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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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#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

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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

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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

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

And the passes are usually the most ridiculous things that way the kids are too embarrassed to walk around the halls or in the bathroom with a bucket of sand or a giant globe

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

The smaller the school the less likely they are to do that but if you have a lot of students you definitely have to keep track of them. There are many bathrooms in our school but even so many students will choose the one farthest away. It’s like going on an adventure I guess!

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

Not in high school. You can really tell; the more they treat you like you are in prison, they more you act like it.

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

A fellow teacher had her pass attached to an ancient but clean Croc. Also if you had to borrow a pen, pencil or ruler you had to give her one of your shoes so she is sure of getting them back.

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

I think most of these things are only applicable for large, public schools. I think they must only have the passes when there are so many people in the school that most teachers won't know who you are if they run into you in the halls. There was often a rule in my schools that another student couldn't leave the classroom until the last person to go to the bathroom came back. That cuts down on any loitering in the bathroom.

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

Yes, it's a good way to see who is in the school that shouldn't be, (dealers, loiters etc.), and to control excessive leaving the class to goof off. We had to ask to go, then carry whatever object the teacher attached to the actual physical pass.

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

Yeah, because some people like to throw paper darts into the bathroom and uh... do their thing... on the floor, so if it’s sticky, we know our suspects, and who is to be bullied for peeing on the floor

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

But how would a hall-pass stop them from flying paper-darts? I mean, they could still do it during their hallpass-time and get back and nobody would know. In Germany, they let the kids go to the bathroom after they ask. There's hardly any time where they don't come back in due time. The most damage to bathrooms gets done during recess.

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

If you are going during class yes...the bathroom is one of the places students hang around in to cut class...let's the dean know who's cutting and who's not

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Jeremy Fitzgerald
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, in my school they made color coded passes so you could only go to the bathroom closest to you, but someone put my English teachers pass in the toilet so we use a gallon of hand sanitizer that’s like four years old

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

They need a pass to be out of the classroom for ANY reason. Teachers and administrators need to know where the students are, and why, at all times.

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Liv F
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Part of the problem is that school admin put a limit on how many students can be out of your class at a time (typically one of each sex at the most). In order to keep track of that, teachers are required to have hall passes. I'd say a lot of the "control" rules come from admin micromanaging.

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Angela Jester
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unless classes are changing you need a reason and permission to be in the hall. A hall pass is visible permission.

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

Not where I guess the wayward youth are commandeered other ways!!! Like kept in class after school.

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Suanne Burk
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I taught at an Australian high school that gave toilet passes

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

Some schools, it just depends. If it's a problem, kids taking too much time and hanging out in the bathroom then the school may go to passes. Plus that way if a child is wandering around the halls they have proof for why they are out of class. Not just skipping.

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

Yes, if you are out of the classroom when you’re not meant to be, you must have that permission.

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あんぱんまん
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

we also have those small cards to go to the washroom... only one student can leave the class at a time unless there is a medical emergency or smthn

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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

Well none of mine did but that’s private school for you. Everything I’ve learned about public schools has been in the last two years as an adult so...

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

People like to waste time doing things they are not supposed to and being in places they shouldn't. The pass system helps track people

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

Yes, it’s suppose to keep people who aren’t suppose to be in the school from wandering the halls. My school used them to keep track of how long students weren’t in class, but we were more likely to pee ourselves than get a pass from a teacher.

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

this can be hit or miss based on the school and just based on the teacher

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

at my school you have a clipboard, and you have to carry it around and mark, where you are going, ur teacher, and the time.

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

Depends on the school and the school system. Turns out 50 different states with thousands of counties and thousands of school systems dont all operate the same

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

Yes. Usually a five minute pass. The bathroom is three flights down or in the other building. It takes five minutes just to get there. Heaven help you if you have diarrhea.

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rgr8
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One of my teachers made us use an actual toilet seat as a hall pass. It was gross.

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

I'm just going to hope that it wasn't a seat that had ever been used.

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

Yup and some teachers will literally punish you for asking to go to the bathroom.

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

Do you also have passes to go to the toilet or just ones to have a quick bath in the bathroom??

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

Yes, kids like to take a quick bath in the middle of class.....what??

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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

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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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#26

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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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