Starting school is a big deal no matter where you are. I’ve been seeing my friends in the States post pics of their kids in front of the front door, backpack on and smile on their face. I posted my own proud picture of my first grader at the beginning of August when my daughter entered the Erste Klasse. However, she had a few extra additions to my American counterparts like a very expensive backpack and a Schultüte, and many of our pics were at an official school ceremony that welcomes students into the formal education system.

The celebration surrounding Schulanfänger (school starters) has already been covered a bit in our blog with a post from our former colleague Jane. But it’s been a few years, we are in a different area of the country, which can make quite a difference, and there is still a lot two Americans can get wrong about this momentous day. Please allow me to go over my experience with my daughter starting school in Germany.

Is it Kindergarten or 1st grade or what?

Schulhof (school yard) during the Einschulung ceremonies. PHOTO: Erin Porter

Every country has its own traditions and terms surrounding school, particularly if it involves different languages. In the USA, you may attend some childcare before entering the education system, usually called pre-school. This is an optional and highly variable step. Anywhere from 4-6 years of age a child enters kindergarten (confusingly based on a German word but not directly translating to the German experience) for one year before entering the first grade.

In Germany this experience can also be quite different from Land to Land (state to state). Most children enter Kindertagesstätte (usually simplified to KiTa) anywhere from 1 to three years old. The first stage is called Krippe (literally “crib”) and is the baby group. Throughout KiTa, learning is on the back burner with an emphasis on socializing, playing, and activities.

This may be private or public and both may be compensated by the state. The rate at which you receive support is highly dependent on your location. In former East Germany, it is common to go back to work more quickly (by the first birthday) and childcare is better compensated. However, finding a spot can be a challenge with long lists and mind-bending bureaucracy.

In the last year of KiTa, the kids are in the Vorschule group preparing for school. They are officially the big kids, Vorschulkind.

The Erste Klasse (first grade) starts the year of the child’s 6th birthday. But before you get there, there is the Einschulung. This special ceremony welcomes the children to school and is a rite of passage as sacred as graduation. It takes place at the school the Saturday before they start class (and a week after the rest of the school has started class) with their future teacher and classmates. It is formal, requiring dress up and attendance by extended family (outside of Corona times) as well as a party following the school event. Sounds simple enough….right? Let me delve into our experience.

Einschulung in Germany

Schultüte
We had gotten our daughter into the Grundschule (elementary school) at the top of our list, carefully gathered the many, many supplies, and even crafted our very own Schultüte. “The what?!” you say – at least that is what all my American family said when I posted our photos. The  Schultüte is a “school cone”, which also may be called a Zuckertüte (“sugar cone”). It is a large paper cone, nearly the size of the child, that is stuffed full of school stuff and treats (emphasis on the treats).

A Schultüte and its proud owner. PHOTO: Erin Porter

We were told by one of our Vorschulkind’s classmates they were getting a small one last year on “graduation day” so we panicked and bought one then, only to find we were the only two to have done so. Whoops. It actually came in handy as it is a tradition to bring a small cone for younger siblings and giving the reused cone to our two-year-old certainly kept down the jealousy.

While that cone was optional, there is no getting out of giving one at the Einschulung. They can be bought pre-decorated for 16-20 euros in the days leading up to the Einschulung and are everywhere from McPaper to the grocery stores. You can also buy a plain cone, or build the cone yourself. Structurally, they need to be quite sound as they take a beating, so we bought the plain purple base for about 4 euros. From there, pages and pages of Germans love of basteln (crafting) helped us create our own 3-D mermaid Schultüte. We were quite pleased with how it came out and the smile on our little girl’s face made it all worth it.

Schulranzen
Next step was to load up the very expensive backpack. I had scoffed at forums of parents putting down 180-250 euros for a child’s backpack, but come the day of the Einschulung, we had our very own 200 euro Schulranzen that I was packing with lined notebooks, color-coded folders, and pencil bag.

We had gone to Galeria Kaufhaus off Alexanderplatz “just to look.” It went as well as can expected as the saleswoman told us about the ergonomics of the bag that would protect her back. We were cheerly told about the cheap-looking sports bag and pencil case that came with it. She breathlessly showed us the detachable designs you can change out from year to year to update it. My husband and I looked at each other. We looked at our daughter, beaming with the giant bag perched on her back making her look a little like a turtle. We handed over the debit card and sighed. “We can always return it.” my husband said weakly.

A few weeks later, we strapped on the very same bag in anticipation of the Einschulung at the school.

The Einschulung Ceremony
The invite said to arrive at 11:40 to avoid crowding due to Covid. We made our inaugural walk to the school on a brilliant sunshiney day, not sure what to expect. Luckily, our daughter had been able to attend Hort (after school care) the two weeks before school began so she was already familiar with the grounds and some of the staff. She was given a lunch box outside the gates from the SPD because of the upcoming elections, and then we chatted with a staff member that knew her before continuing around the corner toward the school. As soon as we saw the first group, a woman who turned out to be her new teacher scurried away from the group and scooped up our daughter saying we were the last to arrive and needed to get moving. Blinking, we checked the time. It was 11:45.

Our daughter looked back once as she was given a hand partner and the children were marched, backpack and all, to chairs surrounding the playground. Often this ceremony is in the Aula (assembly hall), but we were outside because of the pandemic. We were left awkwardly handling the Schultüte as we tried to take pictures and control a wild little brother.

Someone (perhaps the principal) gave a Begrüßungsrede (welcome address) and then they jumped into an oddly serious performance by the second graders of Tones & I “Dance Monkey.” Our daughter is going to a school that provides a single class for first and second graders to give them a buddy system. We stood in the sun and watched for three minutes as no one in the crowd made any noise and the kids studiously and artlessly danced. It was sweet, and weird. At the end, there was polite applause, and then each student was announced and asked to come to the front. My daughter is a Matilda and went up at the same time as a Tilda was announced. This was just a little more awkward than when we all realized there were four Noahs in her class. Each kid walked to the front with their giant Schulranzen and then went as a group through a cheering tunnel of second graders. We were proud, and then a bit lost. What now?

Parents were invited to buy food and drink from the parent association on the dusty basketball courts, as well as go all in on school merch. We bought a t-shirt and our daughter loves it, proudly telling everyone who asks (and who doesn’t) about her school.

We tried to mingle and discovered the kids are looking over their new classroom. At our new school, there are nine first classes and they have extended into an additional building. I was picturing the portables of my youth, but her building was quite nice, a permanent structure with several classes. However, the plumbing still isn’t done so it will be a few weeks til they can officially move in.

After the Einschulung
After about 30 minutes the kids re-emerged and it appeared we were free to leave. This was a good 40 minutes before the schedule indicated we would be done, and we noted with dismay we would be early for our restaurant reservation. We hadn’t known quite what to do after the ceremony in the morning, but it seems traditional to go home and have Kaffee und Kuchen or go to a restaurant.

We chose a restaurant, but there was time to kill. Open the Schultüte here? We had been carrying the thing all morning. We pulled over to a bench and let the kids go at it. A Spanish family followed suit and sat down nearby to open. I guess the Germans lug the entire thing back home.

Now sated with sweets, we went to the restaurant and it was still painfully early and not full so we got a table. Success! We feasted on pasta and our girl was all hopped up on adrenaline. We had done it. She was Eingeschult.