How did you hear about the German School in Manila? 

We learned about the GESM from Dr. Christian Alexander, a German chiropractor. At that same time, DESM started opening its doors to non-German speaking families.

 

How was your first contact with GESM? 

We  had  a  family  interview  with  the  headmaster  and  to  be  honest,  we  were  blown away!”   Our   family’s   major   concern   at   that   time   was   the   holistic   education   and development of our children. However, the reality of having them enrolled in a purely German curriculum meant a lot of challenges for us but we remained unfazed. 

 

Did you plan to send your children to Germany for studying?

No, not at the beginning. The opportunity to study at a university in Germany became our goal later.

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How could you then help your children with homework for instance? 

German  language  support  at  home  was  scarce,  if  not  nil.  Science,  history,  and  maths were all taught in German. But I never heard my children complain. Instead, they often came home excited with the things they learned. They discussed issues with knowledge that I, as a student before, never had. As parents we saw how much our children's world expanded and how their confidence grew. 

 

How about the non academic opportunities at GESM? 

I can recall how  GESM helped the development of our children not just academically. There was particular attention to arts, extra curricular activities, as well as educational opportunities outside the school such as the yearly field trips, the participation in the Kulturfestival of the German Schools in Southeast Asia as well as student exchanges with Germany. 

 

What can you tell us about your engagement in school as a parent?

Many times I found myself volunteering for school projects to be more of a hands on parent, something that I think is different to the local culture. At GESM parents actually show up to every event however big or small it is.

 

Which specific educational values could you recognise as a parent? 

As family we are also amazed at how the school shows their confidence in the students. This is quite evident with the school's headmasters. They always show our children that extra touch of concern and needed motivation. 

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The school taught our kids to be very independent, responsible, and open minded. They also learned all about mutual respect. No distinctions. They accept that everyone is the same. With the school’s international community, they also learned tolerance.

 

Which differences to local education can you see?

I appreciate the fact that the German European School Manila does not offer academic awards the way local schools do. I also have to mention that I am quite thankful to have Ethics  as  a  subject  in  place  of  Religion  as  the  school  is  non-sectarian.  However,  I would have  wanted  that  our  kids  knew  more  about  Philippine  history  so  they  don’t  get detached from who they are.

 

Which  advice  could  you  give  to  other  Filipino  parents  who  are  thinking  about  a German or European education for their children ?

Language is a very good gift we can give our children. Trust the educational system even if   it  is  alien  to  you.  When  we’ve  decided  to  give  international  education  to  our children, we had to let go and trust them that they can do it. We put our trust in their teachers that they will give them the best education that will prepare them for Germany or even Europe. 

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Let  your  children  discover  themselves  in  school.  The  environment on  the  Eurocampus provides the maximum learning experience.