American Elementary School

4.5

American children begin to go to school when they are six years old. The first school is called elementary or grade school. In elementary schools, as in all other schools in the USA, there are lessons every day, except Saturdays and Sundays. The children come to school at 8.30 and each class gathers in its homeroom. There is a teacher on duty there who calls the names of the children, after which they all pledge allegiance to the American flag and sing patriotic songs. Then lessons begin. Each lesson lasts half an hour. At 10.30 the children return to the homeroom where they have milk and crackers.

At 11 o’clock they have a lesson of writing. There are about one hundred pupils in a big classroom and three teachers. One teacher uses a technical aid, she writes the new words and her writing is reflected on the wall of the room. All the pupils can see and copy the words.

As she writes the teacher speaks into a microphone so that all the pupils can hear her.

Her two assistants walk about the classroom and correct the children’s writing.

At 11.50 the pupils return to their homeroom and prepare for lunch. They eat from 12 to 12.30 after which they have 20 minutes of physical training on the playground.

After that one more lesson. This is a lesson of nature-study and that is the end of the school day. It is half past one and all the children go home. This is a good school for white children from rich families. But there are many poor and bad schools where children of workers both black and white learn.