random item

Troperville

Tools

Find recent edits by troper:

back to: Main / AmericanEducationalSystem

edit article | go to discussion page

19th May '13 2:16:39 PM Outsyder0486

Send Outsyder0486 a PM notification explaining the badness of natter: natter-fy

Neutralizing description.

Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:

** '''Christian schools''' are religious schools that aren't part of the Catholic education system and are run according to Christian principles -- which, more often than not (although there are exceptions), means "conservative evangelical Protestant principles." Unlike Catholic schools, Christian schools are often marketed as TheMoralSubstitute to the public education system. Not only is there mandatory religious instruction, but the curriculum can be heavily modified in accordance with the school's mission -- creationism and Flood geology are part of science classes, sex education (if there even is any) is abstinence-only, and social studies classes teach that America was explicitly founded as a Christian nation. An excellent satire of Christian schools can be seen in the film ''Film/{{Saved}}''. As may be guessed from the above description, these tend to be ... not as respected academically as Catholic or prep schools; some of them not legally allowed to award diplomas (forcing their students to get a GED if they want to be considered high school graduates) and are generally regarded as being, basically, daycare for late teens. (Note: ''some'' of them are more academically rigorous, and these tend to be comparable to good prep schools.)

to:

** '''Christian schools''' are religious schools that aren't part of the Catholic education system and are run according to Christian principles -- which, more often than not (although there are exceptions), means "conservative evangelical Protestant principles." Unlike Catholic schools, Christian schools are often marketed as TheMoralSubstitute to the public education system. Not only is there mandatory religious instruction, but the curriculum can be heavily modified in accordance with the school's mission -- creationism and Flood geology are part of science classes, sex education (if there even is any) is abstinence-only, and social studies classes teach that America was explicitly founded as a Christian nation. An excellent satire of Christian schools can be seen in the film ''Film/{{Saved}}''.  The actual academic quality of these schools varies from school to school - some of them aren't allowed to legally award diplomas, instead forcing their students to obtain [=GEDs=]; however, some of them are quite academically rigorous and are considered on par with some of the better prep schools.

12th May '13 1:26:16 AM TheRecreator

Send TheRecreator a PM notification explaining the badness of natter: natter-fy

Changed line(s) 76,80 (click to see context) from:

Usually, students in public schools do not wear uniforms[[hottip:*:Uniforms are almost always mandatory in Louisiana, however.]] 
. A very few do require uniforms, and some schools (particularly elementary schools) might have a dress code, but in most you can get away with wearing pretty much anything. Because a public school is in fact a government agency, a dress code cannot be made mandatory (it then becomes a 1st Amendment issue, as the government is thus forcing the child to wear a uniform that expresses the state's opinion, a big no-no; forcing parents to do business with a given supplier is another, distinctly different no-no). However, in places where there is a standard uniform, parents often select it because there are so many kids buying the same style of clothes that the uniform version is much cheaper than going with a non-uniform style; conversely, there is much less incentive on suppliers to offer a sale, especially on goods marked with the school name. A number of public schools started requiring uniforms in the 1990s and early 2000s; this has been parodied on ''TheSimpsons'' and elsewhere, and has since died down.

American students usually address their teachers as Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms. plus last name; in some regions, teachers may be called "sir" and "ma'am". (Contrary to what is shown on television, principals and coaches are often addressed the same way, not as "Principal So-and-so" or "Coach So-and-so."[[hottip:*:Most coaches are also teachers and there may be a dichotomy here: students who participate in the sport the coach, well, coaches may call him "Coach So-and-So" or even just "Coach" even in class, while those who don't will probably use "Mr So-and-So" ... referring to a teacher using "Coach" is regarded by many students as a Jock Privilege, though teachers of physical education classes sometimes prefer it and are more likely to encourage "Coach" from all students.]]) Teachers at high school level and below are not generally called "Professor" or "Doctor", mainly because those terms are reserved for people with [=PhDs=], few of whom teach in public schools. This is due to bias from both the schools and the people with [=PhDs=] -- very few schools are interested in paying their salaries when less-decorated instructors are much cheaper, while the [=PhDs=] themselves don't usually seek teaching jobs at primary or secondary schools, instead going for far more lucrative fields (like university professors).

to:

Usually, students in public schools do not wear uniforms[[note]]Uniforms are almost always mandatory in Louisiana, however.[[/note]]. A very few do require uniforms, and some schools (particularly elementary schools) might have a dress code, but in most you can get away with wearing pretty much anything. Because a public school is in fact a government agency, a dress code cannot be made mandatory (it then becomes a 1st Amendment issue, as the government is thus forcing the child to wear a uniform that expresses the state's opinion, a big no-no; forcing parents to do business with a given supplier is another, distinctly different no-no). However, in places where there is a standard uniform, parents often select it because there are so many kids buying the same style of clothes that the uniform version is much cheaper than going with a non-uniform style; conversely, there is much less incentive on suppliers to offer a sale, especially on goods marked with the school name. A number of public schools started requiring uniforms in the 1990s and early 2000s; this has been parodied on ''TheSimpsons'' and elsewhere, and has since died down.

American students usually address their teachers as Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms. plus last name; in some regions, teachers may be called "sir" and "ma'am". (Contrary to what is shown on television, principals and coaches are often addressed the same way, not as "Principal So-and-so" or "Coach So-and-so."[[note]]Most coaches are also teachers and there may be a dichotomy here: students who participate in the sport the coach, well, coaches may call him "Coach So-and-So" or even just "Coach" even in class, while those who don't will probably use "Mr So-and-So" ... referring to a teacher using "Coach" is regarded by many students as a Jock Privilege, though teachers of physical education classes sometimes prefer it and are more likely to encourage "Coach" from all students.[[/note]]) Teachers at high school level and below are not generally called "Professor" or "Doctor", mainly because those terms are reserved for people with [=PhDs=], few of whom teach in public schools. This is due to bias from both the schools and the people with [=PhDs=] -- very few schools are interested in paying their salaries when less-decorated instructors are much cheaper, while the [=PhDs=] themselves don't usually seek teaching jobs at primary or secondary schools, instead going for far more lucrative fields (like university professors).

Changed line(s) 140,141 (click to see context) from:

Grades out of 100% translate into a letter grading system. Passing grades are A, B, C, and D. A failing grade is an F. Plus and minus are used to show distinctions between grades; some students and their parents are [[AluminumChristmasTrees surprised to find]] that there's such a thing as an F- (usually a grade of 50 or below). A student's grades in high school translate into a grade point average, or GPA, according to a formula. By most systems, the highest GPA possible is a 4.0. [=GPAs=] are of great interest to colleges; they also determine class rank. The two students with the highest class ranks are the valedictorian and salutatorian, who usually have to make a speech at graduation.[[hottip:*:students who earn these positions will probably regard it as "GET to make a speech" instead, though it's possible for bookish-but-exceptionally-shy students to dread the traditional graduation speech... while those who are in no danger of being in that position probably dread them also, but for different reasons.]]

to:

Grades out of 100% translate into a letter grading system. Passing grades are A, B, C, and D. A failing grade is an F. Plus and minus are used to show distinctions between grades; some students and their parents are [[AluminumChristmasTrees surprised to find]] that there's such a thing as an F- (usually a grade of 50 or below). A student's grades in high school translate into a grade point average, or GPA, according to a formula. By most systems, the highest GPA possible is a 4.0. [=GPAs=] are of great interest to colleges; they also determine class rank. The two students with the highest class ranks are the valedictorian and salutatorian, who usually have to make a speech at graduation.[[note]]Students who earn these positions will probably regard it as "GET to make a speech" instead, though it's possible for bookish-but-exceptionally-shy students to dread the traditional graduation speech... while those who are in no danger of being in that position probably dread them also, but for different reasons.[[/note]]

Changed line(s) 160,161 (click to see context) from:

The SAT score formerly consisted of 800 points for math and 800 for reading, making a [[HundredPercentCompletion perfect]] score 1600. Recently, a writing portion has been added, for another 800 points. If the writing portion is used, that makes the possible perfect score 2400 points. Most colleges, however, still use the old system for admissions, and the minimum score for admission tends to fall between 1100 and 1300[[hottip:*:Nearly all colleges say they don't have a minimum score requirement, and technically this is true, but you're not going to find many incoming freshmen with an SAT much under 1100 unless the school's policy is to admit everyone who applies, and if by chance you do find someone with an 800 at an Ivy League school, then that student wowed the admissions committee in some other way... probably by being Chip Buffington IV, who will be residing in Buffington Hall]]. Some colleges include minimums in math or reading as well as the total score. In areas where the SAT is popular (generally the East Coast), students might also take a PSAT (Pre-SAT) as a practice in the 10th Grade (and possibly again in the spring). This test is also used as a qualification test for the National Merit Scholarship.

to:

The SAT score formerly consisted of 800 points for math and 800 for reading, making a [[HundredPercentCompletion perfect]] score 1600. Recently, a writing portion has been added, for another 800 points. If the writing portion is used, that makes the possible perfect score 2400 points. Most colleges, however, still use the old system for admissions, and the minimum score for admission tends to fall between 1100 and 1300[[note]]Nearly all colleges say they don't have a minimum score requirement, and technically this is true, but you're not going to find many incoming freshmen with an SAT much under 1100 unless the school's policy is to admit everyone who applies, and if by chance you do find someone with an 800 at an Ivy League school, then that student wowed the admissions committee in some other way... probably by being Chip Buffington IV, who will be residing in Buffington Hall[[/note]]. Some colleges include minimums in math or reading as well as the total score. In areas where the SAT is popular (generally the East Coast), students might also take a PSAT (Pre-SAT) as a practice in the 10th Grade (and possibly again in the spring). This test is also used as a qualification test for the National Merit Scholarship.

Changed line(s) 194,195 (click to see context) from:

to:

12th May '13 1:24:02 AM TheRecreator

Send TheRecreator a PM notification explaining the badness of natter: natter-fy

Changed line(s) 52,53 (click to see context) from:

to:

11th May '13 6:49:38 PM perdieljuego

Send perdieljuego a PM notification explaining the badness of natter: natter-fy

Changed line(s) 130,131 (click to see context) from:

to:

4th May '13 10:59:44 AM Nabi

Send Nabi a PM notification explaining the badness of natter: natter-fy

Changed line(s) 120,121 (click to see context) from:

to:

6th Apr '13 5:06:27 PM moderator FastEddie

Send FastEddie a PM notification explaining the badness of natter: natter-fy

Changed line(s) 122,123 (click to see context) from:

to:

Changed line(s) 130,131 (click to see context) from:

to:

6th Apr '13 4:45:34 PM moderator FastEddie

Send FastEddie a PM notification explaining the badness of natter: natter-fy

Changed line(s) 77,78 (click to see context) from:

. A very few do require uniforms, and some schools (particularly elementary schools) might have a dress code, but in most you can get away with wearing pretty much anything. Because a public school is in fact a government agency, a dress code cannot be made mandatory (it then becomes a 1st Amendment issue, as the government is thus forcing the child to wear a uniform that expresses the state's opinion, a big no-no; forcing parents to do business with a given supplier is another, distinctly different no-no). However, in places where there is a standard uniform, parents often select it because there are so many kids buying the same style of clothes that the uniform version is much cheaper than going with a non-uniform style; conversely, there is much less incentive on suppliers to offer a sale, especially on goods marked with the school name. A number of public schools started requiring uniforms in the 1990s and early 2000s; this has been parodied on ''TheSimpsons'' and elsewhere, and has since died down. School uniforms are

to:

6th Apr '13 2:32:41 PM thecomment

Send thecomment a PM notification explaining the badness of natter: natter-fy

Changed line(s) 76,77 (click to see context) from:

Usually, students in public schools do not wear uniforms. A very few do require uniforms, and some schools (particularly elementary schools) might have a dress code, but in most you can get away with wearing pretty much anything. Because a public school is in fact a government agency, a dress code cannot be made mandatory (it then becomes a 1st Amendment issue, as the government is thus forcing the child to wear a uniform that expresses the state's opinion, a big no-no; forcing parents to do business with a given supplier is another, distinctly different no-no). However, in places where there is a standard uniform, parents often select it because there are so many kids buying the same style of clothes that the uniform version is much cheaper than going with a non-uniform style; conversely, there is much less incentive on suppliers to offer a sale, especially on goods marked with the school name. A number of public schools started requiring uniforms in the 1990s and early 2000s; this has been parodied on ''TheSimpsons'' and elsewhere, and has since died down.

to:

15th Mar '13 12:14:11 AM EarlOfSandvich

Send EarlOfSandvich a PM notification explaining the badness of natter: natter-fy

Changed line(s) 215,216 (click to see context) from:

to:

12th Mar '13 8:22:40 PM beautifulromantic

Send beautifulromantic a PM notification explaining the badness of natter: natter-fy

Personal experience

Changed line(s) 74,75 (click to see context) from:

to:

This list shows the last 10 events of 104. Show all.

new edits

TV Tropes by TV Tropes Foundation, LLC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org.
Privacy Policy