BOOK REVIEW: Achtung Baby by Sara Zaske

When I was in Half-Price Books the other day, I was intrigued by the title of this book because I have been studying German and it made me laugh.   Achtung means danger when translated into English, and what could be dangerous about a baby?  

The full title of the book is  "Achtung Baby: An American Mom on the German Art of Raising Self-Reliant Children."  It's a long title, but the title tells us exactly what the book is about as Sara Zaske relates her mothering experiences of her six years in Germany--raising a toddler and having a baby.   

I loved her stories.

The book was a good read for me because I am interested in how we, as a society, are raising children today and how we are educating them.  As a result, the reading gave me a lot to think about ... especially since my own child's education was not a typical American education (She went to Simon's Rock at 15-years-old), and she spent six months in Germany (16-years-old) and a semester in Spain.  Also, she taught English for two years in Austria at two different kinds of high schools.  

From what I saw, much of the German and Austrian education seems to be heavily influenced by the aftermath of World War II.  From what Zaske relates, both countries seem to be doing their best to acknowledge and rise above the horror of that history, and to educate their children to become responsible citizens and recognize humanity.  

 Zaske is right; we have a lot to learn from European models of education.  However, like the United States, the apathy of students, and hovering parents are still embedded in these societies, which my daughter witnessed daily when teaching.  

In my opinion, schools combined with socio-economic levels will always impact learning.  Based on what I learned, in the Austrian school that taught young teachers, my daughter found what Zaske found, a dream environment of support and smart education.  However, the other school was a business school and filled with apathetic students who couldn't wait to leave.  Of course, Austria and Germany are two different countries, but there is so much in common with their shared history as well as educational methodology.

What bothered me about Zaske's book was how she speaks only from the perspective of a stable two-parent unit with lots of support from neighbors and friends around her.   This is optimal.  But, this isn't always the case, especially when moms are single or students are from lower classes of uneducated or immigrant parents who hold low-income jobs.

While Zaske shows us there are differences in the way children are educated in Germany, the same family and immigration problems we have in the United States seem to have similar impact on education there.  So whatever wisdom we glean from her experiences and observations of German education, the real question is how to apply that knowledge so we truly can improve.  

This would be a great book for a Parent-Teacher-Student organization looking for improving their schools.