Schools in USA
 

I know this probably isnt the forum I should be asking this in, but I am sure many of you out there will have an idea. I am planning to emmigrate in a few short months to be with my hunny in New Jersey. I have an 8 year old son who will accompany me. Can anyone tell me how different they found the schools in america compared to the ones here, for those of you that moved with children. I have looked up many sites but have been able to find very little info on the comparable differences between us and uk school systems. Can anyone help?

Re: Schools in USA
 

A lot depends on the standard of the school system you are moving from to the standard of the school district you are moving to.

At age 8 - year 3? - your son would go into second grade in the US. It's likely that he will be way ahead of his classmates, especially in reading, maths and science. By 4th grade, it's likely that the others will have caught up. There is a much bigger emphasis on learning propaganda (aka social studies), and learning loopy doopy cursive handwriting. We've found that music and art is done much better in the US, but the PE is very poor - but that may be just our district.

If your child is fairly advanced now, you might want to think about moving him up a year. We did this, and it is absolutely fine academically. It is worth finding out, though, if there is a culture of holding back boys (they start 1st grade at 7 rather than 6), because this would mean there would be boys 2 yrs older than yours in the same class.

The overall school culture is very different in the US. The first thing you notice is that you don't meet other parents at the school gates because most children either take the schoolbus or walk/cycle to school. They make up for this by having official "classroom moms" who hound you into 'volunteering' for things. Fundraising is rife - you get pestered for money all the time. No uniforms! The kids don't know (or care) anything about Premiership football. They get a phenomenal amount of homework. School dinners are total c@&p. The summer holidays are looong.

Re: Schools in USA
 

abi wrote:
    >
    > I know this probably isnt the forum I should be asking this in, but I am sure many
    > of you out there will have an idea. I am planning to emmigrate in a few short
    > months to be with my hunny in New Jersey. I have an 8 year old son who will
    > accompany me. Can anyone tell me how different they found the schools in america
    > compared to the ones here, for those of you that moved with children. I have looked
    > up many sites but have been able to find very little info on the comparable
    > differences between us and uk school systems. Can anyone help?

Where in the UK compared to where in Joisy? After all, schools systems, at least in
the US, vary greatly. My daughter goes to a public school here. I wouldn't send her
to public school in a bigger city, or maybe even another state. California has a
limit of 20 kids per class in the lower levels.

Re: Schools in USA
 

Thankyou for your responses. I am currently in Dorset in the UK, and will be moving to Sussex county new jersey. Public school here in the UK to a public school there in the US. any ideas>?

Re: Schools in USA
 

my son is 8 (almost 9 now) and just finishing up 3rd grade in Maryland. We are from
Canada, and although Canada's school system is nowhere near the same as the UK, I
have noticed many differences:

My son is in a french immersion school here (rare program in the US exact same
curriculum but all in French, but my kids attended an all french school back home
so they were used to it), and though being taught in a different language should
add to the difficulty level, I noticed that the work he brings home in 3rd grade is
very similar, if not easier for him, than what he did last year in 2nd grade back
in Canada.

Ameriscot mentioned one biggie..the PTA and volunteering thing. It's a BIG deal down
here...to the point where I feel guilty for going to work to get food on the table,
because they want me to volunteer in my kids' classes every week...back home, we left
that stuff to the professionals and would participate in school events a few times a
year (field trips, bake sales, etc), not every week like they do here.

Fundraising...OMG that's a big deal here too. back home they did it once or maybe
twice a year, but here the kids have brought home fund raising materials about every
other month.

Kindergarten is only half day in most places, and the schools that offer full day K
have wait lists for those classes. The school system where my children attended back
in Canada had all-day kindergarten.

Number of student limits are higher here.

WAY too many "early release" and "professional development" days off school.

those are the biggies..like i said, Canada's schools aren't UK schools, but are
definitely different that the US (no matter how bad they want to make Canada the 51st
state! lol)

<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    >
    >
    > abi wrote:
    > >
    > > I know this probably isnt the forum I should be asking this in, but I am sure
    > > many of you out there will have an idea. I am planning to emmigrate in a few
    > > short months to be with my hunny in New Jersey. I have an 8 year old son who will
    > > accompany me. Can anyone tell me how different they found the schools in america
    > > compared to the ones here, for those of you that moved with children. I have
    > > looked up many sites but have been able to find very little info on the
    > > comparable differences between us and uk school systems. Can anyone help?
    >
    > Where in the UK compared to where in Joisy? After all, schools systems, at least in
    > the US, vary greatly. My daughter goes to a public school here. I wouldn't send her
    > to public school in a bigger city, or maybe even another state. California has a
    > limit of 20 kids per class in the lower levels.

Re: Schools in USA
 

Sussex county is pretty rural yet home to a lot of wealthy people and top level corporate execs out of New York City, so I expect that most of the school systems there are quite good. The rich folk likely send their kids to private schools, but their massive tax dollars are paying for the public schools.

Regards, JEff

Re: Schools in USA
 

I can vouch for the public school system on Monmouth County, NJ. My niece and nephew went there from start to finish and then on to top colleges after high school. One to Washington and Lee and then G. Washington Unversity for law school and now practices in DC and the other is finishing up in St. John's University going to Columbia in the fall for post graduate studies.

Rete

LOL at CC's remark. Nope the US don't want Canada as a 5st state ... means we have to get every province. Have heard that Canada wants the US as another province so that the snowgeese will spend their winter money in their own country ;-)

Re: Schools in USA
 

I can vouch for the public school system in Monmouth County, NJ. My niece and nephew went there from start to finish and then on to top colleges after high school. One to Washington and Lee and then G. Washington Unversity for law school and now practices in DC and the other is finishing up in St. John's University going to Columbia in the fall for post graduate studies.

Rete

LOL at CC's remark. Nope the US don't want Canada as a 5st state ... means we have to get every province. Have heard that Canada wants the US as another province so that the snowgeese will spend their winter money in their own country ;-)

Re: Schools in USA
 

You will find a difference from district to district....the public schools in the UK
are the private schools in the US....inwhich a tuition is paid. Public schools in the
US are free and open to any child. They vary in what programs they offer outside of
the standard curriculum. I teach second grade (usually ages 8-9) and I also converse
with primary teachers in the UK on a regular basis. If interested in finding out what
generally is in a second grade curriculum, feel free to e-mail me and we can compare
where your child is academic wise in the UK.

Margaret

Re: Schools in USA
 

well, the US can have Quebec. even Canada doesn't want that one. :)

as for the snowbirds, can ya blame em for wanting that florida sun in the middle of
january? :)

"Rete" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I can vouch for the public school system in Monmouth County, NJ. My niece and
    > nephew went there from start to finish and then on to top colleges after high
    > school. One to Washington and Lee and then G. Washington Unversity for law school
    > and now practices in DC and the other is finishing up in St. John's University
    > going to Columbia in the fall for post graduate studies.
    >
    > Rete
    >
    > LOL at CC's remark. Nope the US don't want Canada as a 5st state ... means we have
    > to get every province. Have heard that Canada wants the US as another province so
    > that the snowgeese will spend their winter money in their own country ;)
    >
    >
    >
    > --
    >
    >
    >
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Re: Schools in USA
 

Hi Margaret, I would be very interested in emailing you regarding my son's schooling. Please could you forward me your email. Mine is [email protected]. And many thanks to all who have replied.

Re: Schools in USA
 

I always think that when one part of a country wants to separate itself from the
parent country, it's unfair that only the people in that area get to vote on it. The
other members of the population should be able to have the opportunity to kick the
others out! ;)

Andy.

--
I'm not really here - it's just your warped imagination. "Shussbar"
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > >well, the US can have Quebec. even Canada doesn't want that one. :)
    >
    > Or is it Quebec doesn t want to be ruled by anglo saxon Canada? It was
close
    > call at the last vote regarding autonomy.

Re: Schools in USA
 

heh...if they did that, quebec would be out so fast it would make their heads
spin..LOL

--
Crazy Canuck married to a Dam Yankee :) Entered as Visitor 07/04/01 Married 08/25/01
Filed @ VSC-AOS, EAD, AP 01/07/02 1st NOA 02/06/02 2nd NOA 02/07/02 EAD approved
02/26/02 AP Approved 02/28/02 AOS appointment letter rec'd 03/07/02 Fingerprint
letter rec'd 03/07/02 AOS interview 04/02/02 AOS APPROVED 04/02/02!!! GC arrived in
mail 04/19/02 next step..removing conditions..April 2004

some helpful sites on the net:
http://www.mindspring.com/~docsteen/...o/visainfo.htm
http://www.k1faq.com/faq_index.htm
http://www.geocities.com/immigration...-130/index.htm

"Andy Platt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I always think that when one part of a country wants to separate itself
from
    > the parent country, it's unfair that only the people in that area get to vote on
    > it. The other members of the population should be able to have the opportunity to
    > kick the others out! ;)
    >
    > Andy.
    >
    > --
    > I'm not really here - it's just your warped imagination. "Shussbar"
    > <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > >well, the US can have Quebec. even Canada doesn't want that one. :)
    > >
    > > Or is it Quebec doesn t want to be ruled by anglo saxon Canada? It was
    > close
    > > call at the last vote regarding autonomy.