Just tossing in a question about the school systems. In the U.S of A, the school system goes like:
Elementary School - grades k-5
Intermediate School - grades 6-8
High School - grades 9-10
and after that comes University, yes?
Well, in sweden we have:
Elementary School: grades 1-6 (ages 7-12)
Intermediate School: grades 7-9 (ages 13-15)
and High School: grades 1-3 (elementary and intermediate are compulsory, while High School is a choice. You don’t want to go, you don’t go.) (ages 16-18).
and afgter that it’s university.
but what ages are there in the US? And how is the UK’s schoolsystem? You don’t hear anything about it very often.
Public Schools in the UK
Public schools were endowed schools as opposed to private schools or private tuition. The endower could set restrictions on who would be allowed in e.g. schools would be set up by guilds for the eduction of sons of guild members. Over the years these conditions became less important so any of the right sort (with the right money) could attend.
The Clarendon commission (leading to the Public Schools Act 1868, IIRC) investigated the state of secondary eduction in such schools and found most offering purely elementary education. The nine that the commision consider did offer secondary education are those which we call public schools today (Eton, Rugby, Winchester, Harrow, Shrewsbury, Charterhouse, Merchant Taylors are all I can remember).
Some consider this to have been official approval of the hijacking of public resources for the exclusive use of the rich, regardless of the original specification of the endowment.
IIRC, since the act a charter is needed to be classified as a public school. Obviously “public” no longer has the same meaning as it did before the act (how common the term was, I don’t know) it now means elite.
Schooling that is not legally required, except on some state levels:
Nursery school: 3-4 yrs
Preschool: 4-5 years (but nursery and preschool can and often does overlap, and may kids only go to one or the other)
Kindergarten: 5yrs
Schooling legally required at least until age 16, students begin the school year (Late August/Early September for most schools, though some are year-round) at the following ages:
1st grade: 6 years
2nd grade: 7 years
3rd grade: 8 years
4th grade: 9 years
5th grade: 10 years
6th grade: 11 years
7th grade: 12 years
8th grade: 13 years
9th grade: 14 years
10th grade: 15 years
11 grade: 16 years
12th grade: 17 years
By the time 12th grade is over in June, most kids have passed their 18th birthdays. However, it’s not at all unusual, given the fact that many schools have an Oct 1st cut-off date for 1st grade registration, to have kids who are a year older, or nearly a year younger than the norm in every class. The older kids were the ones who missed the cut-off the year before, and the younger ones just barely made it.
owlstretchingtime: I assume that you are English; if you’re from a country with a real football team (like Germany, Brazil or the Netherlands), then the following comments don’t apply.
This is either a joke or you are sadly misinformed. The USA have just made the Quarterfinals in the last Cup. They came damned close to winning and played excellent football (the Polish game being excepted). And the last time that England and USA met in a World Cup match we kicked England’s ass. Granted, that was a long time ago, but it’s also been a long time since England won their Cup, and even that was on home soil. Since then they’ve been mainly unremarkable.
In fairness, England does have a much better home league, but it’s staffed by brilliant imports, made possible by the money spent quenching the English obsession for football. Net, you have better fans (behvioural issues aside).
Bringing up the biscuit question again. I just got done talking to a British faculty member who happens to be one of my users, and naturally I HAD to pose this question to her. She said yes they do, sort of. Our biscuits are a descendent, or at least a close cousin to scones. She said in particular the cheese scones taste a lot like the cheddar biscuits from Red Lobster (YUMMMY!!)
The only reason that the US even gets to the WC finals is that they are in the weakest qualifying group. They woudn’t qualify out of any other group, even Oceania. Sad, but true.
And yes they beat England, that’s the wonderfull thing about football, anyone can beat anyone else on their day. If England played the US 100 times England would win about 80 games with 10 draws and 10 defeats.
OK, I’ll admit it. I’m an Australian guy and I love the American accent. You have an American accent, and that makes you fascinating.
I don’t understand it. I find America fascinating and would love to go there, but you’d think I could get all the American accents I wanted on TV. It should work like that, but somehow, it doesn’t.
American accents on TV don’t sound like American accents from real lif people. Except on Survivor, but that’s because they’re real life people. Do Americans notice this, or is it my imagination? Is there a TV-American accent?
More US questions…
What is Chicago’s image? New York has an image. Los Angeles has an image. Both these major cities have an important place in American folklore. Does Chicago have an image like this?
Does Orange County really exist? I’ve seen it on maps, but no, really… does it actually exist?
Does Texas actually exist? I’ve seen it on King of the Hill, but, no, really, does it actually exist?
Rhetorical question time: What does Tony Blair have to do with Scotland? Who is the Scottish Prime Minister? Who do the Scots pay their taxes to?
oh, come on, gex gex, I’m not from the US, but even I know Chicago’s referred to as the Windy City!
It’s the city of Al Capone, of the Smashing Pumpkins…
And the capitol of Illinois
I’m sure Americans will know more than this, but at least it['s a start!
Tony Blair is PM of the United Kingdom, which includes Scotland. Thus he is prime minister of Scotland (in fact he is a sweaty himself, and his party is by far the most popular north of the border).
Some powers have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament - a regional parliament, but the real power is still in Downing St. For instance Scotland does not have it’s own defense forces. If there is a Scottish PM it is Jack McConnell - the First Minister
The Scots pay the same income tax as we do, and it goes on the same stuff. I belive the Parliament has some limited tax raising ability - I’m not sure about this.
Sure. As, elfje said, it’s the home of Al Capone, Deep Dish Pizza, and the political saying “Remember to vote early and often.” Nice people, if a little overweight, on average. A more moderate pace of life than NY or LA (or Boston!). It’s also a GREAT city to visit. Lots to do and relatively easy to get around.
Sure. It’s not actually all orange, though, if that’s what you’re thinking.
No. Texas is a myth that exists only in the minds of people who wish they were living on the fontier.
Okay, wiseguy/gal. We’re supposed to be fighting ignorance, not perpetuating it. You just wanted to force someone to have to say that Springfield is the capital of Illinois, not Chicago, didn’t ya?
GAaaak! :eek: No! I haven’t. Nor have I eaten crispy-fried cockroaches or live earthworms. And, I’m not going to, either. But, I did work in a bait shop, long ago, so I know squid is slimy. And, it’s bait.
Sheer poetry. Makes me kinda wish I had a good ‘ol southern grammy. But, then she’d probably whup me for not eatin’ my okra.
Seriously, I know British cooking is, on the whole, no worse than most other places, and probably more suitable for someone like me than, say, Thailand. It’s just such an amusing stereotype to poke fun at.
You are delusional. England’s qualifying group of Albania, Greece, Finland and Germany was certainly nothing to complain about. Sure, there are tougher draws out of UEFA, but Germany was down when the qualifying started and struggled to go through. I’m not saying that CONCACAF is tougher, just that the USA won their group as they were expected to do. And saying that they couldn’t possibly go through from Oceania? Right. Just because the Socceroos destroyed England doesn’t make Oceania a powerhouse all of a sudden. USA have a very strong record in the Internationals which they’ve played in the last several years. They demolished Portugal and Mexico in the finals this year, and barely lost to Germany. More importantly they finally played with some style and passion, something from which perhaps the English could take a lesson. And they have good young players in the pipeline.
I just hope we draw into the English* group in 2006 so that we have an easy path through to the round of 16.
*Although it’s a large presumption that England will go through
You just wanted to force someone to have to say that Springfield is the capital of Illinois, not Chicago, didn’t ya?