Written by Valerie Huang
Edited by Brandon Trinh
Beep beep beep! Around the world, as the school year starts, countless students are united in spirit as they mute their alarm clocks and reluctantly roll out of bed. Despite this sleepy-headed solidarity, these students are preparing themselves for very different school days. Each country’s unique public education system has allowed for a variety of school schedules, even in higher levels of schooling.
In the United States, the average start time for public high schools is 8:00 a.m., and the end time is 3 p.m. (“National Teacher;” “A Typical Day”). However, individual state policies mean that start times can range from before 7:30 a.m. to after 8:30 a.m., and in recent years there have been protests in areas with earlier start times. Consequently, some school districts have delayed start times to better align with their students’ circadian rhythms, which have shifted the body’s internal clock to a naturally later bedtime.
In Vietnam, the high school day is structured differently than in other countries, where it is split into two parts: 7-11 a.m. and 1-4 or 5 p.m (“The Education System”). Students only attend one session per day, and no matter which session they choose, they have a thirty-minute break. In addition, they often must attend school on Saturday. This system addresses the issue of overcrowding without the need to build new schools (“The Vietnamese Education System”).
In the United Kingdom, although there are a variety of school schedules, “the typical secondary school day starts at 8.30 and ends at 3.30” (“What Time Does”). A unique part of the U.K.’s schedule is that a majority of schools have shorter school days on Thursday or Friday. However, some students may have mandatory revision sessions as an educational supplement. Additionally, in some schools, clubs and extracurriculars are mandatory to encourage participation in non-academic activities (“What Time Does”). All of these activities lengthen the school day by a few hours, but they help students become more well-rounded and improve the students’ academics.
In Brazil, the school day is similar to Vietnam, where due to overcrowding, the school day is often split into three sessions. Students only attend one per day, and their choices are usually from 7-12 p.m., 12-5 p.m, or 5-10 p.m. (“Details about the Daily”). Depending on the number of students enrolled, schools may choose to offer from one to three sessions. This system also supports the lives of students who must work to earn income for their families, as it allows schools to fit into their daily schedules (“School Life In Brazil”).
Different circumstances in each country have caused school days worldwide to vary widely. Yet regardless of their school schedule, every student surely feels the same sense of relief as they flop into their beds at night, ready to rest and recharge for the next day.
Sources
“A Typical Day at School.” CIEE, https://www.ciee.org/typical-day-school#:~:text=In%20the%20U.S.%2C%20a%20typical,also%20be%20scheduled%20on%20weekends.
“Details about the Daily School Schedule and after School Care Arrangements...” Angloinfo, https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/brazil/family/schooling-education/school-hours.
“National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS).” National Center for Education Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps/tables/ntps1718_202000601_s1n.asp.
“School Life in Brazil.” Just Landed, https://www.justlanded.com/english/Brazil/Brazil-Guide/Education/School-life-in-Brazil.
“The Education System in Vietnam.” i Tour Vietnam, 27 Apr. 2022, https://www.itourvn.com/blog/the-education-system-in-vietnam.
“The Vietnamese Education System: An Overview.” Wise, Wise, 31 Aug. 2017, https://wise.com/us/blog/vietnamese-education-overview.
“What Time Does Secondary School Start and Finish in the UK?” Think Student, 17 May 2021, https://thinkstudent.co.uk/what-time-does-secondary-school-start-and-finish-in-the-uk/.
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