Turner Today
In addition to students feeling the pressure to seek and finally work jobs, grades, AP tests, extra curricular activities, and eventually college applications and scholarships can easily pile up and leave high school students stressed. But how does the typical American student’s experience compare to other students’ all over the world—are we expected too much of, or comparatively, too little?
“We’re not set up to succeed,” said, Bailey Roberts, senior. “I feel like the system makes it harder, at least for me, to get motivated to get better test scores.”
Compared to countries with rigorous study habits like South Korea, U.S. students follow a much more relaxed schedule. High school in South Korea starts at 8:00 and ends at 4:00, but night school is offered until 9:30 and attended by a majority of students. And then when night school is over, students say they go back to their dorms to continue studying.
“(I’ll do) like thirty minutes… Well for band though I stay an hour after school,” said Eunice Lemus, sophomore.
Stressed or Blessed
By: Rachel Johnson
The hard work seemingly pays off, with South Korea at an admirable 4th place in the
Education Index (compared to the U.S. in 18th), but more often than not these statistics come at a price. Explored in “A Documentary Film on Korean High School,” Kelley Katzenmeyer (filmmaker) exposes the school hours, study habits, entrance exams, and even the hyped beauty standards that pile on stress for average Korean high school, and even middle school students.
“When I was in middle school, one of my friends, one grade higher than me committed suicide. She was good at studying but she just got too much stress from studying,” said one of the Korean girls Katzenmeyer interviewed.
Compared to South Korea, a Chinese high school student’s average day at school lasts from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, but one of the number one education systems, Australia, starts at a comfortable 9:00 am and ends at 3:30 pm, almost four hours shorter than the Chinese high school day and around an hour shorter than the average U.S. high school day; So what makes a successful education system? There doesn’t appear to be a direct correlation between study time and free time in the academic success of students, so that stress you’re feeling is likely justified, no matter how much one studies: not to worry.
“It’s not necessarily easier. We study the same material, but (other places) are harder on you about attending school… that’s a traditional discipline that allows places like Korea to be big players in education,” said Edwin Montesinos, senior.