Our son Peter spent some time at a high school in the USA. But as if that wasn’t enough, he then went to Canada. To the west. To Fort St. John, a small community in British Columbia, about a 2-hour flight from Vancouver. There he quickly learned that the warm boots we had bought him were quite useful after all. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay there for long – the coronavirus crisis forced him to return home. Nevertheless, he had the opportunity to gather a variety of impressions.
Start of school – sleep in first
In Canada, the school day is a little different to that in Germany. While Germans have to be at school at 7:45 am, Canadians take it a little easier and don’t start until 9:00 am. The reason for this is that the students come to school more rested, which leads to an increase in their academic performance. In addition, the students are in a better mood and are friendlier to each other at school.
The school hours – block teaching
The lessons are divided into so-called blocks. These are double lessons that last 1 hour and 20 minutes. To be promoted, a student must have at least 3 blocks per day, but most students have 4 blocks per day. Each block takes place at different times, so some students even have to be at school at 10:15.
The choice of subjects – a colorful bouquet
In contrast to Germany, in Canada you can choose your own subjects and even change subjects in the first two weeks if you don’t like them. However, in order to pass the school year and be promoted, students also have to choose some subjects, such as math and English. However, as many schools offer a wide range of interesting subjects, these two blocks are not a problem for students who are not so keen on these subjects. The most popular subjects include cooking, drone control, crafts and others.
Transportation – how to cope with the distance
Most pupils travel to school on the school bus, which stops at every house. The time at which the bus arrives at a house depends on how close you live to the school and whether the house is at the end of the route. This means that pupils who live in the city have to wait until later for the bus.
Dealing with each other – polite and relaxed
Canadians don’t express themselves as directly as Germans. If a German were to speak their mind freely, many Canadians would hold back on sensitive topics. They don’t want a conflict to arise or for someone to end up feeling excluded. Canadians are generally very friendly and even if you are a stranger, many Canadians do not hesitate to get to know another person better or to have a nice conversation. It is important to many Canadians to always treat each other with respect and to treat everyone equally. If a stranger is treated badly or a person is made fun of for no reason, many Canadians would not stand by and watch, but would also intervene.
Departure because of Corona – not an order, a request
Here you can see that Peter really enjoyed his time in Canada. Unfortunately, the pandemic meant that he had to cut short his stay early. Here, too, the Canadians’ indirect way of expressing themselves was evident. Whereas in Germany there would have been a clear request for everyone to leave by a certain date, the Canadians formulated this as a polite but clear request. Everyone understood, but the tone was much friendlier. Note: Like the British and Americans, Canadians communicate much more indirectly than Germans. If you can’t or don’t want to go to school in Canada, you can also experience and learn this in our intercultural seminar Canada.
