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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

scultator Report

GC
Community Member
4 years ago Created 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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    #2

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    morosexuaI Report

    konnarw1
    Community Member
    4 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    mine starts at 8:00 till 3:00

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    #3

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    bieberexhale Report

    Caitlin Davenport
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created 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

    chromaticaution Report

    Jamziee
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created 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

    hilaryagro Report

    Charlotte A.
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created 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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    #6

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    ShadyFennec Report

    #8

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    Nonisbitch Report

    Caitlin Davenport
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created 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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    #9

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    kirstyclyne Report

    GlassHalfWay
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yep, even a snowboard & skiing club in the Midwest.

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    #10

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    Iivingxproof Report

    ramen noodle
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    huge, loud, head-ache inducing cafeterias.

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    #11

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    bettesbich Report

    Anarchy (they/them)
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    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
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Only the really big tests, usually given by the state, not the school.

    Imtiredandiwannagotobed
    Community Member
    4 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Standard tests (state official) yeah, other than that, not really

    Blinding_Darkness
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Never seen tests like these, I'm English. Are they multiple choice questions? If so, I wish I had them

    GC
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Certain computers read those

    rgr8
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have never done a test like that.

    Blackheart
    Community Member
    4 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Now they are online, with stupid directions like "Choose the best answer."

    Bunzilla
    Community Member
    4 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    not always. I can't speak for everyone but I've never done one of them. I think it's easier to do digital standardized tests (anyone ever done the NWEA?) or something

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

    Depends where and which schools. Some places use the scantron and some do not. The purpose of the scantron it the teacher feeds the scantron into the machine, the machine checks it agains the computer where the teacher had the answers in and autogrades it. Makes grading multiple choice easier on teachers

    YosemiteCat
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yes conserving paper so that not ever student gets a massive packet for a test

    ズムᄃノ
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yes i remember taking one of these.

    Lauretta Payne
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yes, it’s true. It is done to automate test scoring, so teachers don’t have to grade exams.

    Madeleine Howard-Frank
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    One teacher deuces it would be funny to many 4 versions of a test but each test you got you got all A’s or all B’s and so on depending on test version you got.

    Green Eyed Raven
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Now they are computerized - not scantron

    Amy Reusch
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sometimes-many have switched to testing on the computer.

    Cybele Spanjaard
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    gosh, hit or miss? We still have questions and answers

    Just me
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Multiple choice is just not good enough as it gives the students the possibility of guessing too much. Really don't understand they keep doing it.

    Little Epic12
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yeah..... if you didn't fill the bubble correctly, it was marked wrong

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

    They are computerized. (Graded by a computer)

    Lira Mai
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So it is easy to check in the machine

    DetongLhamo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Being given a set range of options doesn’t encourage analytical thinking.

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

    Not for a while. Some were this way. Some were not.

    elfin
    Community Member
    Premium
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Some are, some aren't. This makes grading multiple choice questions easier. Machines can scan the answers. I have also had essay questions or questions requiring me to show my work to solve a math problem.

    BananaJo
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wished my tests were like that. I don't have to waist limited suply of brain energy

    Chrissie M.
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    .. which you could use for your spelling ;o)

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    BeenElle
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It’s more sanitary to eat in a designated area. Eating in your classroom or random spots is going to lead to more vermin (e.g. bugs, rats, mice).

    あんぱんまん
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    ... just why... we only have A, B, C, D

    Marilyn Bojanowski
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not like normal school tests, but like big, end-of-school tests yeah

    Emily Smith
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yes. And you have to hope you don't go cross eyed while taking it. Accidently skip one line and ALL your following answers will be wrong! Teachers have hundreds of papers to grade and often don't have the time to commit to it. This was done to make grading tests more efficient since you just program a machine with the answers and let it do all the grading.

    Amber odom
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    not all mine. Literature and english, no. Math yes.

    Lord Mysticlaw
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Tbe only test line that I've ever had was for my drivers licence

    Seth Linn
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Standardized testing is a horrible plague here in America. The students don’t matter, only their test scores matter. People at the top of our education system aren’t usually actual educators, they are just bureaucrats.

    Whitney Anderson
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    sometimes. But sometimes you have to write words

    JessG
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is used at the teacher’s and schools discretion

    Sasha Kuleshov
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Those are called Standardized Tests, here in México we called Open Book tests :D

    Kristin Malliet
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is usually only for standardized tests. That way, a machine can score them quickly.

    Whawhawhatsis
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    They are now. When I was in school about a thousand years ago, we only had major tests on rare occasions that were like that -- the SAT, for example, which is a test most students going to college have to take because the numerical grade you get determines a lot about where you can get into college. By the time my kids were in school, they had fill-in-the-circle tests for EVERYTHING. And the ballots I fill out are like that, too, in my county, so I filled in a circle to vote for president last month. I felt like I was back in school!

    Alethia Nyx
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Australia has multiple choice tests like that too. Usually state given tests. Do other countries not?

    sylvantic
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    the OLSATs in 2nd grade were, but all the other standerdized tests are online.

    Csaba Horvath
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This method is widely used in other countries too, as it's good for machine evaluation.

    Angela Jester
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yes, the "standardized" tests which are supposed to see if students are meeting benchmarks for their grade levels. Sadly, when my own kids were in school, I noticed they were only being taught to pass those tests. Their education was much narrower than mine, so I made sure to round it out at home. Other parents may not have the time, money, energy or education themselves to do that. So lots of kids grow up missing out on how to learn because they've only ever been fed facts to remember. I hope that made sense.

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

    some are -- not all. we also have to write essays.

    ArtistinResidence
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That’s an easier way of scoring for teachers when you have multiple answer test but most test also include the essay questions which have to be scored differently. A New York State regents testing is graded by a multitude of teachers from different schools in the area. That is the highest level of testing we do.

    Meami
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    C'mon. Really??? Only some are like that.

    Kevin Doyle
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The sheets are placed into a machine called a Scantron machine which then grades the papers at a rapid rate based on the Teachers predetermined answer key. No I did not make that up... we used them in Canada too.

    LJ Robinson
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    These are the kind of tests you take once a year to gauge your knowledge. They are given by the state your school is in. These tests will determine the school's grade, where tax monies should go, teacher reviews and all sorts of stuff. They are read by computers.

    Taylor Hartman
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yes, and they are the absolute worst. I envy anyone who never took one of these types of tests.

    AroAcePanda
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yeah, and you fail the thing if you put the smallest mark outside of it

    RavenClaw
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    use to try to connect the dots

    Adem Townsend
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yes, when you have 4 of the same letter in a row then something is off.

    Soph the Loaf
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Only the super official ones, and even then I only took those in lower elementary school. Still slightly traumatized from obsessing over filling in the dot perfectly.

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

    My tests are way too subjective

    Noelani Stevens
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And I hate it if I can't make the circles perfectly colored in.

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    #12

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    argentdols Report

    Aunt Messy
    Community Member
    Premium
    4 years ago Created 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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    #13

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    wintersfalcvn Report

    Imtiredandiwannagotobed
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Because we put all our budget into our announcements and lockers

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    #14

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    insatiate0 Report

    GlassHalfWay
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Because a gallon would be too heavy on the lunch tray.

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    #15

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    lisaislovesick Report

    #16

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    http_taehyungs Report

    Brett
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wish I had school lunch that good

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    #18

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    CryinInATaxi Report

    Eva Bryson
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created 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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    #19

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    alienrat Report

    SimplySarcastic40
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yep...at least in the suburbs because most of us start driving at 16

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    #20

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    _smell_ya_later Report

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    #21

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    sapphicnile Report

    The Zooble
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created 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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    #22

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    LazarusRags Report

    konnarw1
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yeah i wondered this and are the woman stale or something lol

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    #24

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    livculture Report

    #25

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    bollobas Report

    Caitlin Davenport
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created 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

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    unsaidalex Report

    Caitlin Davenport
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created 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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    #27

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    prostrider Report

    SimplySarcastic40
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    we had an apple machine...for $0.20 you got an apple.

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    #28

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    hemsbucky Report

    Brett
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The high school I’m going to does

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    #29

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    aidansarson7 Report

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    #31

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    00lisa0 Report

    konnarw1
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yeah sorry but you should move to america.(JK)

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    #32

    American-Schools-Weird-Things-Non-Americans

    ThaumPenguin Report

    Caitlin Davenport
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created 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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