Effort and motivation in the US and UK

Find out more about the main differences between our educational system and the one in the United States and the United Kingdom.

As we all know, our education system is very different from the ones in the United States and the United Kingdom. We are always complaining about the flaws that our system has and how we should stop doing certain things. I think that we ought to look out to another countries, such as these two, and research on their systems in case we could use something of theirs in ours.

Take for example how their classes are arranged, most of them don't have 6 periods and a lunch break like we do here. They have more periods, but they are obviously shorter, and have more breaks, is this better? We are used to our schedule that has been like that for years, so we couldn't really say anything on that matter.

Another difference is, in the US, they have a lot of activities and clubs that you can join so you are "obliged" to do something else than just taking regular classes. There's sports, cheerleading, the powerpuff, choir, dance team, drama club and so many others. They also have school dances like homecoming or prom, and friendly competitions between classes like "Battle Of The Classes" or "Lip Sync Battle". I think those are good incentives to motivate the students, so they will always be looking forward to an activity that they know they will have fun doing.

Also, in their systems, they do a lot more of public speaking, like giving speeches to their class or presenting an essay in front of everybody. That will boost your confidence and make you get rid of your shyness when speaking in public.

We've had the amazing chance to chat with Emma, a student from the US that lives in Texas. She has been kind enough to answer some questions and tell us about her experience studying in the US.

CarrascHoy. - How is the normal day of an American student?

Emma. - Well in my case, I wake up really early, around 6:30am. I know that it can look crazy for people from Spain, but you have to make the most out of the day! I get dressed, go to the bathroom and have breakfast with my family. When I finish I go out with my brother to walk the dog, Scooby. If I still have some spare time when I come back I like to help my mom with some chores or I finish some homework. At 8:30am I take the bus and I arrive to school at 9am. I'm there until the afternoon, I go back home around 4pm. In the afternoon I always study and do my homework, and again if I have some spare time, I like to watch youtube videos, a movie or a tv show. At 7pm I have an early dinner because I have cheerleader practice at 7:30pm. I finally arrive home at 9pm and I'm exhausted from the whole day, so I just go to bed. It depends on the day, some days I just stay home doing homework or studying.

CarrascHoy. - How do you make everything work with such a busy schedule?

Emma. - Hahaha, I don't know. I guess it's discipline. Ever since I can remember my parents have always had me doing activities of all kind so I'm used to it. Although it is true that sometimes it can be a little overwhelming , but everybody here has a very active lifestyle.

CarrascHoy. - Do you think that all that effort pays off?

Emma. - Obviously, if you want to have a good future you have to work for it. Here in the US we are very competitive in that matter. We all want to have a good job, a good salary, a family... And that's hard. Sometimes I feel a little pressure coming from my parents or my environment, but at the end they are right. If you want something you have to work to be the best.

Thanks Emma for this interview!

In our opinion, I believe that we should adopt some of these "methods" because it would be really innovative for our system and teens would probably would start looking at school in a different way, not only as the place they have to spend the whole morning in sitting in a chair listening to a teacher talking. But in a place that they can learn in a great environment that always dares them to get out of their comfort zones with different challenges.