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Questions about high school



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Sun Jun 19, 2011 4:04 pm
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tigershark17 says...



Hey

I am new to YWS and especially to forums; I don't really know how you're supposed to go about asking stuff like this. Do I just post in general, or is there someone specific to ask? Anyway, I have been homeschooled since fourth grade, and one of current novels has an MC who goes to a normal high school. Problem: I've never been to one! I have some questions about how a high school works for anyone who can answer, and would appreciate multiple answers since I would think it is different at every school. How many periods are in a school day, and are they all one hour? How many days a week is gym class, and what is worn? Also, how long is gym class?

Thanks,
TS
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Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:45 pm
JabberHut says...



How many periods are in a school day, and are they all one hour?

Depends on the school! At my high school, I had seven classes (~50 minutes each) and lunch (~25 minutes) everyday. The school can change the schedule however they like though when it comes to doing district/state-wide exams. But that's probably something you won't be writing about.

There are a lot of schools who do a similar schedule to my school except they've the option of taking an extra class before school starts, so that would be eight classes.

Some schools do block scheduling. They'd do four classes one day (so each class would be about an hour and a half instead, probably?) and the other four the next day.

That's probably as simple as I can make it. Schools can throw students off when it comes to doing exams and assemblies, shortening periods or whatever.

How many days a week is gym class, and what is worn? Also, how long is gym class?

Again, it depends on the school! Generally speaking, gym is considered a class like any other. So it can be ~50 minutes everyday. Some schools have gym class switch to health for two weeks and then back to gym for a few more weeks, so forth.

Gym clothes are so drab and nasty. At least, the ones I had to wear were. TV doesn't lie about that. XD In junior high, the school provided us with uniforms so we all dressed in the same black sports shorts and gray shirts (both had the school logo, and yes, we had to buy them). In high school, however, we could just bring our own sportswear to change into for gym. They only provide five minutes for people to change beginning and end of class, and not changing (depending on the teacher) can result in tardies (enough tardies = detention/F in class).

----

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Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:43 am
tigershark17 says...



Thanks so much; that helps a lot! As to the second question: I don't watch TV so I wouldn't know, but what do you mean by sportswear? Just general shorts and tee, or like board shorts and rash guards and stuff? Also, do kids shower after gym? Because I've heard a lot about that, but never really asked anyone. (Five minutes really isn't enough!)
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Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:51 am
JabberHut says...



By sportswear, I just mean comfy exercise clothes. Typically mesh or basketball shorts and t-shirts and, of course, tennis shoes. Nothing fancy. In fact, people wear clothes they don't really care about. xD

And typically, no one showers after gym. I think that's more for after extra-curricular activities, but even then, they just wait 'til they go home. No one's ever used the showers at my school(s). The five minutes is spent just changing clothes (and make-up for some girls).
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Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:29 am
ToritheMonster says...



If you're super serious about this novel, most high schools will let you shadow a student for a day. Why not do that, to get a first-hand idea?
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Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:33 am
tigershark17 says...



Can you shadow if you're not planning on attending the school, though?
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Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:46 am
Elinor says...



At my school, we have to have a t-shirt (no tank tops, spaghetti straps, etc), either shorts or sweatpants, and tennis shoes, otherwise you can't participate in the daily activity and you loose your 15 points for the day. And no, there's not usually time to shower -- at my school we could take quick ones after our swimming unit to get all of the chlorine out of our hair and stuff like that. And they don't make you go naked either, we just took the showers in our swimsuits. ;)

And, I don't believe that you can shadow if you're not planning on attending the school, since that's what the purpose of shadowing is (to get a feel of the school you will be attending the succeeding year). I would ask your local high school though, explain your case, and see! Otherwise I'm willing to answer any more questions you may have.

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Sat Jun 25, 2011 9:33 pm
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RacheDrache says...



My high school had 7 periods, with an optional 8th and an optional "0" period. First bell rang at 7:52 on every day but Monday and we got out at 2:40 on every day but the last day of school. Lunch was 5th period for everyone, so really, a full day of class was 6 classes only, each about 50 minutes with a 7-minute "passing" period in between each.

We had a partial block schedule. Wednesday and Thursday were odd and even block days--so on Wednesday you only went to periods 2, 4, 5/Lunch, and 6. On Thursday, you went to 1, 3, 5, and 7. Lunch remained the same length, but class periods were double length, shy of two-hours. This made certain classes very much unbearable and was designed with chemistry and biology in mind, as the block days would then be lab days.

Most funky schedules happened on Friday. If we had a rally or assembly, it'd get squeezed in sometime before lunch and the other classes would shorten accordingly.

My school had an "unprecedented" 4-year requirement for PE, though there were ways to get around it. It was a regular class, so we had it every day of the week. For gym uniforms, which we were (illegally) required to buy ourselves, we had blue mesh shorts with the school logo and then white T-shirts, also with our school on it. These white T-shirts were particularly annoying, as it meant you always needed to bring a camisole with you every day you had a non-flesh-colored bra. Thankfully, no boys ever brought out buckets of water, but it could have been quite bad.

Also, we were required to write our names on both in Sharpie. During the winter, we were allowed to wear non-uniform sweats and sweatshirts, but you'd get marked down about 5% of your grade every time you didn't "dress out". Our PE coaches were the coaches for the sports team. None of them were the mean, military men gym coaches they always have in the movies. I had the basketball coach one year, and he was a friendly guy. The water polo coach was a favorite, though he was a bit stricter. The wrestling coach was perhaps the most intense. But, even if you weren't a sports person (to whom they always had bias the same way other teachers tend to like the gifted students), the coaches were tolerable and friendly so long as you a) always dressed out, b) didn't groan and complain, c) tried.

For state PE testing, for instance, when the girls had to run the mile, our baseball coach would come give a speech about how running a mile was nothing compared to childbirth and that girls were tougher than guys, etc. It's only inspirational the first time you hear it. After four times, it gets old.

Also important to consider is what region your school is in. My school was outside--we didn't have hallways with lockers. You had to go outside and through whatever weather awaited to get from one class to another. Schools in places with snow and worse weather usually don't have this "luxury". (It wasn't a luxury us because while we didn't have snowstorms or massive rainstorms, we did get 108 degree heat and spotty airconditioners, though the administration buildings were always cool.)

Hope this helps out!

Even if you can't shadow someone, maybe you could try to meet up with someone who does go to high school in your area? Or, better yet, access your local high school's website and do some snooping. Look up bell schedules, and you should be able to download school rules and policies from either there or the school district website.

Good luck!
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Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:21 pm
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Carlito says...



At my high school, there are technically eight periods but most people only take six. First period is also called "early bird" because it starts at 7. Not everyone takes an early bird. You do if you want to take more than six classes. Second period starts at 8 and is most people's first period of the day.

Each period is 50 minutes long with ten minutes of passing time in between each class. One of the hours is stretched a little longer to allow for announcements, which happen over the TV. The principal goes over scores for games that happened the night before, goes over the events happening tonight, the lunch menu, if any colleges are here that you can talk to, etc., then students come on and announce things for various clubs and activities.

School gets out at 2:45 and 8th period is after school. It's for extracurricular stuff. All of the extracurricular stuff I did usually lasted from 3-4.

Our school had two lunch shifts. They were separated by a half hour and each lasted half an hour. Most kids eat in the lunch room but juniors and seniors can go off campus for lunch and either go out to eat or go home to eat.

Most gym classes are every other day I think. (I don't know, I haven't taken a legit gym class since 5th grade). It lasts the usual 50 minutes. For regular gym class you have to dress out and wear athletic clothes. There are a couple of alternative gym classes you can take. You can do early bird weightlifting or after school weight lifting, or you can take walking. For weight lifting you're supposed to dress out, for walking it doesn't matter.

At my school you can also get out of taking gym. If you're in a sport, you can get an athletic waver and don't have to take gym that trimester. You can have as many athletic wavers as you want in the school year. If you have a full schedule of classes, you can have an academic waver, but you can only have one of those a year. Senior year you get two.


Let me know if any of that didn't make sense or if you have any more questions! :)

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Thu Jun 30, 2011 12:35 am
tigershark17 says...



Thanks so much, you guys! That is amazingly helpful!! (:
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Sat Jul 02, 2011 5:18 pm
fire_of_dawn says...



I attended a K-12 school, so I guess my point of view will be helpful.

Believe it or not, my school is smaller than most high schools. There are, at any one time, less than a hundred students. That means there are only a few teachers for elementary, middle and high schools respectively.

Students who met the requirements were "mainstreamed" into other schools, so you could expect to have several class mates. It was like and unlike elementary.
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Tue Jul 12, 2011 9:11 pm
tinkembell says...



At my high school, we have 3 periods a day, each 1 hour and 45 minutes long (but our textiles and res mats classes are split up) before we changed into an 'academy' we had five every day, about 50 minutes long. We have a twenty minute break, and a thirty minute lunch. Oh and a twenty minute tutor before lunch, where we have assemblies, read, do quizes ect. ^^
There are five minutes in between lessons, and at the end of break/lunch there Is a five minute warning bell to get to class. At break you can eat outside and in the cafeteria (we used to eat in this cool little spot, but then we weren't allowed anymore) and at lunch you can also eat in 'the lunch room'. You don't have to eat though, you can go to the library/music room/art room ect.
I have 'gym class' twice on week A, and once on week B, and the same length as every other lesson (although we tend to split the time in two to do two topics,
for example at the minute I do tennis then athletics. We have a special kit to
wear, a stupidly black polo, shorts, knee high socks, and a cool long sleeved
water proof thing that you can turn inside out if it gets cold. They all have our
school logo on them. Before we used to just wear White polos and black shorts.

Also we have showers. About six. We never use them (although we could if we wanted to)
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