8 Ways British and American Education Systems Are Very Different

English and American education is VERY different. As someone who was schooled the English way but married an American teacher, I take a look at those differences in this video.

[JetblackThemeTime]

When I went to school years ago a quiz was a small test. a test was a medium test and a exam was a very large test. Hope that makes sense.

[TheGreatAtario]

"Junior high school is a holding pen designed to help us through our formative 'snotty' years. By isolating us from grade school kids, we will be less likely to torture them. By isolating us from high school kids, we will be less likely to receive the beatings we so richly deserve." —Matt Groening

[Me-wkix]

One thing that totally confused me as an American kid reading the Harry Potter books was when Hermione Granger would talk about revising. I was picturing her editing her essays and didn't realize that in British vernacular, revising means studying, whereas in America it means to edit your writing.

[bradleykovach]

American teachers: the bell doesn’t dismiss you, I do

[tube_trance]

Great topic. Please discuss:
1. Methods of discipline at school (detention, suspension, spanking)
2. Length of the school day
3. Homework expectations
4. Yearbooks, proms, Homecoming, school sports, school clubs/activities
5. Bullying
6. Teacher credentialing
7. Teacher tenure
8. Does England have "continuation high schools" or alternative schools?
9. What are the complaints about English schools by parents, schoolkids, and citizens?
10. Do English schools have 'mascots'?
11. What is P.E. like in England?
12. Lunch foods at English schools? Cost? Breakfast served too?
13. Campus police at English schools?
14. What color are English school buses?
15. English equivalent to a GED?
16. English equivalent to saying the Pledge of Allegiance?
17. How long are the English summer and winter school breaks?
18. Class parties (give classmates Valentines, e.g.)? Holiday events/plays?
19. School subjects taught in England but not the U.S.A, or vice versa
20. Your fondest/craziest school memories

[josephdecesaro]

So my father during the 80's oil crash got a job in England for about a year. He told us a story a few years ago about his first day on the job. He was shown to his office and then shown the supply office and the lady started gathering him paper, pens and pencils. Then she stopped looked in the face and exclaimed "OH and you'll need rubbers!" Needless to say my dad was very shocked and was about to ask why when she handed him some erasers.

[ronalddevine]

You are a blast to listen to. Your diction and facial expressions make my day. Thanks for the chuckles. Cherrio

[Mommacoley]

My late husband worked for a very UK owned company. I have missed the varied accents and tales from across the pond. Thank you for giving me a chance to remember a part of him and the world he worked in.

[DeeAnnieFL]

High school: "This is typically when students begin their development into humans"

You win the internet today 😂

[nancydickerson]

In my mother's first year of teaching first grade, (1951), she had thirty 6-year-olds who had never been away from their mothers before. She always remembered one little girl patiently explaining to her, "But Miss Dickerson, you don't understand. "I don't want to!"

[tracyz]

In the US, a University contains a number of colleges. Or that degree could be taught in a specialized College. So degrees in Education are grouped in one Colllege. degrees in Information Technology in another. Fine Arts has a College. Business has a Colleege. Nurses have a College. Colleges are grouped together in Universities because many of there disciplines overlap and/or you might want degrees in two areas. Colleges can also be just a generalized Course also, where you study a little bit of everything like advanced High School. Then don’t start with Trade School or Technical Collage

[aaronhurst]

"In England, a rubber erases a mistake. In America, it prevents one."

Brilliant

[christelheadington]

Somewhere in time in the US, 7th & 8th grade changed from being Junior High to Middle School. Grades 9, 10, 11. & 12 were Senior High. Now I find myself being a Senior Citizen.

[sc_christie]

My mother’s first (and only) job in America was working for the State of SC. On her first day she was given an office that had a desk, chair, telephone, pad of paper and a pencil without an eraser. She went to the main office and asked if the state provided rubbers or did she have to provide her own. Needless to say, she received many strange looks and was told she had to buy her own.🤣

[Platypi]

"In England a rubber erases a mistake, in America it prevents one."

Also, youtube needs to chill with the midroll ads... I could handle one in a 10-15 minute video, but 3 in a 13 minute video? At least creators get some of that but it's so annoying and breaks up the flow so badly and I'm pretty sure Google is just being greedy and trying to get people to pay to have ads removed...

[SharonH]

As an American, entering a colonial British school (KGV, H.K.) at age 13, I was most impressed by the span of the curriculum. I found myself smack in the middle of classes in biology, chemistry, physics, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, English, French, world history and scriptures. In America most of those come later, year-by- year. Fortunately I was eager to learn and had well-educated parents who helped me catch up pretty quickly. Ironically, I already knew how to use a circular slide-rule but wasn't allowed to use it ~ trig tables only for multiplication. Because of my two years there, high school back in Connecticut was a piece of cake. Side-note: American proctor, or hall monitor, British prefect.

[The_Plane_Nerd]

Things such as lunches, if students have after school jobs, or clubs/sports. I know it varies a lot in even just the US, so I'd be interested in hearing what the UK's view on those are.

[richstanton]

Another confusing item of US education is the community college (CC) which in the 1960s were sometimes referred to as "junior colleges"
Community colleges are public funded schools originally designed to teach the first 2 years of college or "uni". They are local "commuter" (no on campus housing). The tuition is usually less than even public/state universities. The class sizes are usually smaller. One would attend community college for one's basic/core curriculum receive one's Associate and then transfer to a 4 year uni to for last 2/ years and receive one's B.A./B.S. degree.
Now CC's also offer a multitude of services. CC's offer remedial classes for people that need to learn skills before taking college credit classes, offer programs for health/ medical careers (nursing, dental hygienist, etc), technical/trade (computer coding, automotive techs, etc), and continuing ed. classes (non college credit) for subjects like genealogy, arts & crafts, hobbies, learning computer programs as MS Word, Excel etc. CCs work with a lot of "nontraditional" (older) folks who may need to learn new job skills because their job has been sent overseas or to acquire more skills to move up at their job or change careers.

[willvr]

"Who like many people of the 6th century, resemble a sketch of someone from the 6th century.." hahaha

[InventorZahran]

1:58 I watched lots of VHS tapes during childhood, so I knew the original meaning of 'fast-forward'. But even in the context of digital media, its definition hasn't changed.