Figure 1.-- |
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HBC has archived several thousand school images. Many of these images are portraits or class photographs. There are, however, also many images showing the children at school involved in a range of activities. Schools around the world have pursued prgramswith widely varied attitudes toward non-academic activities. And attitudes in each country toward these activities have varied over time. We have worked on the school activities in several of the country school sections. Most American high schools have extensive extra-curricular programs. English schools have given condiderable attention to sports, but this has been the private schools more than the public schools. They are now common in many other countries. American scghools, however still tend to have more extensive extra-curricular programs than is the case in Europe. French schools continue, for example, to have a fundamentaly academic focus.
School activities were limited in German primary schools. There were activities in secondary school, but they varied from school to school and the type of secondary school. Secondary schools had required gym classes. Many schools had an orchestra and school choir. This was optional, but there were required music classes. Many children pursued activities and courses outside of school, A HBC reader, Hans, tells us that in the 1940s-50s he took astronomy, natural sciences, typewriting and stenography, and some additional English. He tells us that his son several decaded later took private instrumental lessons and played in the orcestra at his Gymnasium. He also loined a private sports club outside of school to learn tennis. In Germany today, activities outside school are a controversial topic. The state schools offer a range of activities, but many children (and their parents) are not much interested in these ativities. Interested families organise activities privately (and usually pay for it). Mothers very often end up becoming "Taxi mothers". Some politicians argue against this support offered by better situated families to their children. Activities like religious courses, chess, ballet, folklore dancing, etc are possible everywhere. The institutions and clubs are eager to get youth members. Most of these organisations do not like the trend set up by politicians that children have to go to school all day round from the morning to the late afternoon leaving no time for private activities.
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
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