In Japan, almost all schools start from early April and end in March of the next year. The enrollment ceremony is held at most schools in the second week of April. I know in many of the countries the school year starts from September ends in June. How about your country? Is the Japanese school year unique?
How interesting! Your school kids have their largest break at Spring, aren’t they? In the countries that I know it is Summer, and I used to think it is just humanism related to climate. In Russia, the period of the worm summer weather is short, about 3 month, and I would get it as the additional atrocity if we the kids were not allowed to be out of school then. It is from approx the middle of June to the end of August.
In Japan, the school kids have two weeks break from the last week of March to the second week of April. They have longer summer break from around third week of July to the end of August.
I think someone, who decided the beginning of our school year, love full bloom of cherry blossom. Japanese believe it’s a good combination. He didn’t care about other countries school year.
Sorry, this has little to do with this thread, but…
I hated any school breaks as a mother because I felt I couldn’t do anything
during those breaks, having a little child with me in the house all day long.
( at that time LingQ did not exist! )
Now I wish I were annoyed by any kind of breaks!
(He seldom comes back home, enjoying his school life fully in another city.)
I really miss those days when I was spending a lot of time with my son.
Cherry, IMO, it has to do with this tread. It was also my first reflection, though I have not mentioned it, that the kids’ perception of the school break differs strongly from their parent’s headaches.
Germany, too, used to have the school year starting after Easter and only changed to a September start in the early sixties, I believe (at least that was the case in our Bundesland). The year of the switch-over we lost two-thirds of the year’s teaching… so sad. Starting school or a new class in the spring was nicer than having to face a new year after the long sommer holidays.
My dad told me once that the reason so many countries have break in the summer was because back in the day that was harvest season and households needed the kids to help harvest the crops. Thought that was interesting. I wonder what the reason behind having it in the spring was.
At my high school, we start mid to late August and we go until late May. The Seniors get done mid May because it isn’t required for Seniors to take finals for the last semester. For example, I get done May 18th while the Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshman go until May 28th.
The university that I’ll be attending has classes start August 23rd and I’m done around May 7th. Breaks are not that long except for Christmas and Spring Break. But then I’ll be taking some summer classes also and get a few weeks of a break before the next year’s term begins.
You have to differentiate things:
When are the holidays?
When start the school year?
When start the classes?
In Germany the long break was always in the summer time, and it is still in the summer time.
The beginning of the school year changed in Germany from Easter time to August. Even if the children have holiday or not, the official school year start on August, 1st. and end at July, 31st. The first day in school in a new year is then the first day after the holiday.
In some parts of Germany they did recently some changes. Now children can start on Eastern or in August with their first school year. They changed it because it is too early for some children to start in August, but on Eastern they are able to go to school.
VeraI, hi!
How many days of the holidays at Germany school last? Only one month?
The holidays in Germany are 6 weeks in the summer, 2 weeks in the automn, 2 or 3 weeks at christmas time, 2 weeks at easter time and depending on the length of the christmas holidays in some regions 1 week in winter (usually february). So we have 13 weeks of holiday in one year.
Nick, you mentioned: "The Seniors… the Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshman… " . Is there a difference between the juniors and the freshmen? Thanks.
The Freshman are the 1st years.
The Sophomores are the 2nd years.
The Juniors are the 3rd years,
and The Seniors are the 4th years.
So Freshman are the youngest, and just started high school, and Juniors have been in high school at least 3 years.
Thanks, VeraI! It is very interesting. The holidays in Russia are 3 months in the summer, 1 week in the autmn, than 2 weeks in the winter(New Year’s Day) and 1 week in the spring. We have 16 weeks of holiday in one year.
There are two semesters in a year in most Japanese universities. The first semester begins in April and ends in September. The second semester begins in October and ends in March. A long time ago, when the first semester ended in October and the second semester began in the same month, there were two-month-long summer holidays that began about July 10th. Students used to be free from classes in the hottest season in Japan, but now they are busy at school until early August. I wonder why they are supposed to study in the class rooms in the season that is not appropriate for studying.
Hi, YutakaM
When students have a rest in Japanese universities? Are there one month of holidays after first semester and ones after the second? It is very interesting!
There are two month of holidays in most faculty of Russian universities. It is July and August.
According to “academic calendar 2010” of a university, the summer holidays begin on August 16 and end September 30th. Some students have to take intensive courses in the holidays to study subjects on the regular curriculum, and some of them are required subjects.
I suppose that officials who belong to the Ministry of Education in Japan assume that the devil finds work for idle hands(小人閑居して不善を為す).
Those poor devils don’t stand a chance with such a full programme!
Maybe, students of Japanese universities has not enough rest, but very qualitative education!