The True Lesson Of Gym Class

In Germany gym is organized into different themes and then you pick one theme for each semester.  For example, this semester my options for gym were gymnastics, track and field, or dancing... yeah... For those of you that know me those options are very, very funny.  I chose the "best" out of the three: track and field.  I am one of three girls in this class, and it is a legit track and field course.  But you see, here in Germany students don't get an A for effort in gym class.  You don't get two points for dressing for class, and two points if you try really hard that day.  Here you get graded on talent.  I have to throw a certain distance or I fail.  I have to run a certain time or I fail.  You get the point.  Anyway, these numbers that I have to get to pass are all on a little chart in my gym teacher's notebook, and they are really old and really ridiculous numbers.  I have to run a 800 in less than 3:30 seconds to get an A.  Yeah...  So anyway, since these grades count in student's final grades for college, they work their way around the chart.  They take a 3Kg ball instead of 4Kg,  pulling the tape measure in, etc.  And all of a sudden, everyone in class is a star.  Cheating in its prime here.  Haha.  It is hilarious.  The only thing that everyone sucks at is running, and the teacher drops our lowest grade, so no one cares.