School in Ireland

Hey guys, this post will be all about school in Ireland. Generally about schools in Ireland, MY school, and the first days there.

I actually started writing this post a few weeks ago, but somehow couldn't finish it. I've now completed my first five weeks of school and have a week off. But better late than never!

School in Ireland

The Irish school system is quite different compared to the German one. While in Germany there are mainly mixed schools with both genders, here in Ireland there are predominantly 'Girls & Boys Schools'. There are also mixed schools, but not as many.

Next, let's talk about school uniforms. Yes, in Ireland you usually have to wear a uniform for school - there are only a handful of schools in Ireland that don't have a uniform.

I have to say, I actually wished to go to a girls' school because it would be a completely new experience, different from what I'm used to in Germany. And I was really looking forward to the uniform - it saves you a lot of time in the morning ;D

As for the classes, it's quite different from what I know:

The different grades are not referred to as '5th - 13th grade'. Here it's called '1st - 6th year' (it only goes up to 12th grade). I think the 4th year can be compared to our 10th grade. But there's still a big difference in this grade compared to the others. The 4th year is also called 'Transition year (TY)'. It is optional at some schools and you can skip it if you want, while at other schools it is mandatory. It's an orientation year where the emphasis is not so much on academic performance but on practical experience. More excursions are made during this year and you also have the opportunity to do an internship. The subjects in this year are usually different, or there is a wider selection. As far as I know, you also choose your subjects each term. The subjects are more practice-oriented and you can try out many things and maybe find the direction you want to pursue as a profession in the future. But in the end, it depends on the schools how they design the Transition Year, as there is no curriculum for it.

The grading system: In the past, there used to be letters from A to F. But for a few years now, there's a new system. Let me try to explain it somehow:

When you finish school here, most people go to college to study. During the school years (I'm not quite sure, but especially in 5th and 6th year), you accumulate points. Each course requires a certain number of points when you apply to be accepted. But first.... All subjects in school are divided into 'Higher' and 'Lower' level. When you take a test or exams, you get percentages. These percentages are then the grades, just like in Germany with grades 1 to 6. With these percentages, you get a specific number of points. If you're in 'Lower' level, the number of points is not as high as in 'Higher' level. So to accumulate many points, for example if you want to study medicine, you should be in 'Higher' level in all subjects and get (very) good grades. These points are accumulated until you finish school.

Our Lady's Bower Secondary School

So enough about school in general. Now you'll learn more about my school!

My school is centrally located in Athlone. The name is 'Our Lady's Bower Secondary School' and as you may already know from the name; it's an all-girls school. It is part of the L.S.U Community (La Sainte Union). More detailed information can be found on my school's website. In Athlone, there is a girls' school, a boys' school, and even a mixed one. And I have to say, it's actually not much different from a mixed school. And it doesn't really stand out that much either.

I had wished to come to Transition Year so that I don't have to do as much for school and have more free time. But I made that plan without the school... I ended up in 5th year.

As for the school hours, I also have to get used to them: School starts at 9, which is really relaxed because I get up at the time when I would already be on my way in Germany. However, it goes on much longer than my school in Germany. Depending on the day, we have classes until 3:10 pm or 3:50 pm. In the first few days after school, I said, 'It feels like evening already.', because the sky was already dark and it was cold and uncomfortable; and it was actually already 6 o'clock :D

The first day

On Monday, September 21, 2020, I had my first day of school here in Ireland. And at the same time, it was my one-month anniversary -> exactly one month ago, I said goodbye to my family and friends in Germany.

Well, anyway.... I got up at around 7 o'clock and at 8:10 we drove towards the school. By now, I know how everything works in the morning and how much time I need, so I now get up 30 minutes later. And because I can sleep so long, I'm usually quite awake in the morning. Our host father drives me, my double placement, and my host sister to school every morning. The bus connection between the village where we live and Athlone is terrible and my host father has to go to the area anyway for work.

When we arrived at the school, Arlena and I went to the reception to find out where we should go and how everything will work now. Two other students were already standing in front of the reception: two exchange students; one German and one Italian. The four of us then went to the Principal's office, where we each received our timetables one by one. Honestly, I expected that we would first get a tour of the school and everything would be shown and explained to us. Wrong! After we all had our timetables, we went straight to class. My first class was 'Career Guidance'. It's a mandatory subject that only takes one hour per week. We are shown, for example, what to look out for or what matters when applying to a college here in Ireland after school. It's quite boring for me, but I can't avoid it. The teacher said it's good for my English at least, and he's right.

I was taken there, and as soon as I arrived, a girl from my class came straight up to me and asked me what my name was and where I came from. Very nice! I'm still in contact with her. In my class, I was the only exchange student, which I didn't really mind.

As for my subjects, I've changed quite a bit by now. At the beginning, I wasn't satisfied at all, so I changed two subjects and my math level. Now, I'm actually quite happy.

On the first day, I switched from 'Business Studies' to 'Design and Communication Graphics'. I was in the Higher level for math. However, I was completely lost there and didn't understand a thing. I wanted to talk to my teacher at the time about whether it would be possible for me to switch to the Lower level. But she wanted to talk to me about this topic after the lesson anyway. The students in Higher level for math have always been in that level, so they are already quite advanced. So it wasn't surprising that I didn't understand anything. With my change in math level, I also changed my class because the classes are divided into math groups.

The subjects

I've included a picture of my timetable in the gallery if you're interested.

As mentioned above, I also have subjects that we don't have in Germany. So that you also know what I'm doing there, I tried to explain them below:

Math, English, Art, Geography, Physical Education, and Religion. These are the subjects that we also have in Germany, and I think you roughly know what you do in them.

But I also have 'Design and Communication Graphics' and 'Agricultural Science'.

In 'Design and Communication Graphics', also known as DCG, I was told that we do a lot of 3D drawings. In the end, our teacher said that the goal for the year is to design our own smartphone... I'm really curious to see how it turns out.

And in 'Agricultural Science', it's all about agriculture and what to look out for when you own your own farm. Actually, it's totally unnecessary for me because I would never start a farm in Germany, but sometimes it's still interesting. I have two teachers there. On Tuesdays, we have a teacher with whom we are currently talking about cows. For the rest of the week, we have another teacher with whom we talk about the topic of Earth, including everything around it.

You probably also saw the 'Special Tuition' hours on my timetable. Those are hours where we simply study and do our homework.

And I also wanted to mention Physical Education (Sport). It's much more fun here than in Germany. When the weather was good, we often just went for walks. And in the last class, we all played Let's Dance. However, here we don't have grades in PE, which is why most people only do the bare minimum.

School and Corona - how is it in Ireland?

The regulations here in Ireland are a bit stricter than in Germany. At least from what I know from Germany in the previous school year:

We have to wear masks all day, from 9 am to 3 or 4 pm. The only exception is during breaks when we eat something. Hand sanitizer dispensers are installed next to each classroom, which we are also supposed to use regularly - when entering and leaving the classroom. Before we sit down at our desks, we have to wipe our table and chair with disinfectant wipes. Just like in Germany, the windows are open all day. And of course, keeping distance is also a rule. Normally, I think you don't have a fixed seat and you can theoretically sit somewhere else in each class, but because of Corona, we now have fixed seats and the teachers had to write a seating plan as well. This way, they know the initial contacts in case there should be a corona outbreak in the class.

... and a few more small things

Every student at my school has a so-called 'Swipe Card'. We have to scan it every morning when we enter the school building. At first, I found it really weird, but by now I've gotten used to it.

On October 2, 2020, we had a Non-Uniform Day. Everyone was allowed to wear their own clothes. For that, you had to bring 2€, which was collected. The collected money was donated to a school in Haiti.

On October 13, there was the so-called 'Debrabant Day'. My school was founded by the sisters of La Sainte Union in 1884. On October 13, all L.S.U schools celebrate their founding. On my school's website, there's a video about Debrabant Day featuring several L.S.U schools.

I think that's all the important information about school. I don't know when the next post will come and what it will be about because we're currently on Level 5 with Corona. That means I can't travel and can only move around in the local area. I think after a few weeks, I will know the small village and the area better than anything before ;D

I hope you found this slightly different post interesting and I haven't overwhelmed you with information.

See you, take care, and stay healthy,

Davina