Or purchase the book here in my shop for $5

Ever wondered why Germans have such strong opinions about America?

While Germans discuss the U.S. daily, they rely on Google, Facebook, and Amazon as if these were German inventions.
In 25 essays, Andreas Paul John examines why Germany has had a complex relationship with America for centuries, from its beginning until September 2025..
Historical events, political debates, and contemporary figures reveal how critique, admiration, and prejudice shape Germany’s view of the U.S. A book for anyone who wants to understand why Germany both criticizes and secretly admires America. Recommended for readers 16 years and older.

The book contains 25 essays; Apple lists it as 200 pages long.
Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 6:

Chapter 6: Educational Philosophies

The Innovation Paradox: Why Silicon Valley Isn’t in Swabia

How Different Educational Philosophies Shape German-American Mentalities

„That’s incorrect!“ versus „What do you think?“ – An Essay on Two Worlds of Learning

Introduction: Culture Shock in the Classroom

Sarah, a 17-year-old from Portland, sits nervously in her first class at Gymnasium Heidelberg during her exchange year. The teacher poses a question about German history. Sarah raises her hand eagerly—back home, participation counts for 30% of her grade. She gives a thoughtful but incomplete answer. The teacher frowns: „That is not entirely correct. Please sit down.“ The red pen circles ominously over the grade book.

This moment—routine in German classrooms, bewildering for American students—reveals a fundamental difference between two educational philosophies that have shaped mentalities for centuries.

Are Germans really pedantic and humorless? This question Americans ask surprisingly often and answer with a subtle „Yes.“ Rigid bureaucrats, obsessive rule-followers, innovation-killers—these stereotypes about Germans are deeply embedded in the American mind. Yet this assessment is not only unfair, it’s also fundamentally wrong.

Germans aren’t more pedantic than Americans. They’re just educated differently. While the American system emphasizes pragmatic „learning by doing,“ the German system is built on Prussian thoroughness and perfectionism. These differences aren’t just pedagogical details—they shape generations and influence German-American relations to this day.

The supposed „rigidity“ of Germans is often just a different type of excellence: less surface-level enthusiasm, more deep-rooted competence. Less quick fixes, more sustainable solutions. The result? German engineering, renewable energy leadership, the dual education system—achievements that America, despite all its innovation, has never replicated.

I. Historical Roots: Humboldt versus Dewey

The German Legacy: Wilhelm von Humboldt and Prussian Tradition

The German educational ideal stems from Wilhelm von Humboldt’s vision of universal human development. Humboldt, who reformed the Prussian education system between 1809-1810, saw education as an end in itself: not practical application, but the intellectual and moral perfection of the individual.

This philosophy merged with Prussian civil service tradition to create a system designed to produce loyal, disciplined, and above all error-free public servants. The education system trained students for roles requiring absolute precision and reliability. The red pencil became the symbol of this tradition: every mistake had to be marked, every inaccuracy corrected. Perfection wasn’t just desirable—it was duty.

This philosophy shaped generations of German students through specific cultural expectations. Students learned deep respect for authority, viewing the teacher as an unquestionable source of knowledge whose corrections carried moral weight. They developed profound fear of error, believing it was better to remain silent than risk a mistake that would bring shame and correction. They cultivated perfectionism, understanding that only fully thought-through ideas were worth expressing in public settings. They absorbed hierarchical thinking patterns that assumed knowledge flowed from top to bottom through established channels rather than emerging from collaborative discovery.

The American Ideal: John Dewey and Pragmatism

Simultaneously, America developed a radically different approach to education and learning. John Dewey (1859-1952), father of American educational philosophy, proclaimed the revolutionary principle: „Learning by Doing.“

Dewey’s philosophy matched the American frontier spirit perfectly: in the wilderness, theoretical knowledge didn’t count—practical problem-solving ability determined survival. A settler who pondered the perfect solution while his house burned was a dead settler. Pragmatism necessarily triumphed over perfectionism in environments where action mattered more than analysis.

This mentality permeated American classrooms through specific practices that encouraged different types of thinking. Participation became valued more highly than perfect answers, with teachers believing that engagement indicated learning even when responses were incomplete or incorrect. Trial and error approaches treated mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures, encouraging students to experiment rather than remain silent. Growth mindset philosophy promoted the belief that „you can achieve anything if you try,“ fostering optimism and persistence over perfectionism. Democratic discussion principles insisted that every voice counted, including student voices, creating classroom environments where authority could be questioned respectfully.

II. Modern Manifestations: Two Classrooms in 2025

American School Reality: „What do you think?“ Rules

Jefferson High School, Portland, Oregon, third period. Mr. Johnson moderates a discussion about climate change. „What do you think we should do about carbon emissions?“ Twenty hands shoot up. Answers range from naive to brilliant—but each is acknowledged with „Good point!“ or „Interesting perspective!“

The American system thrives on the participation principle through specific pedagogical practices that encourage engagement over accuracy. Discussion takes precedence over monologue, with 40% of class time devoted to student discussions where the teacher becomes a moderator rather than a lecturer. Participation grades account for 20-30% of the final grade, meaning students who don’t speak up receive worse grades regardless of the quality of their written work or test performance. Project-based learning replaces memorization through assignments where students create their own documentaries about local history instead of memorizing historical dates and sequences.

German School Reality: The Red Pencil Still Reigns

At the same time, Gymnasium Heidelberg, third period mathematics. Mrs. Schmidt poses a problem. Three fingers rise hesitantly. One student attempts an answer, stutters, corrects himself. „That is unfortunately incorrect, please sit down.“ The red pencil already circles over the grade book.

Despite decades of reform efforts and international comparisons, old patterns still dominate German classrooms through institutional resistance to change. Frontal instruction prevails according to OECD surveys, with German students spending about 80% of their time in teacher-centered instruction—well above the international average and far above American standards. Error culture remains punitive, as studies by the Bertelsmann Foundation demonstrate that a large portion of German students experience „great fear“ of making mistakes in class—a significantly higher proportion than their American counterparts. Memorization dominates over critical thinking, with American students learning to evaluate sources and construct arguments while German students focus on cramming dates and formulas for high-stakes examinations………