A group of German educators began a weeklong tour of public schools across Pennsylvania at North Hills High School in Ross on April 13.
The seven-member group, which included teachers, principals and administrators, were also visiting North Allegheny that day and expected to visit Penn Trafford the next before making their way east, with a stop in Harrisburg on the way toward wrapping up in Philadelphia.
“That’s very, very impressive,” Jan Irlenkaeuser, head of Group 32 at the Ministry of School and Education, said after touring North Hills High School. “All of the things the school offers for its students is very impressive. There are many inspirations for us.”
Their visit came after North Hills School Board President Allison Mathis was among a group of Pennsylvania school board members, administrators and elected officials who visited North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany for a week in March to study the German educational system.
Some of the challenges and issues in education are the same in each country, Mathis said, including the impact of artificial intelligence, cellphone usage, social media and mental health concerns.
“They are going to learn what we do in education and compare it to what they do,” Mathis said. “It’s really a great way to learn from each other.”
There are, of course, differences, with Mathis citing security as one.
“They don’t have the same challenges we have. Their schools are very open,” she said. “Their children are more independent. Many of them walk to school.”
After being given an overview of North Hills High School’s program of studies, the delegation was given a thorough tour of the high school, with students from German classes among their guides.
The tour included stops in the planetarium, auditorium, gymnasium, pool, weight room and cafeteria. They also visited several classrooms including German, technology, band, music, family science, art and math.
Sophomores Grace Thein, 16, and Julia Torok, 15, were among the students who got the chance to represent and show off their school.
“It’s really fun,” Thein said. “It makes me proud of being here.”
Torok said she liked being able to talk with the visiting Germans and give them a sense of her identity as an American, proving stereotypes wrong.
“You’re showing what Americans can truly be like,” she said.
Irlenkaeuser said they planned to visit about 10 public elementary, junior high and high schools. They were also planning on visiting vocational training schools, which he said would be of particular interest to them because Germany has a strong vocational education system and they wanted to see how it’s done in the U.S.
He took note of the variety of opportunities students have at North Hills, which he said differs from the “rigorous” system in Germany.
“Here students have a lot of choices,” he said, again calling it “impressive.”
While the high school is much bigger than those in Germany, he said they are alike in seeking to connect students and teachers and not just imparting knowledge.
Irlenkaeuser said he would like to see an exchange program created so students from the U.S. and Germany can visit each other’s countries. He had been an exchange student himself, visiting the Chicago area.
“They can get to know each other better, learn about other cultures and make friendships,” he said. “We hope that any students can go abroad, learn the language and make friends.”