Funny
20 Strange Things About American Schools That Seem Alien To Outsiders
Cafeteria, cheerleaders, and milk cartons.
American schools, what are they really like? Are everything TV shows and movies show really how these colleges and schools are? Do all the schools have these lockers to keep your stuff instead of bringing them home from school? Is eating at the cafeteria a thing everywhere else or just in America?
People from the UK, Europe, and everywhere else couldn’t curb their curiosity and shared some questions on Twitter. American schools are pretty weird!
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The average start time for schools in America is 8 am. But did you know that Finland, which has a higher success rate in education, starts school after 9 am? School ends around 2-3 pm. It is almost unheard of for students to be held back a year unless it is an exceptional case. Research has proven it’s detrimental to start school early.
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The bigger a classroom, the less likely it is for teachers to tap into every individual’s potential. In Finland, every student can be taught by the same teacher for 6 years. This allows teachers to draw out their planning according to the students’ needs. It’s not just about cramming information into their brain but really help them understand the materials and enjoy learning.
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Holistic learning is achieved in Finnish schools because they truly stress the importance of no-stress. Students have longer class and break periods and have enough time to decompress. Rankings are obsolete to remove competition and pressure on the students. Even standardized tests almost don’t exist, except for one at the end of their high school year.
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About 30 years ago, America held the top spot in terms of quantity and quality of high school diplomas. But in 2015, the nation is ranked 36th in the world. The top three positions have been taken over by Shanghai, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Interestingly, these countries have some of the most brutal studying time and competition, starting as early as 7 am.
