don't even understand everything that she is reading in German. I have not been able to really help her at all. The homework assignments are never written down, but instead the kids must remember what to do. Another neat thing is that her first grade teacher will become her 2nd grade teacher (that way there is no learning curve or wasting time trying to figure out where a child is). It is really basic. No frills. Not too many expenses. The kids are truly learning though - and we are only 5 months into the year - I am so impressed! It makes sense to me!