Back to school for Oscar

Oscar's German elementary school started again this past Monday after taking six weeks off for a summer break.  Oscar is in the 2nd grade this year.

At German elementary schools, the students and teacher that start 1st grade together stay together each year through 4th grade.  In this way, the students and the teacher grow together for four years.  This difference from the American way of doing things eases a lot of the anxiety that many children associate with going back to school -- new classes and new teachers.  It also means the teacher should be well-qualified to make a recommendation about where each child should attend 5th grade (this is an important decision; see here for more information about the German education system).  There will always be controversy and disagreement about tracking, but it definitely has widespread adoption in Germany.