Remember that nervous feeling on report card day as a kid? You spend all day with a racing
mind wondering what grades you got. Straight As? Some Bs sprinkled in there? Oooh…will
Mom and Dad be mad about Cs and Ds? Or – heaven forbid – did I get any Fs?? Hold on…why
isn’t there a grade E?? Well, the short answer is that F simply stands
for “failure” on the grading scale since “failure” begins with the letter F. Teachers
didn’t want E to be interpreted as “excellent” beyond primary school, as percentages come
in when you’re in middle school, high school, and college. Poor lonely E!
The other letters in the grading scale are generally considered passing grades, although
D is also a failing grade in some schools. Every district is different. But, in general,
the logic is that by skipping the E, F is set apart as a failing grade. So, in most
schools, if you get an A, B, C, or D, you pass. An F means you failed that class.
But the poor E wasn’t always excluded! The first school to use a grading scale model
similar to our modern one was a school in Massachusetts called Mount Holyoke College,
an all-women’s university. In 1887, their scale went from A to E, with E as the failing
grade. A year later, the F was added, (what? to kick you while you’re down?) A student
received an “F” if their overall performance was below a 75%. Before the F was added, it
was the E that stood for this lowest performance. The college made this change to their grading
scale to allow a little wiggle room – to give students one more passing letter grade.
Once the F was added, E meant that the student’s performance was between 75 and 79%, which
was still considered passing. As this grading scale grew in popularity across
the U.S., the E was eventually removed to simplify the scale, as F intuitively stood
for “failure.” The percentages that signify each letter grade differ between school districts
in the U.S., but F is still that failing grade. Differences in the grading scale has become
a hot topic recently, because now grade point average, or GPA, comes into play; there’s
a question in some districts whether a 90% is an A or a B; parents are concerned whether
their school’s grading scale is fair and comparable to the College Board…but that’s
another video! How about some other fun facts about U.S.
schools? 1. Our Measurement System
Yes, yes, it has to be addressed. The Standard Measurement System is still taught in schools,
while the rest of the world uses the Metric System, which many believe is much easier
to understand. In the USA, it is taught that there are 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a
yard, et cetera. Maybe the U.S. will catch up with the rest of the world one day. Or
vice versa! 2. Dress Codes and Uniforms
Only about 20% of U.S. primary, junior, and high schools require uniforms; besides at
these few, American students can generally wear what they want to school, although each
school will have their own dress codes. Requiring the midriff and most of the shoulders to be
covered, and for shorts and skirts to be a certain length, are two pretty standard examples
of common American school dress codes. Clothing that displays anything inappropriate in the
design, such as offensive language, is of course not allowed. In college, though, there
is much more freedom, and all bets are off as far as clothing goes!
3. The Structure of the U.S. School System The U.S. school system starts with preschool,
which is actually somewhat optional, then kindergarten, which a student would ideally
start at about age 5. Then comes grades 1-5 and sometimes 6 (aka “elementary school”);
next comes junior high, aka middle school, which is grades 7 and 8 – sometimes middle
school is grades 6-8; it all depends on your school district. Then finally comes high school,
which is generally grades 9-12, with the goal of finishing 12th grade at age 17 or 18. In
the U.S., there are a variety of ways that you can complete your high school education
– you can go to school online nowadays, or attend public or private school, even home-school
– but each of these grade levels must be completed before you can attend college.
4. The American Academic Year American students spend about 180 days a year
in school. This is in the middle of the road; there are countries where students attend
more days of school, and countries where students attend less. As far as breaks go, summer break
is the longest break that American students have, usually lasting 9-10 weeks starting
in June, depending on the district. American students also get a Fall break, a winter break,
and a Spring break. That sounds like a lot of breaks, but the American school day itself
is longer than in some other countries. School is typically from 8am-3pm, or some small variation
of that timeframe, attending Monday-Friday. The point is, the American school day is almost
as long as the standard 8-to-5 American work day!
5. America’s First School is Almost 400 Years Old!
The original 13 American colonies opened The Boston Latin School, America’s first public
school, in 1635. It’s still standing and functional today! The school has prestigious
admission requirements, and it regularly performs better than other elite schools in Boston.
But not every student that has passed through this historic school’s doors has been a
success – one of its most famous dropout is Benjamin Franklin! Their motto is Latin
for “We are first.” Talk about “old school”…haha!
6. Early U.S. “Academics” Early American schools didn’t teach subjects
like reading or science; the early colonists wanted to teach their children more about
family and community values so that they could be productive members of society. I mean,
in 1635, the colonies were a pretty young society, so it makes sense that teaching their
children about the foundations of community was a very integral part of their education.
7. Pre-School Earlier I mentioned pre-school being part
of the American educational system. If U.S. parents want their child to “get ahead,”
or just to acclimate them to a social learning situation, enrolling their child in pre-school
at about 3 or 4 years old is considered ideal. It prepares the child for kindergarten, and
gets them in a school routine. A choice of a full day or a half day is usually offered.
But in the last few years, fewer and fewer 3-year-olds are being enrolled in pre-school.
In 2016, only about half of 3-5 year-olds were enrolled in some kind of full-day preschool
program. This percentage is much higher in European countries.
8. The U.S. Workplace and Higher Education About 85% of current jobs in the U.S., and
90% of new ones, require some college or post-secondary education. It used to be that college was
the only smart option for high school graduates in the U.S., but now the demand for technical
schools and skilled tradesmen and women – and by that I mean automotive workers, welders,
plumbers, and members of similar necessary fields – are on the rise.
9. Field Trips Most experienced U.S. teachers agree that
field trips can and should be an integral part of a student’s education. Students
get many benefits from educational field trips. Museums, a theater to see a play or concert,
and art galleries are all good examples of fun and educational field trips. Most teachers
agree that field trips like these is one of the best ways to apply what students have
learned in the classroom setting to the real world. Field trips encourage creative and
critical thinking, observation skills, and promotes cultural understanding. Plus, students
are making fun memories with their friends! Do you have a story about a particularly memorable
field trip? Let’s hear about it down below. 10. School Sports
American schools offer a variety of after-school activities, but joining a sport team is probably
the most popular. Most schools offer football (the American kind), basketball, wresting,
tennis, volleyball, softball, and baseball. Where possible, there is a boys’ and girls’
team. These sports are a big deal, especially football and basketball; the whole community
comes to watch their school’s team compete against other schools in the district. It’s
exciting and promotes school spirit! The football and basketball teams will have cheerleaders
too – a squad of mostly girls who dress in a uniform with pompoms and do routines
to music to cheer their team on. 11. Relaxed Classroom Environment
The American classroom is a pretty relaxed place to learn! Students are still expected
to raise their hands when they want to talk or ask a question, but generally, open discussion
is encouraged. Students and teachers often joke with each other, and exchange high-fives
in the hallways. Teachers also make a big effort to work with those students who need
extra help, like staying after school, or coming in early if a student has a question
about homework, a paper they wrote, or something discussed in class. Teachers will also offer
“extra credit” too, if students are really struggling.
12. Each State is Different The most unique thing about U.S. education
is that each state is going to be a little different. That’s 50 different states who
all have multiple cities and counties that are homes to our schools. There will be differences
in grading scales, testing requirements, class structure, rules…pretty much everything!
No school is in the U.S. is the same! And that’s the beauty of it: since the U.S.
has that separation of state, each state can appoint its own panel of educational rule
makers.
Ah yes, high school memories. I remember I was in that half of the class, that made the
upper half possible. I’m so proud!
Hey, if you learned something today, give this video a like and share it with a friend!
And here some other videos I think you’ll enjoy; just click to the left or right. And
remember: stay on the Bright Side of life!