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Growing up in a European country and never witnessing what it's like to go to an American school, watching American high school comedies, to me, has always been a pretty surreal experience. I'm sure that most of you fellow non-Americans reading this article could relate to me on this.

There are so many things about American schools that have always seemed utterly fascinating to me. For instance, you get letter grades instead of number ones, schools have swimming pools inside them, there's a club for almost anything, you have to get a hall pass to go to the bathroom during class, and lunch meals are usually pretty bizarre. The list goes on. With that being said, Bored Panda invites you to look through this list of tweets from non-American Twitter users in which they share things that they find the strangest about American schools. Feel free to explain to us the things we don't understand or add your own in the comment section!

#1

American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

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GC
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don’t ever know what A levels etc. are. One of these days I need to look it up.

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#3

American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

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Caitlin Davenport
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, but the cheerleaders were just normal students, not stuck up and they didn't wear their uniforms in class.

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#4

American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

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Jamziee
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, because if you're in the hall without one, then you MUST be commiting murder (Sarcasm lads)

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#5

American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

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Charlotte A.
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Sweden it starts in august and ends in june. Nothing odd about it, to me.

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Ally McGurk
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same in Scotland. I grew up in Edinburgh where the summer holidays (vacation) starts on the first Monday in July, and we went back to school 7 weeks later, sometime in August. This was really annoying, as in those days the Edinburgh Festival used to start just after we went back to school, so there were tons of events we couldn't go to.

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Katrina B.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's based on farming! Most farming is done by the end of August. Before that kids are needed to help in the fields.

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Bonnie Jarrett
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It depends on which part of the country you live in. For example, I was raised in the NW and we started school in September and out in June. Down here in the south/south-east, they start school in August and out in May.

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Dave P
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not all school districts start at the same time. Some in August and some after Labor Day in September. The ones who start earlier also end earlier in the year. Further start and end of school semesters are regional, usually based around factors that are cultural, such as some regions give off the first two weeks of hunting season for students to go hunting with their parents, so they start earlier. Some places start based on the harvest seasons because in olden days the kids worked at the family farm and no one changed it since then. And much more

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Whawhawhatsis
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

American schools used to start in September and get out in May so the kids could help with the farm work when the farm was at its busiest. My husband grew up in an agricultural area, and he didn't start school till the middle of September, got almost no vacations during the year, and the year ended in early May. Now, since most families don't have farms any more, schools begin August to account for: Thanksgiving holiday (3-5 days), long Christmas/New Years holiday (2 weeks), in some areas an extra midwinter week off in February (so people can go skiing), and then a week in April for spring break. Plus "teacher work days" at least once every month if not more, with half-days off for teacher stuff frequently, and on and on. It's not surprising our kids don't get much of an education any more unless they're really self-motivated!

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Kayla J
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is actually a pretty complex answer and obviously depends on where you live. -Goes back to agriculture times when kids needed to be available for harvesting -Gives teachers more time for Spring testing -more holidays and days off, etc, so you start early to get it all in -some sports start their seasons early. when I was in HS football, volleyball, and even the marching band all went to drills and such before school started to get ready. no kidding, I could keep going, but yeah. Quite a few reasons and you could spend quite a bit of time Googling something like that.

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Aragorn II Elessar
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in Minnesota now and it starts right after Labor Day. But in Arizona, it started at the end of July and went to the end of May.

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Who? Me?
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In my country, classes start in July and it's hellish hot

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Lauretta Payne
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Traditionally school began in fall, after the end of the harvest season when, in rural America, kids were needed to help on the farm. As more people moved to urban areas, there was less of this need. Furthermore, too many lawmakers mistakenly believe that a longer school year = more learning. Some schools are even transitioning to school all year long. Remember, 8n America, there are federal laws, state laws, and local school district regulations - all of which may be different. So, schools in the city of Chicago may run very differently than schools in, for example, Adair, Iowa.

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Randy Volz
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For me it was always the first week of September (the first Monday after Labor Day)

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Amy Reusch
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not all. Many in the western states. Often this has to do with farming and harvesting schedules (past and sometimes present), and the heat at certain times of the year. In the desert, schools save on energy bills by turning off AC to classrooms in the summer when students are not present.

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Denise Zirkel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It depends on the state. In California it was from mid-September to mid-June. In Texas it's mid-August to mid-May. No logical reason.

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Cybele Spanjaard
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Our schools start in late February mid-summer in Australia after 6 weeks off for Xmas break

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Cathrine Simone
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is not an American thing, this is a state/school district thing.

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Just me
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same as in dk... Summer vacation is from approx end June until 2 week of august...about 6 weeks.

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Elizabeth Tunney
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It starts in September in Ny. Sadly I moved to NC, so yeah I get the August.

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Philly Bob Squires
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We used to start after labor day / 1 st week of September (US) but now they start like the 2nd week of August in some places. We'd be done the 2rd week of June. I think up here in the mountains they started early because they got more snow days so to allow for them, they'd start early otherwise to get the required time, the kids could be going into July.

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Éva Nemes
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In German, Switzerland, Austria too ;) Vacation not from 14-15.06. - to 31.08. ;)

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Celtic Pirate Queen
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was a kid (albeit a while ago) we started school the Tuesday after Labor Day and went until about the early/middle of June. I think "they're" actually trying to get us on a year-round system. Which would make a lot more sense for parents who have to pay for some amount of daycare!

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Susan Mercurio
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In northern states, it's because the children might have to take a lot of days out of school for "snow days." In the southern states, it might be because they had extra days out because of a tornado or a hurricane.

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Miranda Prince
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, the school where I teach starts in the middle of August. It sucks. The good part is that we finish at the end of May instead of having to go in June.

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Susan Thomas
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some don’t. In California we started after Labor Day which is first Monday in September.

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Patti Renwick Parrish
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

schools used to start after labor day but schools lost funding so they moved it to august to get more $$. Kids in class = $$.

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IZama
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think kids should go to school all year. Maybe a two week break during the summer. 10 weeks of a break is too long. They get lazy and its hard to get back in the groove after such a long break.

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Faith Hurst
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Less time off in summer for learning loss. We have AC and kids have the same number of school days with longer breaks in fall, winter, and spring than I had. It's still a two month summer break.

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Martha Higgins
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Maine, most school starts in September, but some schools mostly in Aroostook County begin in August so the kids can have a break in late August/early to mid September so they can help with the potato harvest. It's becoming less common but was an important thing before the advent of mechanical harvesters and as a way for children to earn money for school clothes. Other schools in other parts of the country begin in August but they also get out in May whereas in Maine it's usually late June. Our weather is nicer from June to September and lots of kids work in the summer in tourist-related businesses. The tourism season these days is a lot longer than it used to be (traditionally July 4th to Labor Day) and stretches from April to November in many places so it's not so significant, but still nice to have those great months off from school.

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elfin
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why not? And why is one starting month madder than another?

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Jane Alexander
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

'Summer vacation' didn't start out as playtime. School was suspended for those three months because the kids were needed in the fields for harvest.

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BG
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We get a fall break, winter break, spring break and summer break. I t doesn't mean that you break for the entire season.

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Kimberly Herbert
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

According to my Dad's family in Texas or at least our region, this started during the polio epidemics. There were spikes during August and it was thought that swimming in pools or the bayous was the vector. If the kids were in school they weren't swimming. SO they opened the schools so the kids were supervised. My students often didn't have AC in their apartments so the air-conditioned school was a relief.

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Ivana
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

School should be year round because the summer break drastically impacts retention and it causes a huge burden on working parents. The reason why we have summer break is because rich families would remove their children for their holiday season and they would demand the school close until their child returned.

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BananaJo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in Bulgaria, and I'm english. I have a three month break. In England we have like one month. On of the very limiter things I like about this country

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Goth Nurse
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Finnish schools start before mid August. Summer break starts on May 31st ish. Our summer is so short, that's why :)

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Pheebs
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in FL. We start in August so kids are out of school for the hottest month (July). It depends on where you live as to when you start.

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Hollysmom
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was s kid the school year started in September and ended in June. We had a full three months off. It was great.

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Don't Look
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The current reason seems to be weather. But there’s be a few reasons given. Used to be that children needed to be able to “work the fields” back in the 30s and 40s so they had to go to school for a longer year and then over the years teachers have complained that they need more days to teach the growing material... the silly list goes on and on...

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Seth Linn
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because schools here aren’t educational institutions, they are tax paid daycares.

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Cal Capone
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It started in Sept when I was a kid. But then again could be because I'm in Canada.

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Cal Capone
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It used to start in September when I was younger. Maybe that's cause I'm in Canada though

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Eric Lafleur
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Quebec, Canada; School starts last week of August and ends on last week of around June 20 ish, just before Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Quebec's national holiday.

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Louloubelle
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm in Wisconsin. Our kids go back after Labor day. At least where I live.

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JessG
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Again, some schools don’t. Doesn’t matter anyway, one way or another, still get 3 months off

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80 Van
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is very different for different reasons. In the Southeast, some districts start in August because the summer temperatures starts a lot earlier. In the Northwest, school tends to start after the first week of September because summer temperatures don’t start until around June.

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Arctic Fox Lover
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whaaat? That is such a terrible sin. Mine always started in September (of course, I'm still in middle school, so idk how it'll be for high school and college).

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Samantha Lomb
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maryland passed a law that school starts after labor day. So very end of August/ beginning of September. So its a state by state decision

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Katchen
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

American here: I started in September as a kid and my kids start in August, but they get more time off during the year than I did: a full week at Thanksgiving and an extra week in February.

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Kim
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m Sweden school starts in August. I’ve always hated it because of the fact that it’s the best summer month.

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sylvantic
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

august 18 for LAUSD. but we have week long Thanksgiving and Spring breaks, as well as 3 week winter breaks. still sucks tho.

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lara
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's because of all the "teacher training stuff." Also to "save" for weather outages.

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Karin Gibson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When my kids went to a Maryland school they started back after Labor Day September and the year went on until the end of May with 12 weeks off.

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Kim
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You do know that each country in Europe has their own 'rules' when schools go out and start again? They range anywhere from 6 weeks (my country) to 15 weeks.

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Gwenda Christenson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

so that we have enough time to get the required amount of days or hours completed before mid-June. In Iowa we are required to have 180 days of school. Every state has its own rules about the amount of time students need for an academic year (this applies to colleges and universities as well)

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ArtistinResidence
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It depends on the state. In New York State because there is a regents testing system we run from September till He 3rd week in June. However not all students are there the last two weeks because they are testing. You don’t have a test, you don’t come in. It also depends which state and in what area of the country as August can be either really hot for some states or cool for others. Many schools do not have air conditioning. Most schools run from September to June in the US. There’s plenty of vacation time in the school year and time off.

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Demetri
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They began the first week of September when I was 17 and younger (in the 1960's and 70's) but there may be differences now. Once in college, students were given an option to get registered for all classes and pay your bills in August to avoid the madness that would happen in September. College/university is A LOT bigger and more demanding than high school.

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Meami
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They didn't used to but it's probably because of all the holidays and in-service days for teachers.

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Kwj
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Denmark schools have always started in the first or second week of August and ends in late June. Nothing weird about that? :)

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Kwj
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It has always started in the first or second week of august in Denmark. It starts in late June.

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Covid Pan Demic
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For me it doesn't, where do you guys live? I live in washington and it starts in the begenning of september for me.

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Kimberly Reetz
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because of the Hispanic population. We used to get 2 weeks off for Christmas break. When the Hispanics started staying away for a month, they would have too many absences and couldn’t meet the required 180 days. Schools gave in and let everyone take a month off, but they had to make up the time somehow.

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Rosanna Jackson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Gross. That's just gross. I'm thrilled we are not in school in August. August is for outside.

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#8

American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

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Caitlin Davenport
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They used to have E as a failing grade, but people thought it meant Excellent, so they changed it to an F.

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#10

American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

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Juniper
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wait, don't all schools have cafeterias? Where do you eat your lunch?

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#12

American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

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Aunt Messy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Canadian here. They don't close schools in Canada unless it's been colder than -40C for three days in a row.

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#18

American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

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Eva Bryson
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, teachers want you in class to learn, not loitering in the bathroom.

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#21

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The Zooble
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To be very honest, I'm English and I usually do page count rather than word count

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#25

American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

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Caitlin Davenport
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So we aren't "distracted". Even rooms with windows usually had the blinds closed.

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Caitlin Davenport
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not really. We have nearby schools we compete against in sports, but any rivalry is very light-hearted.

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#32

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Caitlin Davenport
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Candy was usually a very tiny part, if it was there at all. But it was the most exciting part!

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