Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
Teen From The US Reveals What It’s Like For An American To Attend An Aussie School
Lara Fourie is an American TikToker and social media influencer who moved from Texas to Melbourne in 2017. The teen has been attending an Aussie school there since, but the whole experience was like nothing she was used to back in the States.
So she made a series of TikTok videos that have since gone viral, describing the exact culture shocks about the Australian school system. From everyone being totally fine with swearing to being able to go outside during the break, these are some of the differences that shed light on how these two big cultures deviate in profound ways.
Scroll down to see what Lara has discovered there below and to all our beloved Aussie pandas, hit us in the comments with some more cultural differences you have in mind!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
A B C 4 years ago
Because most countries have a more reasonable gun policy than the US.
Load More Replies...
fire bug 4 years ago (edited)
I live in the US and most schools don't have metal detectors. Yes some do, but not the majority.
Walter Horezga 3 years ago
Same. I associate that with the worste of the south and ghettos. Just being honest
Load More Replies...
Tarryn Louise 4 years ago
Correction - You CAN have guns, but you must be licensed and they must be stored broken down and ammunition must be kept in a different safe to the gun. Random spot checks by authorities can and do happen at anytime of the day / year and you can face jail time or a hefty fine for not complying.
Zhaoheng Liu 3 years ago
My friend's school have metal detectors and security has to check your backpack or else you won't be allowed in
Load More Replies...
Bored Panda reached out to Lara, the TikToker and RMIT University student in advertising who’s behind this viral video, who said she moved to Australia four years ago with her family. “My dad was an engineer and his company moved us all around the world. We’ve lived in Texas, New York, and Singapore as well,” she added.
“The culture shock was definitely the hardest thing to become accustomed to. People are simply different in other countries, not good or bad, just different,” Lara recalled and added that “the concept of change for me overall was the hardest.”
When asked what American things she misses the most, Lara said it’s “Chick-Fil-A, a fast food restaurant with the best food in Texas that you can’t find in Australia.”
RELATED:
#2
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
In some confined very poorly ventilated space without windows...
Load More Replies...
Queen Jackson. 4 years ago
Not after middle school for me. Just a lunch break and (maybe) study hall.
Load More Replies...
Aroha 4 years ago
When I was in school, we had 15 mins break for every 45 minutes of teaching. And yes we could, and kind of had to go outside. It's good for the brain :).
James Pointer 4 years ago
Had this in Wales, 45 minute lessons, hour lunch and if I recall correctly, two 15 minute breaks. We weren't allowed out the school grounds but you could go outside... My other school was same in England, but hour lessons so minus a lesson per day.
Load More Replies... Stephanie Did It 4 years ago
No way. Recess is a standard part of American school days, up to grade 9 st least.
Laura Pantazis 3 years ago
Recess stopped for me after the 5th grade. Middle school (grades 6 - 8) didn't have recess.
Load More Replies... Rick 4 years ago
I’m confused...wasn’t there an American 90s cartoon called Recess which was literally about Recess?
Laura Pantazis 3 years ago
Elementary schools get recess, but middle and high schools do not.
Load More Replies...
Luna Lovegood 4 years ago
Not after elementary school, which typically ends when you're 11.
Load More Replies...
Natalie Kudryashova 4 years ago
When I went to school in America 20 years ago we had recess and went outside for it. Is that now gone?
Jen Gregory 4 years ago
No it is not gone. This thread is annoying... lies. Recess still very much exists in America... at least until 9th grade. After 9th, you may not have a class devoted to physical activity but you still get to go outside between classes if you wish. Anyone saying otherwise is full of 💩
Load More Replies...
#3
In Australia, students can pretty much get away with swearing in class, swearing in front of teachers, that kinda stuff, in America, that was not tolerated at all and it was straight-up detention.
Marcellus the Third 4 years ago
America: Swearing = terrible, nudity = ab-so-lu-te-ly wrong, violence = mostly fine. Aussies invert that scale to Swearing = fine, nudity = absolutely fine, violence = mostly terrible.
Load More Replies...
Láďa Durchánek 4 years ago (edited)
Australian c*nt and American c*nt are two totally different words.
MagicalUnicorn 4 years ago
swearing, especially creatively, is sign of intelect, plus c*** in this case is compliment
El Dee 4 years ago
I doubt they really DO swear in front of teachers but I think it is simply put in perspective better in Australia. And the 'C' word in Australia is the same as in Scotland. It counts as 'mild ribaldry' and is generally not directed at women at all. It just means 'person' and usually a 'silly' one. It can even be complimentary as in 'He's a goodc*nt him' (NB it's often compounded with other words)
CalicoKitty 4 years ago
Despite cursing in public being a finable offense in some states, most Australian children casually swear in conversation. They fear no god.
Geoff CB 4 years ago
Same in Australia, I don't know what school that was!
Load More Replies...
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
The c word is often used as a term of endearment. Swearing in class is not usually acceptable, maybe at the school she went to but its not normal.
In many schools across the US, metal detectors are something teens and school staff go through every day. They were first used in a Detroit High School during the 1989-1990 school year, so they’re not an entirely new concept as many would like to believe.
However, recently, more and more schools are implementing the use of metal detectors on their sites due to the rise of school shootings. They serve as ugly reminders of the problem of violence in the US, and how sadly, the leaders have failed to ensure safety of their young generation without such extreme measures.
#4
So in America, I woke up at 6 am every morning so I would be picked up by the bus at 6:30 for a 7 am start at school. Whereas in Australia, I start high school at 8:30 in the morning
Aroha 4 years ago
7 am start?!? In Finland my high school started at 8, 9 or 10am depending on which classes I chose...
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
8:30 is even considered early in Australia lol. Average school start time is 8:45-9am.
Monday 4 years ago
how blissful...here in SA we had our schools start at 07:30....but the on the flipside it ended at 14:30.
Load More Replies... 
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
This is a major problem-high schoolers want to start later, but they have more activities like sports and if school started later, things would go on until late in the evening. Lots of high schoolers also have jobs after school.
Nightshade1972 3 years ago
Can confirm. My HS, in suburban Houston, TX, went from 7:30a-2:30p. That's so the students who had jobs could start work at 3.
#5
Buying lunch at a cafeteria is a lot different to Australia as well. The cafeteria usually only makes a meal of the day and they only have a few snack options that are usually are all processed. We also have vending machines at school and a lot of them have soda, whereas in Australia, they have a canteen. They have so many more options and the food is way better overall.
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
Because you probably do not live in a country where schools have to find ways of earning money on their students by selling them unhealthy snacks.
Load More Replies...
Kiki 4 years ago
In France if you want snacks you have to go outside. Our canteens are very healthy and it is something we care about very much! People have been advocating how it is for some kids coming from poor backgrounds their only healthy meal of the day so we only get vegetables and meat/fish with bread and yogurt/fruits. It helps kids to get used to healthy meals so that once adults they keep that habit :)
Gingergirl 3 years ago
Most Australian public school canteens must meet healthy meal standards so no sweets or soft drinks.
#6
This is the most generic Texas school outfit. And this is pretty much every Australian school outfit for girls
CalicoKitty 4 years ago
The check dress isn't super common past primary? A lot of secondary schools, especially the private ones, are either blouse and skirt or a generically tailored dress.
Jo Firth 4 years ago
The good old checked dress was at every high school I attended (all 5 of them).
Load More Replies...
Lilly Rose Poppy 4 years ago
For anyone who doesn’t know what the tye dye shirt is. It’s from a giant gas station called bucees. Here is a link to the web site. https://buc-ees.com/
Stephanie Did It 4 years ago
Buc-cees (pronounced Bucky's) is a gas/rest stop/deli/store/souvenir shop where you can find virtually anything, great food for the road, presents for the folks back home. It's an experience!
Load More Replies...
Elle Malkamäki 4 years ago
I’m so thankful to be Aussie and have a school uniform! I couldn’t imagine having to decide what to wear everyday, and I can just picture the judgy girls if you weren’t wearing the right labels, no thanks, f**k that!
Ella Greenman 4 years ago
mmmmmmmmmmmmm nah, in tx at least where I am in dallas, we get uniforms for high school as well
Heather Hayllar 4 years ago
It is much better for girls and boys to wear a uniform, they don't have to compete for beauty competitions
At the same time, there isn’t a lot of research about the positive or negative safety or social effects of metal detectors in schools. A study published in the journal of the American School Health Association detected mixed results as one study found that less students carry weapons to schools with metal detectors than the ones without them, though it’s not entirely clear how and if that translated into less violence in those schools.
Moreover, some experts claim that in more severe and lethal cases of mass shootings, metal detectors will do little if any good. Some believe that students in line for the detectors and the operators would likely be the very first victims.
#7
In America it's mandatory to take a second language, a sport, and an art subject. But in Australia you don't have to.
Beans 4 years ago
You have to take a language class in Australia, you just don't need it to graduate and can drop it in your later years for subjects you will use in university
Load More Replies...
George-Florin Constantin 4 years ago
The second language is a very good thing. A third one is even better. I studied German starting from the 2nd grade, English from the 6th grade and French for 3 years in College. My foreign language skills have been the best advantage when applying for a job. Since I started working in 2003 (legally), I haven't had a single jobless day. If the state is willing to invest in your foreign language skills, freakin' take advantage of that as much as possible! I am talking, of course, about states where education is free (or most of it), including college. Also, sport is good for your health (I had sport class all the way from kindergarten to college graduation) and art can't hurt, it might even make you a better human being.
Data1001 4 years ago
Not mandatory "in America". Maybe in your school district. But after a certain grade, you didn't even need to take Phy(s) Ed, and certainly not an art subject or a second language. You did need to take English classes, at least up to a certain point, lol.
Cory Tollman 4 years ago
My school had PE everyday unless you were out for a sport. (USA in the 80s). The second language wasn't required and no mandatory art classes. English, literature and writing pretty much and ongoing thing.
Load More Replies...
aleksandra 4 years ago
in Serbia I had Italian, English, Latin and Serbian classes all 4 years
Jarno Flinkers 4 years ago
Over here in the Netherlands we have 6 in some cases. Dutch, English, French, German, Greek and Latin.
fire bug 4 years ago
This is not mandatory in America. Maybe only in the school she went to in the states.
Queen Jackson. 4 years ago
It mandatory for at least 3 years for my (u.s.) high school.
Load More Replies...
Amy Connell 3 years ago
Around here, sports are not mandatory. That's weird. Art for at least a semester is and foreign language is generally just one of the options for credit.
#8
So in American high schools, you have 7 classes a day that are 45-minute periods. At the beginning of the day, in first period, we would say the pledge of allegiance. The whole entire school would do this during morning announcements, we would turn to the flag that was in every classroom and we would go like this: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, individual [sic], with..." blah blah blah blah blah. I can't even remember anymore. So yeah, the whole entire school would do that at the exact same time, and then we would take a moment of silence for one minute where the whole entire school would be dead silent for a whole minute. Whereas in Australia, it's a bit different. In Australia, you have 4 periods a day that are an hour and a half, and at the beginning of the day, we have something called home room. We have houses like in Harry Potter, and pretty much every student from all different grades gets put into a certain home room
Eslamala 4 years ago
The pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence. In a free country. Oh, the irony!
Gracie Jay 4 years ago
Once again, I’m in rural Oklahoma, we only did the pledge in grade school, no moment of silence (sometimes if there was a school death and we did one after 9/11) and we all had home rooms before actual classes started. I’m not sure she’s American, lol or maybe rural Oklahoma if vastly different from her home state.
Potato 4 years ago
Some people think the pledge makes american brainwashed or some other bs, bur it was mostly just an annoyance to me
Tuna Fish 4 years ago
Where in America did this chick go to school. We had 4 classes a day, stopped saying the pledge in third grade, had recess, wore uniforms, and home room was the first class of the day. I lived in New Jersey and Mississippi during school. It looks like she is just looking for reasons to be different.
Lynn Morello 4 years ago
It has definitely changed. we used to have 6 classes per day except Wednesday, when we would have 3 classes in the morning and then Sports all afternoon. Yes In Australia.
Just Your Regular Avocado 4 years ago
The period lengths are very different from school to school. Homeroom isn't actually used everywhere.
#9
In Australia we have a 20-minute recess and an hour-long lunch, both of which you spend outside, whereas in America, we only got a 45-minute lunch and we spent it in a cafeteria
CalicoKitty 4 years ago
It's not always 20/60. My first highschool was 15/45, and my second flailed around from 15/30 to 30/60 depending on the day.
Halestorm 4 years ago
American high school student here. I get a single break during the day. That is lunch. It is 20 minutes long, including travel time. That’s it. We all think it’s ridiculous, but there really isn’t much we can do about it. Kids who go through the lunch line sometimes only have five minutes (or even less) to eat. Honestly, it’s insane.
Jazzy Mc. Jaz 4 years ago
lunch 20 min no recess before covid there was one little picking table where one social clique sat
Amelia Bedelia 4 years ago
20 minute lunch at my high school. Most days I was lucky to sit down and get a bite or two before I had to throw it away and go back to class.
Dasha Slepenkina 4 years ago
It depends on where you are though. I went to HS in California. We got recess and lunch and spent both outside. There wasn't even really a designated eating area; people just sat on benches or claimed hills for their group.
Another problematic aspect of metal detectors at schools is that they destroy trust between school officials and students. Often, the students are the only ones being screened, which may suggest they are being treated as potential threats.
Also, it’s well known that metal detectors are not foolproof. In September of 2008, in Milwaukee, a 15-year-old female student was stabbed several times in a restroom on the same day a $50,000 metal detector debuted at the school. Even though it’s not entirely clear whether the stabbing suspects had or had not been screened, the question of whether such a deliberate monitoring measure is effective remains open.
#10
One of the biggest differences is the size of the school. Just for a bit of context, I lived in Texas, so our schools were huge. This was our football stadium/makeshift track. This is one of our three gyms. Our water tank. One of the pools. The district football stadium. And part of our performing arts center. Because you can get your license at 16, most of the students drove to school, and because we had around 5000, there was also a 3-tier parking lot. Also a band hall, orchestra hall, and two auditoriums. We also had a softball and a baseball field, and multiple soccer fields as well. We also had a separate cafeteria for every grade. Whereas Australian schools tend to be a lot more open. In America you spend the whole entire day inside, whereas in Australia you get a lot of time outside
A panda-gineer 4 years ago
I'm getting the sense that when she says "in Australia", she means "at this particular Australian school". In the US, my kids go to an open concept school.
Ozacoter 4 years ago
Thats the whole point of the post. It is about HER experiences. Not a scientific study about both countries.
Load More Replies...
Lisa Shelton 4 years ago
The high school I went to, 35 years ago, was an open campus with quad buildings so you were outside whenever you weren't actually in class. I hate when people judge the entire US on their experience in one small area they grew up in.
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
Her experience in Texas is not typical for the US. In New England, we don't have most of this stuff.
Graham Baker 4 years ago
at my school, we have a main building and a football field with a track wrapped around it and then a soccer field nobody uses in the back. we also have a small area around the side that's about the size of a classroom and all of the middle school goes out there at once. it's cramped.
Load More Replies...
Nightshade1972 3 years ago
The HS I went to in Houston, TX was open-concept, multiple buildings, when I went there (started sometime in the 1940s with just one building, and kept expanding). A few years ago, the district tore down every single building over the summer and used the land to build one giant four-story building, each floor representing one grade level. I'd have been happier if that had been in place when I went there.
Paulina 4 years ago (edited)
Why so many sports-related areas?! 😲 In Poland most schools have ONE (maybe two if you're lucky) gym-room, roughly the size of a basketball court and some outside area for other sports - track, football field or sth. We just get general exercises twice a week and if you want to play sports semi-pro that's an after school activity.
RoseTheMad 4 years ago
I feel like this probably depends on size and the school architecture in general. Some schools in the UK are tiny dingy ass places, but a lot in my area got rebuilt into bigger more open light (at least modern and a lot more windows) though of course this differs everywhere. My own secondary school was split into 5 seperate buildings (Main block, which had cafeteria home ec/cooking, assembly halls, and music classroom/practice rooms. Block A which was the English/Math/RE/History block, Block B which was the Science labs/Other classrooms, then Block C which held the art, tech/engineering, IT and Library) .... which is kinda unusual for a UK school where it would normally be 1 big building in most cases
#11
In America, this is what the lockers look like. They're either halfway or full length. We also had the option to bring our backpacks to and from class if we wanted to. Whereas in Australia, at least the high school I went to, this is kind of what the lockers look like. They're a lot smaller
Kiki 4 years ago (edited)
In a lot of schools in France there is no lockers at all haha. You have to hope you live not far or just deal with the weight for the whole day ^^
Ozacoter 4 years ago
I spain too. I always envied anerican kids with the lockers. They should be obligatory to not force kids yo carry 20kg of books every day up and down. We couldnt leave our books in class because people stole them so you needed to carry them all the time with you.
Load More Replies...
Just Your Regular Avocado 4 years ago
Most of us didn't have lockers and just carried everything around. :/
Tarryn Louise 4 years ago
In MOST Australian schools we do not have lockers. I never did in any school and my kids never have. I have a 18yr old, 15 yr old 4 yr old. None of them ever have had one
NinjaWolfy94 4 years ago
Was about to say this. I've been to a few different schools over my childhood and none of them had lockers. My college had them, but this is school is MADE for year 11 and 12. As far as I know, most of my cousins and friends over Australia have gone to 11 and 12 in their high school (with no lockers). But we really did need them in college...
Load More Replies...
Mz Phit 4 years ago
My son's high school - one of the largest in Southern AZ-got so overcrowded that they had to remove all the lockers from the halls, so people could walk from class to class without having to crowd surf. It sucks, the kids have to carry everything with them all day long. And those books are crazy heavy!
Giaan Beeltje 4 years ago
I didn't even think lockers were a thing in Aussie schools. None of the schools I've seen have them, you take your bag to every class and carry the stuff you need for that day.
Sam Chilton 4 years ago
That's so that only the smaller snakes and spiders can get in there. You wouldn't want anything bigger jumping out at you when you open it.
#12
In America we have 7 subjects that we take and we have 7 40-minute periods every day, whereas in Australia, I only take 5 subjects and we have 4 periods every day that are an hour and a half
Eslamala 4 years ago (edited)
Where I live, a "class hour" is 45 minutes long, but they're usually in blocks of two, so you get 1.5 hour periods, but after the first 45 minutes you get a 5-10 minute break.
Evelyn Haskins 4 years ago
You need to say not jut your State, but also your school Except for Science practical classes most schools do NOT have 'double periods" because the kids lose attention. Perions can vary in length between schools. Queensland tends to have longer periods than NSW. 40 minute versus 30. Sometime I think that the longer ""periods"' are not all class time , but allow time to move between class rooms for different subjects and time to go to your lockers. In schools this there are two bells, End of one lesson-- break -- beginning of the next. Even at Universtity the lectures are only 50 minute long. Give you time to get from one lecture to the next!
Load More Replies...
Luna Lovegood 4 years ago
Yeah, I've been to schools that have done both in America
Load More Replies...
Ciara Stone 4 years ago
I had classes like this growing up, I think it's called block scheduling or something? We'd take four classes a semester, have a final then go on Xmas break, the new semester was a whole new set of classes
Jen Gregory 4 years ago
This girl can't keep her lies straight. She's already contradicting herself from #8 . For all the non-Americans reading her silly post, just know that she is assuming ALL High Schools in America are the same as the one she attended. None of the High Schools where I live (also in America) are ANYTHING like what she's been describing. Personally, I think she's making it up as she goes.
Giaan Beeltje 4 years ago
It depends on the school, some have 7-6 classes a day and some have 4. My first school (prep to 10) had 6 classes, 3 in the morning, 2 mid-day, 1 in the afternoon. My senior school had 4 classes with a 30, 45 and 15 minute break between.
Gingergirl 3 years ago
Our local high school, in Australia, has 6x50 minutes periods with 8 subjects.
Sandra Givens 3 years ago
Block scheduling is a thing in many US school systems, so four 90 minute periods a day are what they do.
#13
So in Texas high school, we have homecoming. Homecoming is the start of the football season and we celebrate by having a homecoming dance. These things right here, they're called mums. Basically, if you've been asked to homecoming by a guy, they will give you a mum and you will wear it on the day of homecoming. It looks ridiculous seeing everybody walk around school with these giant things on. And yes, I did wear one on homecoming, and yes, it's still in my closet. We also have prom and Sadie's dance. Sadie's is my favorite because it's the Valentine's Day one and the girl asks the guy out. Whereas in Australia, at least at my school, we have a year 10 formal and a year 12 formal and it's usually organized by the students outside of the school. In America, there are so many options for electives. We have everything from orchestra to flower arrangements
Aunt Messy 4 years ago
She means a Sadie Hawkins dance.... Americans don't even know their own traditions any more.
Buggycas 4 years ago
Sadie Hawkins is when the girl asks the guy out. Homecoming is after the first big football game
Load More Replies...
Scott 4 years ago
Texas is a completely different beast. I had a huge culture shock moving to the Houston area from Colorado, almost as bad as she's describing when moving to another country. Mums are not a nation-wide thing, never saw them in New England, the Mid-Atlantic coast, or in the Rockies. Homecoming was a thing everywhere I was, but we also had junior and senior proms, Sadie Hawkins dances, etc.
Stina Kolling 4 years ago
Yeah that whoel "mums" thing is definitely only a very local tradition for her.
Load More Replies... Giaan Beeltje 4 years ago
My year 12 formal was horrible. My school decided to be cheap and got the year 7 hospitality classes to cook our dinner and desert instead of getting actual caterers. There was a pork and chicken option, I can't remember what the pork was but the chicken was battered in crushed Doritos, both were horrible and barely any of it was touched. The desert was Coles brand box brownies and meringue nests with canned whipped cream and passion fruit. All we had to drink was horrible town water or canned soft drinks, we didn't even have music for most of the night cause the sound system failed. Most of the students ended up going to Mac Donald's or KFC afterwards because every one was hungry. Not worth the $200 my parents paid for that shitty night.
Stina Kolling 4 years ago
Upvoting for the interesting look at an Australian formal. Sorry your night was shitty.
Load More Replies...
Phica Afton 4 years ago
I'm planning to have my female wear tuxedo on homecoming, with my male friends wearing a dress, and my non-binary friends wear a T-shirt with pants (or whatever they prefer)
Gracie Jay 4 years ago
This is not representative of the US in general, it must be a Texas thing. And we have to formals also (where the budget was set by the class that graduated the previous year) 8th grade prom and junior/senior prom. I don’t know what the mum thing is. From OK here.
Potato 4 years ago
I'm Texan and I had formal and the two proms. Still unsure what a mum is.
Load More Replies... Jen Gregory 4 years ago
Homecoming signals the (almost) END of our football season in my part of America. It usually doesn't take place until mid-October and football season starts in August (ends in early November)
NinjaWolfy94 4 years ago
Some schools in Aus also have socials, just mini discos basically. I didn't have them in any of the primary schools I went to, but in high school there was one every year. Though a few of my cousins in another state don't have them at their school. It varies of course.
Clearly sunny 4 years ago (edited)
Americans over celebrate everything, it's good and ridiculous at the same time.
RoseTheMad 4 years ago
in the UK we only really have casual (or costumed at halloween) school discos in primary school, and then nothing in secondary until you finish school and have your Prom. xP
#14
In Australia, we don't actually have hallways, so in America, to get from class to class, you go through the school, through your hallways, whereas in Australia, everything's outside other than your classrooms. Lunch, recess, we also have recess, but it's all outside.
Hayley Futter 4 years ago
Same in New Zealand, which actually sucks during winter... Luckily in my later years at high school our tutor teacher would let us stay in our home room during the breaks cause we were part of the academic classes. (Basically talented students)
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
God Yes, only on the coldest of cold days might a teacher relent and let us inside for lunch! Otherwise it's outside, like some arctic explorer in the winter! (South island, lots of lovely freezing southerly winds lol)
Load More Replies...
Susan Egan 4 years ago
I ran into this moving from NY to FL. Short square lockers and open halls in FL a real pain when it rained or got cold. Some times the rain would be blown under the over hangs so there was no way to keep dry without an umbrella and the "halls" were to crowded to use one.
Lilliann Brown 4 years ago
Actually, there are a lot of schools in America with no hallways. Everything is outside, other that classrooms.
Just Your Regular Avocado 4 years ago (edited)
It was a nightmare to cross my high school during the rain, the only covered hallways were constantly packed in between periods.
#15
Everyone knows that American public high schools don't have a uniform, but we do have a dress code. Pretty much, you couldn't wear tops that were less than three finger lengths for the sleeves, and your shorts had to be below finger length. When we had gym or sports, we had a separate uniform that we were given, and we would get changed in the locker rooms before class. Whereas in Australia, the typical uniform looks something like this. We called this formal uniform, and on the days we had gym, we wore our PE uniform, that looked something like this. I've also heard a lot of schools in Australia have a "no hat, no play" policy, but I wouldn't know, because I didn't go to elementary school in Australia
CalicoKitty 4 years ago
Yeah if you let the kids out without hats they catch fire and spontaneously grow extra limbs. The sun hates you, it is Not Your Friend
Blep The Third 3 years ago
I'm an Aussie, couldn't have said it better xD
Load More Replies... Just Your Regular Avocado 4 years ago
We tend to call it primary school in Australia and that rule is legendary among Aussie kids.
RiverStyxJix 4 years ago
Does anyone else know the little jingle that came with the "no hat, no play" saying? Something like, "🎶 No hat, no play, no fun today, so pack your bags and run away. 🎶" My primary school did that. Interesting message, now that I think about it.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
We used to sing the slip, slop, slap. Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat. We even had the posters put up in each unit. Now Seek shade and slide on sunnies have been added since.
Load More Replies...
Gingergirl 3 years ago
Primary schools have a no hat, no play policy during summer months where I live
Jen Gregory 4 years ago
This girl needs to be banned from ever making stupid posts like this again. Does she REALLY think every High School in America is *exactly* like the one she attended? Again, her experience at one school does not dictate the experience of ALL American High Schools. Bless her heart for not knowing that.
Glynna Bowood 4 years ago
Skin Cancer is off the charts in Australia hence the hat requirements to play outside.
#16
So in America, we have water fountains and that's the equivalent to these, which in Australia, they call them drink taps, and they look like that.
Stina Kolling 4 years ago
how do you even use that, it looks like an eye wash station, what is this i don't even
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
They work like a normal drinking fountain. You push a button and water comes out the top. You lean over and drink.
Load More Replies... Tarryn Louise 4 years ago
It's called a bubbler mate.... what the f**k is a drink tap HAHAHAHAHAHA
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
I have always called them either drinking troughs or drinking fountains
Tarryn Louise 4 years ago
I never used the term 'trough' for them,.... sounds too much like a piss trough
Load More Replies...
Martha Higgins 4 years ago
Again, every school in the U.S. is different as to pretty much everything.
@llarafourie Culture shocks I had when moving to Melbourne! #australia #america
♬ Wii Shop Channel - McTweet
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Aahzmandus Pervect 4 years ago
Again with the TikTok screenshots. This is getting so stupid, BP.
Data1001 4 years ago
Haha. "Hey, creating original content is HARD, you guys!" ~ BP, probably
Load More Replies...
Kurt Vognar 4 years ago
Just because her school in the US was like that does not mean all schools in the US are like that.
rehanne garvey 4 years ago
Its horrific that American schools have metal detectors and school police. Scary
Gracie Jay 4 years ago
Not a reality for some Americans, surely I’m not the only American that hasn’t experienced these things? No metal detectors, no cops at school.
Load More Replies...
Russell Davison 4 years ago
I went to school in the us for 12 years and I never saw 1 metal detector in a school.
Gracie Jay 4 years ago
Oh thank you!! I thought I was loosing my mind!! I haven’t either. In any school. What state are u from? I’m in OK
Load More Replies... Logic and Reason 4 years ago
My US high school was much closer to the Australian one. We went outside and could leave campus for lunch, class periods were an hour and a half long, lockers were tiny, ect.
Beans 4 years ago
When I was in Seattle I saw HS kids go out for lunch all the time off campus
Load More Replies... Gracie Jay 4 years ago
Well, overall, I would say, Oklahoma must be more similar to Australia than it is to Texas:) which I am 100% cool with😎
Brandi VanSteenwyk 4 years ago (edited)
This frustrated me to the point that I couldn't read it all in one setting. 99% of these items DO NOT apply to the very-populated area of the US in which I live. And I am sure many other Americans can say the same thing. Most of these things being attributed to the differences in countries are in fact, differences in areas of different countries. In the US, systems vary city to city, county to county, state to state, region to region etc. I am betting the same thing applies to Australia. To give the impression that these apply to the entire United States is abhorrent. The purging of incorrect information gives the US a bad image.
labaguette🥖️🥖️ 4 years ago (edited)
I’m Australian. I read the metal detector thing. I am confused and horrified.
Livingwithcfs 2 years ago
Makes me wonder if some of the reasons for school shooting in the states is that the kids are indoors all days from early morning. Lots of short classes where I expect tge kids bearly have time to start learning before it's time to move on, also to get enough learning done to pass a general years work in a single subject will mean long hours of homework... Basically these kids aren't allowed to be kids, get fresh air and rest... a teenager brain needs both if these in large quantities as they are still developing. Their education is basically turning these kids into neurotic time bombs. I honestly feel for them
Aahzmandus Pervect 4 years ago
Again with the TikTok screenshots. This is getting so stupid, BP.
Data1001 4 years ago
Haha. "Hey, creating original content is HARD, you guys!" ~ BP, probably
Load More Replies... Kurt Vognar 4 years ago
Just because her school in the US was like that does not mean all schools in the US are like that.
rehanne garvey 4 years ago
Its horrific that American schools have metal detectors and school police. Scary
Gracie Jay 4 years ago
Not a reality for some Americans, surely I’m not the only American that hasn’t experienced these things? No metal detectors, no cops at school.
Load More Replies... Russell Davison 4 years ago
I went to school in the us for 12 years and I never saw 1 metal detector in a school.
Gracie Jay 4 years ago
Oh thank you!! I thought I was loosing my mind!! I haven’t either. In any school. What state are u from? I’m in OK
Load More Replies... Logic and Reason 4 years ago
My US high school was much closer to the Australian one. We went outside and could leave campus for lunch, class periods were an hour and a half long, lockers were tiny, ect.
Beans 4 years ago
When I was in Seattle I saw HS kids go out for lunch all the time off campus
Load More Replies... Gracie Jay 4 years ago
Well, overall, I would say, Oklahoma must be more similar to Australia than it is to Texas:) which I am 100% cool with😎
Brandi VanSteenwyk 4 years ago (edited)
This frustrated me to the point that I couldn't read it all in one setting. 99% of these items DO NOT apply to the very-populated area of the US in which I live. And I am sure many other Americans can say the same thing. Most of these things being attributed to the differences in countries are in fact, differences in areas of different countries. In the US, systems vary city to city, county to county, state to state, region to region etc. I am betting the same thing applies to Australia. To give the impression that these apply to the entire United States is abhorrent. The purging of incorrect information gives the US a bad image.
labaguette🥖️🥖️ 4 years ago (edited)
I’m Australian. I read the metal detector thing. I am confused and horrified.
Livingwithcfs 2 years ago
Makes me wonder if some of the reasons for school shooting in the states is that the kids are indoors all days from early morning. Lots of short classes where I expect tge kids bearly have time to start learning before it's time to move on, also to get enough learning done to pass a general years work in a single subject will mean long hours of homework... Basically these kids aren't allowed to be kids, get fresh air and rest... a teenager brain needs both if these in large quantities as they are still developing. Their education is basically turning these kids into neurotic time bombs. I honestly feel for them
You May Like 38 Australians Share Culture Shocks Tourists Get While Visiting 42 Wonderful And Crazy Facts About Australia 30 Americans Living In Canada Reveal The Differences Between The Two
Shelly Fourer
Karolina Kondratavičiūtė
Ieva Pečiulytė
Related on Bored Panda
