A short discussion on growing up in the United States

1. Growing up in America

2. Opening Discussion
• What do you know about life in other
countries?
• Do you think Americans are happier than
Chinese people? Are they sadder? The same?
• Do you think going to school in another
country would change how you think?

3. Suburbia
A common place for
American people to raise
children is the suburbs. A
suburb is a separate
residential community within
commuting distance of a
large city. Suburbs first
emerged on a large scale in
the 1900s as a result of
improved forms of
transportation.

4. Suburban development in Colorado Springs, Colorado

5. Kindergarten
Most American children
have their first school
experience in either
preschool or kindergarten. It
is common for a student to
have one year of
kindergarten when they are
between 4-6 years old
before they start elementary
school. Kindergarten is
different from later school
environments because the
focus is more on
socialization rather than
math or reading.

6. Elementary School
From ages 6 to 11, American children go
to elementary school. This type of school
is also known as a primary school or
grade school (because each year is know
as a “grade”: first grade, second
grade, etc.) Elementary schools provide
their students with an education in
reading, writing and arithmetic (the three
Rs).

7. Report Card
A report card tells about a student's performance in
school. A typical report card uses a grading scale to
determine the quality of a student's school work.
The possible grades, from highest to lowest, are as
follows: A, B, C, D, F. Sometimes the teachers will
also assign grades with a plus (+) or minus (-) sign so
that the highest possible grade is an A+ and the
lowest possible is an F-.

8. Jr. High
After elementary school, American
students usually go to a Jr. High
School. Junior High is a place for young
students to start preparing for their
higher education, so it is sort of a mix
between elementary school and high
school. Unlike elementary school, for
example, where the students spend
their whole day in one classroom with
one teacher, junior. high students
usually have 5-6 different classes, in
different subjects, with different
teachers. Junior high school students
also usually start receiving grades
based on a point system, with 4.0
being the highest possible grade, and
0 being the lowest.

9. High School
The last four years of school
before a student goes off to
college are called high school.
High School students study a
number of different subjects, and
they have the ability to choose
some of the classes that they
take. After high school, Americans
can either choose to go to
college, or finish their education
and enter the workforce.

10. College
Higher education (university) is often
called college in the United States.
Students at American colleges can
study any number of subjects in one of
the best university systems in the
world.
Unlike in high school, college students
are generally regarded as adults, and
free to determine their own future.
There is generally no limit on which
major a college student has to take, as
long as they are admitted to the
college they wish to attend.

11. What do you think?
• What kind of education did you have in your
home?
• What would the world be like if everyone had
access to a good education?
• How important do you think education is?
• What do you think Mark Twain meant when
he said, “never let school interfere with your
education”?

12. Part-time Job
A part-time job is a job where people
work fewer hours per week than a
full-time job. Workers are considered
to be part time if they work less than
30 hours a week. Part time jobs are
an essential part of many Americans’
educations because without a part-
time job, many college students can
not make ends meet. In fact, it is not
uncommon for many Americans to
get their first part-time job when
they are still in high school.

13. Fast Food

14. Driver’s License
In the United States, the minimum age to
obtain a driver's license varies from 14
years, three months in South Dakota to
as high as 17 in New Jersey.
In America, getting your driver’s license
is an important step in becoming an
adult.

15. Shooting
Many Americans, particularly in small
towns, learn to shoot and use firearms at
an early age. It is also not uncommon for
kids to go hunting with their parents
(usually their father).
This issue is somewhat controversial in
some places, particularly in the larger
cities, but guns remain a normal part of life
in many places.
One reason the people teach their children
about firearms, is that they believe that it
is better for them to know how guns work
so that they can avoid dangerous
accidents.

16. What do you think?
• When did you get your first job?
• Do you think it is more important for students
to learn how to do things in the workplace, or
should they concentrate on their studies?
• When do people usually get driver’s licenses
in your country? How do you feel about
driving on the roads with teenagers?
• Is it a good idea for kids to learn how to
shoot?