LONG DAY
In North American schools, students study full time – from 8 am to 4 pm – and there is no night shift. Each class lasts approximately one hour and there are six or seven subjects per day. In American schools, students study full time. In total, it’s about eight hours of grating.
INDEPENDENT
By the time of high school, which is called high school there (from 9th to 12th grade), most students already have a driver’s license and go to class driving their own car – in the US, a driver’s license can be taken at 16. Students are also free to go for a walk during breaks
NOMAD STUDENTS
In high school, teachers welcome students into the classroom. The guys don’t have a fixed portfolio and need to carry the material from one class to another. It is because of the coming and going of people and material that there are lockers in the hallway, where you can store your belongings.
– After the Columbine attack in 1999, some schools installed metal detectors to avoid shooters
LUNCH TIME
Break is for students to have lunch. It takes place between 12 and 14 hours. At the trays, students line up and pay, on average, US$ 2 for lunch. Students who cannot afford to pay receive a grant from the school
WANT MORE?
In addition to elective classes, students can join study clubs after classes end. In them, there are courses such as leadership, writing and political debate. All of them can give credits to the student, but if you are hung up on a subject, the school can refuse your application.
SCHOOL YEAR
The American school year begins in August or September and ends in May or June. Their holidays are in July (to enjoy the summer), with a few days off between Christmas and New Year’s.
YOU ORDER
In the US, students choose what they want to study. There are required subjects such as math, English, science, history, economics, and US government. The rest are optional classes, such as art education, music, sports and theater. In certain schools, it is possible to learn garden care, carpentry and cooking
PUNISHMENT
There are six types of punishment for disruptive students. They range from the simple communication in the notebook, which needs to be signed by the parents, to detentions, in which the student needs to stay for a few hours or even a whole Saturday at school, studying. And there are also suspensions and expulsions, the same as in Brazil
-Among optional sports, soccer can only be played by girls, while American football is exclusive to boys
THE BULLETIN
Starting in the fifth year, grades in the US range from A to F:
A – From 90 to 100 points
B – From 80 to 89 points
C – From 70 to 79 points
D – From 60 to 69 points
F – Below 59 points
SOURCES Jennifer Olvera, American journalist; Vishal Sareen, lawyer; Ken Trump, president of the US National School Safety and Security Services; US Department of Education website