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Message board > How do schools work in your countries?
How do schools work in your countries?
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cgato
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How do schools work in your countries?
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Hi!!
If you have the time could you tell me how do your schools work?
Here (at least at my school) we start at 8:15 am and finish at 6:30pm. My students (9th year- 14 to 15 years old) have about 37 hours classes ( our classes are divided in 45/90 minutes). They only have one afternoon and one morning free or two mornings and two afternoons.
Besides school many parents put them in extra activities such as music, sport or English.
They tell me (the best students) they don �t have time the time they would need to study and do their homework. And I agree with them!! They also need time to talk, be together, enjoy themselves, go to the cinema, listen to music, read...
Does this happen in your countries? Do your governments just want to keep students at school from early morning till late afternoon, just so that parents are free to do whatever they want to- work or go to the caf�?
I don �t feel that keeping students at school is going to better education... it feels more like a prison. To those students who don �t care it �s more or less the same, but to the ones who want to be good, fantastic students, it �s really stressful. And I feel sad and worried because they have been with me for two years...they are a kind of "my" little boys and girls.
Again, if you have the time, tell me how do schools function in your countries?? Is the main purpose TEACH or just keep them in school?
Thanks for your time.. for reading this! 
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17 Sep 2009
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mjpa
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Here in Spain most secondary schools start around 8.30- 9 in the morning and end at about 2.30-3. Students just have lessons one afternoon a week (about 2 hours and a half).
As for primary students, it depends a lot on the school. They start about 9.30 - 10 until 12-30- 1 and in the afternoon from 2-30 to 4-30 - 5 (more or less). But there are some schools which have a continued timetable. They start earlier in the morning and do not have afternoon lessons.
But it depends a lot from one place to another.
And it�s very common, specially for younger children to have many different extra activities such as sports, languages, music, horse-riding and so on. SOmetimes it surprises me how many different activities they attend. It�s incredible. Some mothers just devote their whole time to carry their children from one activity to another one.
As I said before, this is quite common with young students. After a few years, they often focus on one or two activities and just devote their time to them. |
17 Sep 2009
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Allisa
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Here, in Bulgaria, students start their classes at 7:30 am and usually finish them at 13:25 (at least my students - they are 14-17 years old). So they can choose what to do in the afternoons. Some of them practise sports, others attend language schools and prepare for Cambridge certificates. However a lot of them just lose their time in front of the computer. I can �t tell which is better - your system depriving students of their freedom to choose what to do in their free time or our system which gives them too much freedom.
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17 Sep 2009
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Adryenn
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Hi!
I teach in a Hungarian primary school. The pupils are between the ages of 6 and 14. We start at 8 o �clock every weekday. Pupils have 4-8 lesons a day. One lesson lasts for 45 minutes. Pupils go home from school between 11:40 and 16:00. My class (8th grade, 13-14 year-old pupils) has 29 lessons a week.
In secondary schools pupils usually have 6-8 lessons a day.
Adrienn from Budapest |
17 Sep 2009
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tejchka
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hi,
it is really interesting how school systems differ from country to country.
here in Slovenia, the primary school lasts for 9 years and children start school with 6 years.
the lessons usually start at 8.30 and last till 2 pm, sometimes 3 pm. Our pupils have a lot of activities outside school.
our lessons are from Monday to Friday, twice or three times a year also on saturday. But school on Saturdays isn �t like the usual lessons. we organize special theme days: languages day, sports events, etc.
they start learning one foreign language in the 4rd grade (english and german) and another one in the 7th grade.
It is really a full time job for teachers because nowadays you have to give 100% in and outside the classroom. But I really enjoy it.
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17 Sep 2009
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khaled69
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here in jordan ,schools start at 8:00 oclock everyday ,and finish at maximum 2pm
they have 7 periods daily beside 15 minutes as arest after the 3ed period .
and 5 minutes between every period.
we have 2 vocations every year one in the winter and last 1 month and the other in summer and last 3 monthes.
there arent any extra activites in schools but they can do it in private institutes
we are now in vocation and it will be for 8 days coz of alfter feast
kisses from jordan
khaled |
17 Sep 2009
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naddya
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I absolutely agree with Allisa. In Russia it �s a common practice to study in 2 shifts. I mean, you start at 8 and finish at 1pm. The second shift (usually 11-14 year old) starts at 1 and finishes at 6pm. So, there is plenty of time to hang around or to glue to TV or computer. Some schools though practise one shift and hold their students indoors from 8 till 4pm. But these are elite schools and there are few of them.�
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17 Sep 2009
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manonski (f)
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Where I live, elementary students start at around 8:30 and finish around 3:30. Add 30 to 40 minutes to both starting time and ending time for secondary.
After school hours, students can go home or at the school daycare centre if their parents are still at work. At school they can do extra activities (sports, arts, music, craft...) but that also depends on the schools. Each school have their own after school activities.
School year is 180 days for students, 200 for teachers.
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17 Sep 2009
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metcet20
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Hi everybody!
Our system is as boring and tiring as Portugal �s.
Students usually start school at 8.30 and leave at around 4. They have to go to private courses after school or at the weekend because of uni and high school entrance exam , so they have little time for computer and tv if they are a good student.
They have a good summer vocation, though. From mid June to mid September.
Is yours as long as ours |
17 Sep 2009
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cgato
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Thank you so much for your answers!
The idea I get, in general, from reading your posts is that here, in Portugal, students are kept more time at school than in your countries!
Although I don �t teach primary school, my daughter is 8 years old. She starts at 8am and finishes at 1pm. She has extra activities in the afternoon.
But most primary schools start at 9am and finish at 5 or 5:30 pm. Then pupils get home and still have homework to do!!! The other day I was talking to a mother of a primary pupil and she was telling me her daughter had no time to play!
We, teachers, have to be at school 25 hours. I never counted the days manonski, but we have 25 days of holidays in August. Besides those, we don �t have to go to school for about 7 days in December, other 7 at Easter time and we have some more days in July (about 10-to 15)!
So many hours at school and students are not getting better!
Allisa and naddya I agree with you. Having nothing to do is not the best way to spend time! Maybe the best is the "middle". Not too much free time but some!
Anyway, have a great school year!
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17 Sep 2009
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anaisabel001
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I agree with cgato.I think children spend too much time at school ,doing homework or doing extra activities.I believe that they should have also time for themseves which doesn �t mean wtching TV or surfing the net.Most children need time just to play with their friends or to do nothing for a while.cgato is absolutely right , "Not too much free time but some"
There is a strong discussion going on in Spain about education, as you �ve said students spend a great amount of hours at school or attending to private lessons and results aren �t very satisfying.Something is going wrong.
Have a nice school year!!
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17 Sep 2009
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