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32 Seemingly Normal Things About American Schools That Confuse The Hell Out Of Non-Americans
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!
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#1
GC 4 years ago
I don’t ever know what A levels etc. are. One of these days I need to look it up.
Dilly Millandry 4 years ago
A level stands for Advanced level. Normally pick two or three subjects to study more intensely than you would many more subjects at GCE (General Certificate of Eductation) Ordinary Level. Hope that helped!
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Joanne Haywood 4 years ago
What confuses an oldie like me are the UK school “years”. Once upon a time it was simple. You started in the Infants, moved to the Juniors then onto High School when you were 11. Then it was 1st year to 5th Form, or 6th Form if you were clever enough to do A Levels. Now if someone says their kid is in year whatever, I have no idea how old they are.
Avery S Alberico 4 years ago
Highschool levels: Freshman (9th), Sophmore (10th), Junior (11th), Senior (12th)
Emily Smith 4 years ago
Ironically the words are Latin and have been in use since the 16th century to describe scholars in their years of study. The words are used to describe the maturity level of the students they apply to.
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago (edited)
The term "freshman" dates to the 16th century and means "novice." Freshmen are usually 14/15 years old. "Sophomore" derives from the Greek "sophos" (wise) and "moros" (foolish). Sophomores are usually 15/16 years old. Junior and Senior should be fairly obvious.
Benjamin Lensgraf 4 years ago
Wow, different countries use different words for things...wait till this guy finds out there are completely different languages and alphabets!
Michał Osiecki 3 years ago (edited)
normal countries use easy to understand stuff and measure things using easy stuff not feet or inches
Load More Replies... Hera20 4 years ago
Also in private schools in the Uk we use first year (age 13)lower fifth (age 14) upper fifth (age 15)Lower sixth (age 16)and upper sixth (age 17) just to be quirky and different
RaroaRaroa 4 years ago
That's pretty confusing. In NZ we used to have Primer 1 to Primer 2 (ages 5 to 6), then Standard 1 to 4 (Primary School ages 7 to 10 approx), then Form 1, Form 2 (Intermediate School), 3rd Form etc through to 7th Form (college). We still have Primary, Intermediate and College, but they changed the year names to be Years 1 to 13 (ages 5 to 17 approx). So, so much simpler.
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#2
Jennifer Forshee 4 years ago
My middle school started at 7:15. I had to catch the bus and 5:45.
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AbbiTabbi 4 years ago
That is SO early! I usually aren't even conscious until 6:30.
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Ian Bartels 4 years ago
They've shown that for high schoolers, it's better to start school after 9 am.
PurplePringle 4 years ago
No we ain't healthy. We are always tired and all this tiredness has cause me at 14 to look like I do drugs. I get up at 6:10 because the bus comes at 7:10 and school starts at 8:05.
Forty-Two 4 years ago
In Washington state it generally works like this: Elementary = 9:00 - 3:30, Middle School = 8:25 - 2:30, High School = 7:30 - 1:50
I'manoob! 4 years ago
Wait, are you talking Washington D.C or just Washington? cuz my high school( in just Washington) is: 10:00 - 3:00
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Xandra, The Little Hufflepuff 4 years ago
we aren't, mentally, we are at school from 7:00-2:20
#3
Caitlin Davenport 4 years ago
Yes, but the cheerleaders were just normal students, not stuck up and they didn't wear their uniforms in class.
4 years ago
At my high school on big game days the cheerleaders did wear their uniforms during the school day in class. Even in winter basketball season!
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Wanna-be Vegetarian 4 years ago
Most high schools do. They aren't anymore stuck up than anyone else, it depends person to person.
Aragorn II Elessar 4 years ago
Yes, and they’re always the super popular girls that are usually stuck up
Gwenda Christenson 4 years ago
Yes we have cheerleaders for different sports (different cheerleaders for football, basketball, and wrestling are the most common) -- no we are not all stuck up. It can often depend on the school and its general atmosphere.
WhatEvenIsLife 4 years ago
Went to HS in Texas, can confirm, it's exactly as batsh*t crazy as you think it is.
Perfumista Perfumista 4 years ago
I'm from NY. We had them, but with 1 or 2 exceptions nice enough and did not rule the school. The jocks were a different story.
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angie but who cares 4 years ago
yes to the cheerleaders being evreywhere but usally only the head cheerleader is f****d up
#4
Jamziee 4 years ago
Yes, because if you're in the hall without one, then you MUST be commiting murder (Sarcasm lads)
Imtiredandiwannagotobed 4 years ago
Yeah, as we all know, halls are riddled with spears that shoot out like something from Indiana Jones, and hall passes are the only thing keeping us alive
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ArtistinResidence 4 years ago
I’ve had students start fires when they were supposed to be going to the bathroom or escape and start walking down the highway etc. The school is legally liable for the student. Keeping track of where your students are is very important because if there is an incident you know where your students are at that moment. Yes, it is necessary because you need to monitor the students. 90% of them are doing what they should and the other 10% could be crapping in someone’s locker. We also have cameras to monitor hallways and cafeterias. Most schools are very large here.
Ian Bartels 4 years ago
At our school, we have SOOO many kids that skip class, and they aren't smart enough to actually leave campus.
ProfessionalTimeWaster 4 years ago
Not American.....but it's pretty obvious.....a lot of kids use bathroom breaks to roam around. Hall passes ensures kids are not misusing such breaks to bunk classes.
Dilly Millandry 4 years ago
Wouldn't the teacher notice when they don't come back? Though in my school you used the bathrooms during the break and didn't really need to leave the class unless ill - and then that was made obvious and so wasn't a problem.
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Sean Harrison 4 years ago
It's more about control and teaching the kids about obeying authority.
Rosanna Jackson 4 years ago
Well in a country that loves guns and shooting children halls are actually dangerous
backatya 4 years ago
you must not know about guns and even afraid of inanimate object. Also you're a person with freedoms life gives. It's there for the same reason the colonist used it against the British rule
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Lillian Jimenez 4 years ago
It depends on what school. I went to a "ghetto" school and you were required to have a hall pass but in my new school that's on the ritzy side of town, you don't need one.
#5
Charlotte A. 4 years ago
In Sweden it starts in august and ends in june. Nothing odd about it, to me.
Ally McGurk 4 years ago
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. 4 years ago
It's based on farming! Most farming is done by the end of August. Before that kids are needed to help in the fields.
Bonnie Jarrett 4 years ago
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.
Dave P 4 years ago
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
Whawhawhatsis 4 years ago
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!
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
Our school year starts end of January and ends in early December.
Kayla J 4 years ago
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.
Aragorn II Elessar 4 years ago
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.
#6
Anthony Goldstein (female) 4 years ago
We wrap them on our birthdays. It's fun!
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Lillian Jimenez 4 years ago
We're not allowed to use lockers so we carry EVERYTHING in our backpacks. My back will never recover.
Anxiety! at the Disco 4 years ago
We have lockers in our homerooms, and we aren't allowed to use our backpacks throughout the day. We have to carry all our books, and aren't allowed to visit our homerooms between most classes. I'm surprised I still have stick arms -_-
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Eva Bryson 4 years ago
Well, you don't want to haul all your text books class to class. You need a place to store them. And you need a place to hang up your coat.
Gustavo Di Salvo 4 years ago
And how do you do your homework without the books? (assuming before internet)
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Emma Galbraith 4 years ago
you should have seen my locker. it was covered in more home made laminated cartoon characters than you could draw in a year
Christian Bradshaw 4 years ago
Mine are red, but people hardly ever use them
Load More Replies... Imtiredandiwannagotobed 4 years ago
I like carrying my bag around over the locker, but, when the school says something, who am I to argue *proceeds to put lights on my tin foil covered locker to blind the school in protest*
Angela Jester 3 years ago
Why is it weird to have a secure place to put your things? There are a lot of heavy books,supplies for things like art classes,gym clothes for changing out or after school sports, and lunch if you've brought it. You want to carry all that all day?
Dogs_are_cool 4 years ago
wait y’all use yours? ours are for decoration we don’t get to use them lol
#7
Gwenda Christenson 4 years ago
Yes -- since America is mostly rural, many students can live anywhere between 10, 20, 30 miles from the school they need to attend. Personally my school district was two different towns. Why would you make all of the parents shuttle kids between towns? That would be a lot of traffic for no good reason when you can just use a few busses to move the kids around.
YosemiteCat 4 years ago
Yes so that there is a free way to get to schools and more students are able to attend
Just JoLynn 4 years ago
Kids also do that in the US, the ones that live too far to do it take the bus.
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alex but festive 4 years ago
yes, and s**t goes down in the back of the bus, it's a universal rule
Squirrelflightisawesome 4 years ago
And full of germs. Argh I'm so glad I don't need to go on the bus anymore......
Load More Replies... ArtistinResidence 4 years ago
Since most parents work in the United States most schools have a policy of bussing the students to school except for in the cities. You have to realize the United States is a huge country of diverse populations. Urban areas have schools that have public transportation whereas world schools a student may live as far as 20 miles away from the school. They also will bus for sports or if a student stays after for extracurricular activities. Usually by junior year many kids have their own cars and drive. For the others the bus is reliable transportation.
#8
Caitlin Davenport 4 years ago
They used to have E as a failing grade, but people thought it meant Excellent, so they changed it to an F.
Troux 4 years ago
This is what I've heard. Also there was some concern about how easily an F could be changed to an E by a sneaky student.
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SimplySarcastic40 4 years ago
we had an E...and it was lower than F...i never understood that (no i never got either one)
Hailey Scullen-Miller 4 years ago
wait what i thought e was good like you passed without a certain percentage grade like the teacher pretty much just said "you can go" without actually grading you WHAT IM STUPID
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Amy Watson 4 years ago
There are a couple grading scales. The letter scale (A,B,C,D,F) is usually based on numerical scores or averages. There's usually a performance scale for things like kindergarten, behavior, band/chorus, etc. E in that scale is "excellent" or "exceeds expectations." The other grades on the performance scale are usually things like S for satisfactory, N for Needs Improvement, and U for Unsatisfactory. A lot of our report cards use both scales. For example, an elementary school kid might get a B in math class and an S for behavior and effort/participation in the class. Or a high school kid might get a C in math and an S in band. So they skip over E on the letter grades to try to avoid confusion between E being "not quite failing but pretty darn close" and E being "Excellent- exceeds expectations!"
rgr8 4 years ago
It is because F stands for fail. A D is the lowest passing grade, so everything below that is a Fail, henceforth "F"
Maria Roberts 4 years ago
Not exactly sure why, but D is the lowest acceptable grade. After a D you fail, and F stands for fail.
Michelle C 4 years ago
E is mostly used in elementary school and used for "excellent" when you get in to highschool it's used for behavioral ratings. There's also S for satisfactory and NI for needs improvement
TheGr81sComing 4 years ago
we have As Bs Cs Ds Fs and some will have E for in between D and F or to mean that the work had Effort or was Excused
#9
Dana 4 years ago
I'm in Wisconsin, did your school have a "Drive your tractor to school day"?
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SimplySarcastic40 4 years ago
they're called extracurriculars and play a big part in university application process
Troux 4 years ago
Keeps the kids active and engaged, and often helps with parenting when the kid stays at school making art until 5:30, rather than coming home and needing a ride to a separate private art class after the parents get home from work.
DogMatic 4 years ago
Was the other way round for us. If we finished school at "normal" time, we could get the school bus home. If we did any extracurricular activities, there would be no bus available to get home afterwards. Those who lived further than walking distance, & whose parents has no car, or were busy working, had no way to get home if they stayed late for extra art/music/sport etc activities.
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Gwenda Christenson 4 years ago
Because we like our kids to be well rounded and have opportunities to do things. How else do you find if you like computer graphics, drama, cheerleading, etc.? We don't always calls them clubs though.
Bára Menhardová 3 years ago
A lot of other countries do it through "Youth centers" rather than schools. Kids still can do it, it's just a thing they do in their own time, rather than being related to their education.
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GC 4 years ago
Why no thanks? It’s not like you’re forced to participate. If you live in an area where some activity is common there is usually a club in school. I live in a popular golfing town so we had golf clubs ( no pun intended) but I hate golf so I didn’t join. Those who wanted to-did. A great activity for them. No thanks??
#10
BABY_FOX_ヾ(•ω•)o 4 years ago
If you live in Asia, or somewhere else, you eat in your classroom
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ArtistinResidence 4 years ago
Yes, we have cafeterias and selections of different foods. You get approximately a half an hour for lunch so you don’t really have time to go home and we don’t allow students out because we have had occurrences of them getting into accidents or getting stoned or getting drunk and then coming back or not coming back. Seniors usually have greater privileges and their own lunch area. We have staggered periods for eating so all students are in the cafeteria at the same time. For quite a few students who are uncomfortable with all that socialization there are teachers that usually allow them to eat in their rooms.
backatya 4 years ago
They got stoned? Who would throw stones at them? lol
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¡ Rachel ¡ 4 years ago
British here, every primary school i went to, and that my children went to, had a huge hall for assembly's that would be used for meals but no cafeteria. However all the middle / secondary schools had cafeterias.
Erin Kavik 4 years ago
Both my primary and secondary had large cafeterias. Most kids I knew exclusively ate school provided meals while at school.
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tangy chip 4 years ago
my cousins in mexico are still in grade school, and by the time they finish it is lunchtime, so they eat at home.
Gwenda Christenson 4 years ago
Where would you go to eat your lunch? Most of us can't go home (living 10+ miles away). Because school are mostly in rural areas there are no local places to eat. Some schools are actually located between towns - so the only thing nearby is a field.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
In Australia we eat wherever we can find to sit. We don’t have cafeterias but we have benches scattered around the school yard or you can just sit on the grassy oval. In primary school though a lot of kids eat their food in the class room for 10-15mins then after that they go and play in the school yard.
Load More Replies... Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
Nope, we sit wherever we can find a spot scattered around the school.
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Anarchy (they/them) 4 years ago
Some of them. Those are Scantron tests (or a version of that) and they make it easier on the teacher for grading. You are given a separate sheet of paper with all the questions on it and you answer on the Scantron sheet. Then the teacher ran it through a machine and it graded it. But in my experience those are usually used for finals or important tests, otherwise the teachers made and graded their own tests
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Caitlin Davenport 4 years ago
Only the really big tests, usually given by the state, not the school.
Imtiredandiwannagotobed 4 years ago (edited)
Standard tests (state official) yeah, other than that, not really
Blinding_Darkness 4 years ago
Never seen tests like these, I'm English. Are they multiple choice questions? If so, I wish I had them
Blackheart 4 years ago (edited)
Now they are online, with stupid directions like "Choose the best answer."
#12
Aunt Messy 4 years ago
Canadian here. They don't close schools in Canada unless it's been colder than -40C for three days in a row.
Anarchy (they/them) 4 years ago
Where I live the people are incompetent in ice and snow even though it usually snows every year so they don't want to risk people driving their kids. Also we get picked up in big yellow busses that are like three cars long and have horrible turning capabilities so that's not going to be the best thing to drive in snow
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Caitlin Davenport 4 years ago
Since schools are required to bus kids to school, if the roads aren't plowed and they can't pick the kids up, school is cancelled. That's why more rural schools get snow days more often; plowing is more difficult than in urban areas.
WhatEvenIsLife 4 years ago
Depends on where you are. Here in Texas, they close schools over even a little bit of snow, because no one here knows how to drive in it and they have a tendency to crash. A lot. I spent 2 1/2 years driving in Alaska, so I'm comfortable with it, but I would not be comfortable getting on the road with a bunch of other Texans in the snow. I'm guessing in Sweden, y'all are used to getting around in the snow. Not everyone else is.
Luther von Wolfen 4 years ago
In my rural county, buses picked up kids on dirt roads that would have been dangerous or impossible with snow. If buses can't run, no school.
Blackheart 4 years ago
For many parts of the US there is not enough snow activity to justify the expense of snow clearing equipment like snow plows. For those areas, it makes more economical sense to close schools for the day.
Helen Haley 4 years ago
It really only happens in places that aren't prepared for heavy snow. A good portion of kids get bussed in, but if the roads aren't safe they have to call it. Since a lot of the US doesn't see deep snow on a regular basis, they don't invest in the infrastructure to deal with it.
Anthony Goldstein (female) 4 years ago
I like in a place that never snows. The cancel school over a couple flakes, because they don't want us to get trapped in the school, and our buses and power and whatever can't handle more than a few inches.
cassiushumanmother 4 years ago
Yes. when i was in a boarding school in the north of France we had mixed feelings about snow... If the snow was previsible, sometimes the school drove the boarders back home before the snowfall (school had its own buses) and when the snow was a surprise, we could be stuck for the weekend at the school, YAY! Option one: the student leaving near the school was jealous of boarders for skipping school, Option 2: a weekend in an empty strict boarding school where everything was forbidden
Load More Replies... Gwenda Christenson 4 years ago
this only happens in the places where they don't normally get snow - because the roads aren't safe to drive on. It would be like southern Spain or Portugal getting snow. It doesn't happen often and people don't know how to drive safely in it.
#13
Imtiredandiwannagotobed 4 years ago
Because we put all our budget into our announcements and lockers
Piper Perez 4 years ago
When I was in elementary school wouldn’t eat the school lunches because I was terrified that the lunch ladies would poison me like in that one episode of Scooby Doo.
JessG 4 years ago
It’s food, and it’s edible. Some schools don’t even provide lunch. It may not be 100% healthy, or fancy, but it sometimes is the only decent meal a child might get. Most schools just don’t have the funding for nice, big meals, and that’s the government’s fault and sometimes the district itself.
Dave P 4 years ago
Because we dont have one single school, some have good food and some dont, depends on the district and school system
Gwenda Christenson 4 years ago
because our public schools are drastically underfunded and the head of our department of education is a total waste
N G 4 years ago
I have a secondary (related) question: are American students not trusted with actual plates and cutlery? Even in primary school our food was plated - the tray was a flat thing used to carry said plate, cutlery and drink to the table.
Lauretta Payne 2 years ago
Because these meals are government-funded, with tax money. Politicians try to jeep taxes as low as possible so they can get re-elected. They are more concerned about themselves than the services taxes are supposed to support. So, these meals are done for cheapness - not nutrition. MANY of our schools are severely underfunded, with out-dated textbooks, and teachers/parents having to supply paper, pencils, etc.
#14
Hilary Mol 4 years ago
I just laughed myself into a case of the hiccups. I salute you.
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Troux 4 years ago
This was actually the product of dairy lobbyists in the 1940's (I think?) who successfully convinced the government and public that milk is super healthy and needs to be on every breakfast and lunch menu.
Dave P 4 years ago
It was to keep Dairy prices from plummeting due to too much Milk production. But it is healthy for growing children. Kill two birds with one stone, help the dairy farmers and help kids get vital calcium as they grow
Load More Replies... N G 4 years ago
Prior to about 1986 primary schools in the UK were given milk in little glass bottles with a straw. Then a nasty woman in blue took them away.
Dilly Millandry 4 years ago
Thatcher Thatcher, milk snatcher! The system now is all maintained primary, infant, junior and secondary schools are now legally required to make milk available for drinking during school hours. Free school milk is available for under-fives. Over the age of 5 humans aren't 'supposed to need milk'. Not saying I agree with Thatcher... god forbid.
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Dave P 4 years ago
Because federal law requires Milk to be available at school meals, and fully funded by the USDA. While on paper it is there to promote health and calcium for school kids, the real reason is to help the Dairy Industry by the government buying up millions of gallons of milk, to help keep dairy farmers in business to prevent the market being flooded. Works out well, we have a thriving dairy industry and kids get calcium. Each of those cartons in 30% of the daily value for an adult of Calcium so really good for growing children.
alex but festive 4 years ago
lunch was wild though, they had us eating circles of mystery meat on processed bread with chocolate milk at 11:15 am
Jessica Cifelli 4 years ago
As a former American lunch lady, each lunch is supposed to be made up of 5 components ( veggie, fruit, grain, protein and dairy. Milk makes up that dairy component.
ArtistinResidence 4 years ago
Milk, it does a body good...It’s just a staple of the American diet but we also offer other things to drink if they don’t want milk, they don’t have to take it. No soda is allowed here in my state though, unless the student brings it themselves.
#15
Flare 4 years ago
Yeah, it's either "I can barely get the water to come out" or "the fountain spray is so strong that it made a hole in my water bottle"
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Harløw-Banditø 4 years ago
Yes we have them but they are gross AF because kids will put their mouth on the spout. But you’re allowed to bring a water bottle and they sell water bottles in the cafeteria so you don’t have to use one
Whawhawhatsis 4 years ago
They either put out a water stream that's barely half an inch (1 cm) above the outlet, or they shoot the water halfway to the ceiling. So you either have to get everyone else's germs trying to get the water out of a little bubble, or you get sprayed in the face. Fun.
(Dramatic music plays) 4 years ago
its not that cool when that one kids wraps their whole mouth around it to take a drink.
#16
The Zooble 4 years ago
Go to France - school lunches have 4 courses and they're really good quality
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Hailey Scullen-Miller 4 years ago
maaan the lunch at this one school i went to was soo good the cantaloupe here tastes like sterilizers and sleep medicine
I'manoob! 4 years ago (edited)
Same goes with our school's cucumbers, carrots, celery...basically all vegetables you see as you get your lunch. And sometimes the occasional apple :(
Load More Replies... Xandra, The Little Hufflepuff 4 years ago
They give us trash food, and give high schoolers elementary sized portions and expect us to get through the day on that
Phoebe Carter 4 years ago
At our school it is more like a buffet thing where you can pick what you want, like a panini, a waffle, and a bottle of Yazoo choccy milk. At least until corona. It was so good tho, always good quality food. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Oh and they had fresh sausage rolls too, and fresh pizza slices!
Angry Duck 4 years ago
Mine was closest to the bottom left except we had that shitty tru-moo chocolate milk or what ever it was called
#17
Anthony Goldstein (female) 4 years ago
We would look forward to getting to miss class so we could watch!
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JessG 4 years ago
Unfortunately the arts are drastically being defunded at schools. Many feel like sports are more important and that’s where the money goes. Some schools have it and some don’t these days. Support the arts people! It’s just as important, if not more, than sports. If your school doesn’t have drama and performances, then you’re seriously missing out
Xandra, The Little Hufflepuff 4 years ago
Yep! Theatre is my life, and I love it, I am so much happier since I joined theatre!!!!!
Blinding_Darkness 4 years ago
I'm from England idk if it's just my school but we have (had -corona) drama clubs where put on plays and shows and stuff
Lorraine R 4 years ago
Not all the time - we had a play in the fall and one in the spring. And a "talent show" at some point.
#18
Eva Bryson 4 years ago
Yes, teachers want you in class to learn, not loitering in the bathroom.
Marlowe Fitzpatrik 4 years ago
Are Germans just better behaved on general, or why is that not a problem here?
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PjandBolt 4 years ago
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
ArtistinResidence 4 years ago
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!
Caitlin Davenport 4 years ago
Not in high school. You can really tell; the more they treat you like you are in prison, they more you act like it.
Karin Gibson 4 years ago
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.
#19
SimplySarcastic40 4 years ago
yep...at least in the suburbs because most of us start driving at 16
John Topper 4 years ago
The key difference between the US and Europe is that in Europe 100 miles is a long distance and in the US 100 years is a long time. Everything is spaced much too far apart here to make walking practical.
Citizen Josie 4 years ago
We have more land. We don't have to live on top of each other. Only newyorkers live like that. They choose to do so.
Load More Replies... Gwenda Christenson 4 years ago
where else would we park our cars (the people who work there)? as for students, usually only for high school --- where else would you park? when you live 20+ miles away from school you have to drive or be bussed.
Calypso poet 4 years ago
Our high school parking lot was so big it was a common place for people to practice maneuverability or parallel parking for their driving test. It held at least 200 cars.
Sanne H. 4 years ago
We just had a huge bicycle parking lot. Since driving is only allowed for 18+ and owning a car is quite expensive in NL, most kids went to school by bike, even when living 20 km from school. My physical health was pretty good in those days :-)
Load More Replies... Angela Jester 4 years ago
Yes, because once they have their license if they have access to a car most kids drive themselves to school.
Troux 4 years ago (edited)
Americans are more individually dependent upon cars than most countries. This is not news. We also have dedicated parking lots for restaurants, public parks, libraries and all kinds of other facilities which might not have them in countries with stronger public transport systems.
#20
Maya Kuntz 4 years ago
No not ice, tiny wet folded paper towels in cling wrap that stay cold for approximately 3 seconds.
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Alex Bailey 4 years ago
They have school nurses in the UK too. Weird question (like many).
Load More Replies... cassiushumanmother 4 years ago
We have school nurses in France, and they give some medicin (paracetamol, pain relievers...some specials for the girls), allow us to sleep until we feel better... They manage treatments of insulin dependant kids, or other strong treatments needed by the students.
Whawhawhatsis 4 years ago
They used to. These days they don't have the budget; most schools are lucky to have one nurse who works for 6 or 8 schools. So the office secretary passes out the bandaids.
Michelle C 4 years ago
Yes..it's mandatory for school to have qualified medical professional to provide aid immediately if there's an emergency. Also kids on regular medications , they store and get their doses from the nurse.
David Gripon 4 years ago
Yes, we do. That's because American school misleads the students in many ways. In this case, it doesn't cost thousands of dollars and 2 weeks before a visit. It's immediate and free.
Bloxmakesgames2019 4 years ago
I am so confused. I thought all this stuff was normal this is hurting my head
#21
The Zooble 4 years ago
To be very honest, I'm English and I usually do page count rather than word count
Johnny 4 years ago
I thought the page count went out when writing on computers because common place. The page count made more sense when people wrote by hand since it's much easier to count pages than words, but now when you (and the teacher) can see the world count with one click, word count is easier.
Citizen Josie 4 years ago
Who cares? This sounds like a petty problem. Yo can fit 500 word single spaced on a page and 250 double spaced. So there you go. If someone ask you write a work in two pages double spaced now you know how many words you are writing.
Ian Bartels 4 years ago
I don't know. I've noticed that teachers are starting to do word count because with page count, it's very easy for students to adjust things like font size or spacing to make their essay appear longer.
#22
Anarchy (they/them) 4 years ago
I think they call us freshmen because we are new or "fresh" at the school. And seniors are seniors because they are the oldest
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GC 4 years ago
The word freshman, or fresh-man, dates back to at least the 1550s, and in the past was used to describe a “newcomer or novice.” The term is a compound of fresh (meaning inexperienced) and man. Its use to denote a first-year student dates back to the 16th century at Cambridge University.
Bill Skinner 3 years ago
I always assumed Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior, were all adopted from college ranking system that was common in English speaking schools.
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Julius Martin 4 years ago
because there fresh into highschool, its not that confusing, just think
Stannous Flouride 4 years ago
Yet although this practice seems uniquely American today, its origins date back several centuries to Cambridge where in 1688: The several degrees of persons in the University Colledges . . . Fresh Men, Sophy Moores, Junior Soph, or Sophester. And lastly Senior Soph.
Stannous Flouride 4 years ago
Freshman A child of Modern English, “freshman” dates back to the mid-16th century where it has invariably meant either “newcomer” or “novice.” Its use to denote a “university student in first year,” also dates to the 1590s. Sophomore Likely derived from folk use of two Greek terms, sophos, meaning “wise,” and moros, meaning “foolish, dull,” sophomore originally probably meant a wise moron! Dating back to the 1650s, by the 1680s, the term was used to designate university students in their second year of study, as well as an “arguer” – this latter use referring to the “dialectic exercises that formed a large part of education in the middle years.”
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Rue Dragon 4 years ago
"A child of Modern English, “freshman” dates back to the mid-16th century where it has invariably meant either “newcomer” or “novice.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/learned-fools-freshman-sophomore-and-the-rest
Joy Stowe 4 years ago
I was 15 when I started my senior year of high school and graduated when I was 16.
Load More Replies... #23
alex but festive 4 years ago
ah, yes, good memories of falling/sliding down it and burning the skin off my palms. :)
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LJ Robinson 4 years ago
Presidents Physical Fitness Test!! Anyone remember that? HAD to do it. Run a mile, climb a rope, balance beam etc... You about killed yourself for a little round patch you could sew on your P.E. uniform.
Kate Mac 4 years ago
The block to see how close you were to touching your toes...
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Lady Lava 3 years ago
Yes, in the Netherlands too, I was pretty good at it! One of the few things I was good at in the PE classes actually...
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#24
Anthony Goldstein (female) 4 years ago
as well as sing the pledge of allegiance. Do y'all have to do that?
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Emily Smith 4 years ago
No tv in my schools. Announcements were given over the loud speaker in all classrooms.
Nightshade1972 3 years ago
Sometimes the faculty does it, but just as often it's someone on student council.
MyWeird “WolvesGoTo” DailyLife 11 months ago
Not the principals unless it’s super important, if it’s the principal it’s probably them announcing a vape was found on campus or something
Lauretta Payne 2 years ago
Sometimes the administrators do it, sometimes, office staff, sometimes students.
Eunice Bentley 3 years ago
actually it is often the school secretary making the announcements unless it is something extremely important.
#25
Caitlin Davenport 4 years ago
So we aren't "distracted". Even rooms with windows usually had the blinds closed.
John Watson 4 years ago
My school was completely made out of glass. XD (in Germany) The building was U shaped so sometimes you could the friends in another class across the school yard.
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YosemiteCat 4 years ago
Weird my school has loads of windows so we have natural light and can look out to nature. I live on a mountain and a have a tiny school btw
Biana Vacker 4 years ago
Not all schools! The older elementary school I went to did, but the middle and high school where I live look quite nice. Both have nice architecture.
M O'Connell 4 years ago
It all depends on the architect who put the place together. From Kindergarten through 6th grade I was in a 1950s modernist building with floor-to-ceiling windows. 7th-8th grade was in a building from the 1910s with two very tall windows per classroom. High School was a 1970s building, with short windows end-to-end on one wall in each classroom.
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Glen Grabenstetter 4 years ago
I worked at a school in Baltimore that had almost no windows. The kids called it the "Shoe Factory".
#26
Caitlin Davenport 4 years ago
Not really. We have nearby schools we compete against in sports, but any rivalry is very light-hearted.
GC 4 years ago
Not when I was in school. Rivalry was real and strong. When my parents were in school it was worse. My Dad went to an extremely large school in Southern California. He was a stereotypical “greaser” with the cigarettes in the sleeves and his hair slicked back. A real trouble maker. On game night he and his buddies went to the rival school and poured a C ( for Chaffey High) in gasoline on their lawn and lit it on fire. Yeah. Not too smart. Luckily nothing happened.
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David Paul 4 years ago
We had a rivalry with two schools -- but no one ever got crazy like they show in the movies. Amother stereotype pf America.
Girl_In_Red 4 years ago
My school have a rivalry school but the students started the rival not the teachers.
The Harry Potter person 4 years ago
Yes. I have 2 high schools in my town. It's basically democrats vs republicans here.
MyWeird “WolvesGoTo” DailyLife 11 months ago
Vandalism from school rivalry from where I’m from is actually very common. Sometimes if you part in ONE school’s parking lot, kids from the OTHER school will steal from you or key your car.
Layla Holston 1 year ago
I'd say that at my high school we have a "rivalry" with escanaba. its a small town so this is like the only excitement we get.
Lauretta Payne 2 years ago
This is an outgrowth of sports competitions, and of social/economic disparity between school districts. In America, there are federal, state,, 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.
#27
Tequila4Two 4 years ago
I also seen them in Europe, this is not so strange. Mostly filled with snacks and sodas.
Petra Schaap 4 years ago
other question, where the F are you from, that you're suprised by this?
Phoebe Carter 4 years ago
Probably the UK, only colleges and sixth forms get vending machines here
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HyacinthTheRainWing 4 years ago
My school in Canada has two, and one has chips, candy, and fizzy water, and the other has juice and water.
Layla Holston 1 year ago
our food vending machines had the food taken out the year before I started. I was looking forward to the food. but our drink machines have zero sugar and diet and caffeine free sodas and waters and stuff.
Carly Romer 3 years ago
My high school did. We had the standard vending machine and a slushie machine… 😅
#28
Erin Kavik 4 years ago
Apparently, a few years after I left, my (British) secondary school buit a full sports centre, including an Olympic size pool.
n i k o 4 years ago
No, but my middle school has a tennis court that they rent out. Not a playground since middle schoolers are, "too old for that" so during recess you literally just walk laps. For an hour. They also were building a park nearby so after school you weren't allowed to go on it since if you were too loud the neighbors would complain to the school.
YosemiteCat 4 years ago
Not many middle or elementary but high schools yes mine has a swimming movie night one weekend in a while
#29
SimplySarcastic40 4 years ago
it's really not that often....at least when i went to High School there might have been max 2 per year....and they weren't for everyone. They were segmented by year...freshman dance, jr/senior prom etc etc and a few for major holidays
Mary Peace 4 years ago
In the films - I mean movies - it always seems like there are lots of dances because it's a good way for characters, especially teenagers, to get together romantically.
John Watson 4 years ago
In Germany there is ONE in 10 or 12 years. Depends on the school you go to after elementary school and usually it's the graduation event.
LJ Robinson 4 years ago
I have lived all over the U.S., and I can tell you, different areas of the country have different views on this. Some have Halloween, Christmas, Prom, Valentines Day and more, some have none. Depends on where you live.
Jakub Luberda - pisze 3 years ago
I got to "why do american schools have balls" and was very confused about gendered schools.
Angela Jester 4 years ago
Holiday dances and Proms are formal and others are casual. Some schools have informal dances a lot some schools only have a few formals a year. Because it's fun to get dressed up,hang out with friends,have something social to do,and why not?
Lauretta Payne 2 years ago
They don’t. When they do have a dance, most students do not - dance,.
#30
Roadkill The Brave 4 years ago
Not all of them. There's regional sports, some offer lacrosse, some have snowboarding or skiing, some have agriculture classes. It varies so much depending on where you are, what state your in or even what part of the state you're in.
Sportsgal 4 years ago
Not back in 90s. Myschool didn't even have soccer, which non-Americans don't get. Basketball, football, and baseball. That was it!
#31
SimplySarcastic40 4 years ago
They only cancel it if it happens in a place that normally doesnt get much snow. In places where snow is common, its business as usual. It rarely happened when i was a kid (we all secretly hoped that single inch of dust would close them down - but it maybe happened twice in my entire childhood).
Emma Klein 4 years ago
In Wisconsin public schools we have snow days 1-2 times a year.
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Troux 4 years ago
Pretty sure a Swedish school would be cancelled for life-threatening heat wave if they experienced an average August day in Miami.
YoyoSthlm 4 years ago
Oh nooo they wouldn't. I've NEVER heard of a school being cancelled here. Never.
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JustAWeirdoGirlChild 4 years ago
im in texas, we get no snow, so when we get a bit of snow, school is cancelled
Gwenda Christenson 4 years ago
Not all school in america close for snow - the schools in the northern and mountain states don't close -- only for really cold weather. Sounthern states, like Georgia don't have plows for the roads, and people don't know how to drive in the snow -- so they cancel.
Connie Martin 4 years ago
Depends on where the school is in the US. Northern states are equipped to handle large amounts of snow, so school cancellations are rare. Southern states tend to freak out at a few inches when they hardly ever see snow. Also, you don't want to be driving during a snowstorm in a state that hardly ever gets snow. The other drivers are bonkers.
#32
Caitlin Davenport 4 years ago
Candy was usually a very tiny part, if it was there at all. But it was the most exciting part!
Anarchy (they/them) 4 years ago
It was the smallest until I started packing my own lunch...
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RoseTheMad 4 years ago
I love how this person linked a tweet of a clearly british origin... "Primary" school? If they were american they'd say Elementary. Also Jaffa cakes should clearly signal that this is british.
Tim Welsh 4 years ago
Also the 'black currant flavored' Capri-Sun is a dead giveaway. Black currants were banned here in the US for most of the 20th century. There was some plant disease that damaged the logging industry. It think a few states can grow them now, but most Americans have no idea what they are.
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RuralAnemone 4 years ago (edited)
Because it's the only thing we've taught our children to eat and like
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Shelp 4 years ago
I'm European and I read each one of these facts thinking "wait... they do *what*??!"
Doggo 4 years ago
im american and reading these were like: wait other schools dont do that. its pretty cool to read this post and see other people's perspectives
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Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
I have no idea what anyone does outside exactly three countries, one of them US, and I think it's a case of "whatever is unfamiliar is weird" here. BTW, clubs at US schools were a great way to pad your CV to get into college/uni, and to not go home to shi**y circumstances. So I'm for the clubs. That 7 AM thing, eh, I grew up in farm country. We were up anyway!
Alex Bailey 4 years ago (edited)
Some of the questions were odd even to me in the UK. In most instances, in many countries, we all have various versions of similar things. Pools in some schools, water fountains in some, after school activities are common place (but not called clubs), ditto lockers. The only thing that stuck out for me was the time of day lessons started and that has pros and cons. Younger children are (usually) naturally earlier risers but there are studies that show older children benefit from later starts. I like hearing how other countries do things but I'd really like another country to take a turn. Bored Panda - why not take the focus OFF the US, just for a moment, and pick countries that are less known and maybe we can share info from them?
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angie but who cares 4 years ago
but how is having a parking lot wierd ??????????????????
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spirit wolf 4 years ago
Jeezzz relax!! Just because things are done differently here doesn't necessarily mean it's weird. I had the opportunity to go to schoo in different countries because of the nature of my parents work. I can tell you with great assurance that every one had their own way of doing things and that's all okay.
Aliquid A 4 years ago
A lot of the questions are "do American schools ___?". Which is a fair question... since these people's perception of American schools is from TV. Take cheerleaders for example. Do all American schools have cheerleaders? Or is it just a few of them, but cheerleaders make a good character for a TV show or a movie, so they get over-represented. Same with cafeterias, maybe only like 30% of schools have one, but since it makes such a convenient set, 100% of schools on TV have one.
Load More Replies... Roadkill The Brave 4 years ago
One trend I'm noticing, which is a frequent thing on 'People in the U.S. *insert here*' is that a lot of people posting don't seem to understand just how BIG the U.S. is. Cars are a culture here but of necessity. Public transportation may work in major cities but we have vast areas where you need a car. There is so much diversity in even what is available. I went to a K-12 school once where there were 22 of us my freshman class and we were one of the largest classes they'd had in years, and I've been to a school where my graduating class was over 2,000 people. Both those schools were in the same State just opposite ends of it. Canada gets it, but still, it's something people keep forgetting.
Doug Mullett 4 years ago
Australia - nearly the same size as the USA and public transport does work for students - dedicated school buses.One school I taught at (P-12) had the first student picked up before 7:30 and dropped off by around 5 - a long day if you're 5! All except three students came by bus (those three lived next to the school and were always late!) Our catchment area was well over a thousand square kilometres. In suburban areas where, especially in primary school (P-6) most parents will drop off and pick up, traffic is horrendous at those times and far more dangerous. Walking, riding or public transport is far safer for everyone.
Load More Replies... Petra Schaap 4 years ago
im not from the States but think this is super silly. Ofcourse Sweden doesnt cancel school when it snows, pretty sure they wont in Alaska either, pretty sure not only schools close, but all hell breaks lose if it will ever snow on Hawaii.... :-D
Aliquid A 4 years ago
You can say that again. If you are FORCED to pledge allegiance, then are you really "free"?
Load More Replies... AnInrovert 4 years ago
I live in Canada... we do some of these. Some of these just seem... plain weird...
Shelp 4 years ago
I'm European and I read each one of these facts thinking "wait... they do *what*??!"
Doggo 4 years ago
im american and reading these were like: wait other schools dont do that. its pretty cool to read this post and see other people's perspectives
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
I have no idea what anyone does outside exactly three countries, one of them US, and I think it's a case of "whatever is unfamiliar is weird" here. BTW, clubs at US schools were a great way to pad your CV to get into college/uni, and to not go home to shi**y circumstances. So I'm for the clubs. That 7 AM thing, eh, I grew up in farm country. We were up anyway!
Alex Bailey 4 years ago (edited)
Some of the questions were odd even to me in the UK. In most instances, in many countries, we all have various versions of similar things. Pools in some schools, water fountains in some, after school activities are common place (but not called clubs), ditto lockers. The only thing that stuck out for me was the time of day lessons started and that has pros and cons. Younger children are (usually) naturally earlier risers but there are studies that show older children benefit from later starts. I like hearing how other countries do things but I'd really like another country to take a turn. Bored Panda - why not take the focus OFF the US, just for a moment, and pick countries that are less known and maybe we can share info from them?
Load More Replies... angie but who cares 4 years ago
but how is having a parking lot wierd ??????????????????
Load More Replies... spirit wolf 4 years ago
Jeezzz relax!! Just because things are done differently here doesn't necessarily mean it's weird. I had the opportunity to go to schoo in different countries because of the nature of my parents work. I can tell you with great assurance that every one had their own way of doing things and that's all okay.
Aliquid A 4 years ago
A lot of the questions are "do American schools ___?". Which is a fair question... since these people's perception of American schools is from TV. Take cheerleaders for example. Do all American schools have cheerleaders? Or is it just a few of them, but cheerleaders make a good character for a TV show or a movie, so they get over-represented. Same with cafeterias, maybe only like 30% of schools have one, but since it makes such a convenient set, 100% of schools on TV have one.
Load More Replies... Roadkill The Brave 4 years ago
One trend I'm noticing, which is a frequent thing on 'People in the U.S. *insert here*' is that a lot of people posting don't seem to understand just how BIG the U.S. is. Cars are a culture here but of necessity. Public transportation may work in major cities but we have vast areas where you need a car. There is so much diversity in even what is available. I went to a K-12 school once where there were 22 of us my freshman class and we were one of the largest classes they'd had in years, and I've been to a school where my graduating class was over 2,000 people. Both those schools were in the same State just opposite ends of it. Canada gets it, but still, it's something people keep forgetting.
Doug Mullett 4 years ago
Australia - nearly the same size as the USA and public transport does work for students - dedicated school buses.One school I taught at (P-12) had the first student picked up before 7:30 and dropped off by around 5 - a long day if you're 5! All except three students came by bus (those three lived next to the school and were always late!) Our catchment area was well over a thousand square kilometres. In suburban areas where, especially in primary school (P-6) most parents will drop off and pick up, traffic is horrendous at those times and far more dangerous. Walking, riding or public transport is far safer for everyone.
Load More Replies... Petra Schaap 4 years ago
im not from the States but think this is super silly. Ofcourse Sweden doesnt cancel school when it snows, pretty sure they wont in Alaska either, pretty sure not only schools close, but all hell breaks lose if it will ever snow on Hawaii.... :-D
Aliquid A 4 years ago
You can say that again. If you are FORCED to pledge allegiance, then are you really "free"?
Load More Replies... AnInrovert 4 years ago
I live in Canada... we do some of these. Some of these just seem... plain weird...
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