My grandson is in the seventh grade in America. Through him, I learned something about junior high school education in the United States, which is quite different from that in China.
The academic system of middle schools in the United States is also six years, but the segments of junior high schools and senior high schools in different regions are different, and some regions also adopt the three-thirds system. Irwan, where my grandson is located, is in junior high school for two years (grades 7-8). From the management point of view, it belongs to the transition from primary school to high school. Senior high school is 4 years (grade 9 ~ 12), and junior high school is independent. Each academic year is divided into three periods, each lasting about 3 months. Every year, the summer vacation is about 10 weeks, the winter vacation is 2 weeks, and the spring break is 1 week.
The school my grandson goes to is called Lakeside Middle School. In the seventh grade of this school, there are 13 classes, each with no more than 30 students, and the other two classes are mentally retarded classes with no more than 10 students. Grade 8 12 class, and a five-person mentally retarded class. The mentally retarded classes are given special education by special teachers.
Student: Very independent, very loose.
In the United States, since junior high school, all subjects have fixed classrooms, and students will move to the next classroom immediately after each class? I call it? Running a class? This is the most obvious difference from domestic middle schools, and it is also an important part for students to adapt first after entering school. Although students have received the classroom plan of the school before the start of school, and each classroom has a clear number label, there are still many people who are unfamiliar with the environment and can't find the classroom or find the wrong classroom because they are new here. In a few days, students can attend classes in the classroom as required. As for how to sit in class, it is arranged by the teacher, and most classes are casual. Once there are students with poor discipline, the teacher will ask them to sit in a fixed seat if it affects teaching.
With what? Running a class? Accompanied by it, it has not existed since middle school? Class group? Concept, which is essentially different from domestic schools. Of course, the school there is also composed of several classes, and each class also has a head teacher, which can also be called a head teacher. But such classes and head teachers are completely different from those in China.
Every morning before class, the students gather for class, and the class teacher checks the attendance of the students. If the school has a temporary notice, such as when to start class or leave school early, it will also be conveyed by the class teacher. All the students have lunch at school. Half an hour after lunch is the prescribed reading time, and it is also held in the office or classroom where the class teacher is located. However, as soon as the bell rings, the students will immediately disband and rush to their classrooms.
Therefore, students in the same class only meet for a few minutes in the morning and half an hour in the afternoon every day, and the original class form disappears completely when studying in class. It can only be said that such a class is purely a combination in a short time every day. The head teacher is only equivalent to the convener, and fully undertakes some routine work, and some even hold the post of non-teaching staff. They don't have to and can't get in touch with the students in this class, and they don't have to contact their parents to exchange student information, and there are no moral education comments at the end of the term. Without class groups, there would be no weekly school meetings and class meetings, not to mention class cadres. A series of activities related to the collective, such as health, blackboard newspaper, recess exercise, sports meeting, and various competitions between recess, also do not exist.
In my teaching career of more than 30 years, I have many years of experience as a class teacher. I'm really busy from morning till night. In addition to teaching, I have to undertake the heavy responsibility of meticulous education and management of the whole class. If I don't devote myself wholeheartedly, I will be incompetent. The head teachers in American middle schools are less responsible than those in China. It can also be said that since middle school, the United States has implemented a kind of? Grazing sheep? Such as loose management. Teachers there don't have to work so hard to manage students, but the teaching workload is relatively large. Generally speaking, each teacher gives students five classes almost every day, with a total of 25 classes per week.
Physical education class: Very strict and rich.
Starting from junior high school, American students' courses are divided into compulsory and elective, which is another difference from domestic schools. There are five compulsory courses in Grade Seven: Mathematics, English, World History, Science and Physical Education. There are 6 classes a day: 4 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Among them, compulsory course 1 and elective course 1. ?