Introduction
Elementary school
- Kindergartens;
- Age;
- Subjects.
Middle school
- System;
- Subjects;
- “Technicums” in Russia.
- Subjects;
- Exams.
General information
- Schools;
- Buildings;
- Time of lessons;
- Breaks.
Conclusion
Introduction
The aim of education is clear – passing knowledge to the youth. Every day, year and century children go to school to learn new information – about nature, people, history and world in general. However, there are also other things that teachers are willing to share with their students – these are moral principles, ethics and basics of behavior. These aspects of learning are as important as science is, if not more. Teachers are meant to guide students through to their success. It is very important for teachers to be proficient not only in different studies but also they need to be aware of the way of communicating with children. A teacher is supposed to be student’s friend. But it is essential to feel the line between a friend and a teacher and it is hard but crucial to balance on the line and understand what is necessary for a student right now – a teacher’s strict word or a friend’s support.
It is very interesting how the goal of educating is the same for the whole world and all countries but the educational system differs greatly. Nowadays, in the modern world there are many various schemes of teaching students. This paper is meant to compare educational systems in two such different countries – the USA and Russia.
Comparing high schools in the USA and Russia
First of all, it is worth mentioning that these two countries are completely different. America and Russia are situated on two opposite continents, the history, language, mentality – everything is unalike. So is the educational system as different as everything else is?
In America, just like in Russia, children usually go to the first grade at the age of 6 and the education lasts for 11 years in Russia and for 12 years in America. Before elementary school kids go to kindergartens where children have classes as well. However, they are very simple, like, singing, art, physical education and native language. There are both private and state kindergartens. Private ones are quite expensive but the reason is that the children start learning foreign languages from the age of two or three years old and that the system is more modern and directed at developing a child in all spheres. The elementary school lasts for 4 years for both of these countries. What is different is that the school year in the USA does not start at the same time for all schools but in Russia it always begins on the 1st of September, the Knowledge Day, even if it is Saturday or Sunday. Classes are similar for Russians and Americans – native language, math, music, art, physical education and other.
The middle school in America usually lasts till the end of 8th grade. In Russia it covers 9th year as well. On Russia there are such schools that specialize in different studies – foreign languages, math, law etc. Secondary education is compulsory and after the 9th grade students from Russia do not have to go to 10th and 11th grade. It is common when students go to “technicums”. These are colleges for such professions like cookers, builders, electricians and so on. In order to graduate from 9th grade students take exams. If they want to continue education and go to high school passing another exams are necessary. During middle school students in America and Russia study algebra, geometry, history, law, foreign languages.
Schools in America and Russia can be both private and public. Education is free in public schools. Private schools can be very expensive. In the USA schools are commonly divided into three buildings – one building is for Elementary school, another is for Middle school and third one is for High school. In Russia it is not typical – schools consist of only one building where all the students study. Russian teachers and students use chalk to write on blackboard while in America markers are used. There are no lockers and no lunch time for Russian students – they just have a longer break (15-20 minutes) for their snacks. The length of classes is also different. In America it is about an hour and a half and in Russia one class lasts for 45 minutes.
In Russia students get an autumn break for a week, winter break for two-three weeks and spring break for another week. Summer break begins on the 31st of May and finishes by the 1st of September. In America students usually have a few days for their break, few weeks for winter break and a week for a spring break. School usually ends in May or June and starts in August or September.
Conclusion
All in all, the educational systems of Russia and America have both differences and similarities, for example, the length of education is different but the classes are almost the same, the systems are different but the goal is the same. It does not matter where schools are situated and what actions are taken in order to teach students. What really matters is the main aim of education and attitude towards the students. It is hard to say which system has more advantages and which one has more disadvantages. What needs to be said about the systems is that none is better, none is worse – they are just different.
