From the Junior German classroom
‘Back-to-school’ in South Africa is always an exciting time of the year, students start a new grade, they join a new class with a new teacher and classroom.
The Year 1’s also started the year with new languages to learn, German being one of them. In the introduction to German and Germany they learnt the phrase “Ich lerne Deutsch” (I am learning German) and the colours of the German flag.
They were very surprised to hear that most German schools start in September after the summer holidays in Europe and that the students do not wear uniforms at school. They were also introduced to “die Schultüte” (a school cone) a German tradition that all “Klasse 1” (Year 1) students look forward to on the first day of school. Before “Klasse 1” they would usually be attending a type of Kindergarten (a play group or nursery) at another institution and therefore making the first day of school one of the most important days of their childhood.
So, what exactly is “die Schultüte”?
It is a colourful and elaborately decorated cone which is prepared by a students’ parents and filled with goodies such as small school supplies (like pens, pencil cases, erasers, etc.), toys and sweets.
This German tradition originated in the early 1800’s in the cities of Jena, Dresden and Leipzig. Back then, parents brought the “Schultüten” directly to the schools, where they were hung on a so-called “Schultütenbaum” (“school cone tree”) in the classroom. When the tree was “ripe” with school cones, it meant that students were ready to begin first grade. On the first day of school, students were instructed to pick the cone with their name on it.
Naturally, the tradition spread and evolved over time. Today, students often receive their “Schultüten” before they leave their homes to go to school and the kids proudly carry their “Schultüten” to their new classrooms. Even Austria and the Czech Republic have adopted this fun ‘back-to-school’ tradition. ***Source: Edited excerpts from the newsletter “This Week in Germany” (TWIG edition 8/28/2015) published by German Information Center/Embassy of Germany. https://german-world.com/the-history-of-the-schultute/***
The year 1 students on the photos enjoyed holding “die Schultüte” and the Year 2 students proudly displayed their completed Germany flags.
They are really looking forward to learning more about other German traditions this year.
Written by
Frau K. Pani
German Teacher
KS 1 & KS 2
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